"(T)he presence at the Victory Parade of a country that bombs cities, hospitals, and daycares, and which has caused the deaths and injuries of over a million people over three years, is a shame," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
"According to the participants of the performances, their goal is to remind the civilized world of the barbaric actions of Moscow, which for many years and decades has systematically violated international law," a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
"I have great hope that an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine will be reached this weekend," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 9, shortly before traveling to Kyiv alongside the leaders of France, Poland, and the U.K.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will arrive in Kyiv early on May 10.
The United States embassy in Kyiv on May 9 issued a warning that Russia could launch "a potentially significant" attack in the coming days, despite Putin's self-declared Victory Day "truce."
The sanctioned oil tankers have transported over $24 billion in cargo since 2024, according to Downing Street. The U.K. has now sanctioned more shadow fleet vessels than any other country.
Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
Camouflage trousers found on passenger trains travelling from Russia's Kaliningrad to Moscow on Oct. 2, 2024. (Lithuania's Customs Criminal Service)
Lithuanian customs officers discovered military uniforms and camouflage nets on passenger trains traveling from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to Moscow, the Delfi outlet reported on Oct. 5.
Kaliningrad Oblast is a small but heavily armed territory lodged between the Baltic Sea and NATO members Poland and Lithuania.
Lithuanian authorities are regulating the railway connection segment that runs through their territory and connects the exclave to Belarus and Russia.
During inspections, Lithuanian authorities intercepted four shipments of various military items loaded onto passenger trains between Sept. 27 and Oct. 2, Delfi wrote.
The shipments included five pairs of military camouflage trousers and several camouflage nets for masking weapons, which were found at the Kybartai train station near the exclave's border.
Vilnius believes that the shipments were intended for use by the Russian Armed Forces deployed in Ukraine. The items will be sent to Ukraine as military aid.
Vilnius has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since the outbreak of the full-scale war, leading to the sharp deterioration of relations with Moscow.
Another incident on the Kaliningrad-Moscow railway occurred last week. One carriage of a train that arrived at the Kena checkpoint at the Lithuanian-Belarusian borders displayed the letter Z, a symbol commonly used by Russian invasion forces in Ukraine.
Another carriage displayed an inscription calling Vilnius, Lithuania's capital, a "Russian city."
The Soviet Union annexed Lithuania along with other Baltic countries in World War II, with the nation declaring independence only in 1990.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Maria Yeryoma
