"(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.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko during an official welcoming ceremony for delegations' heads at the BRICS summit in Kazan on Oct. 23, 2024. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko plans to deploy 10 Russian Oreshnik missile systems in Belarus, pro-Kremlin journalist Alexander Yunashev reported on his Telegram channel Yunashev Live on Dec. 26.
The "Oreshnik"is an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that Russia touts as an experimental weapon capable of bypassing advanced air defense systems.
Answering Yunashev's question during the Eurasian Economic Union summit, Lukashenko said he expects 10 missile systems from Russia.
"If the Russians want to deploy more, we will deploy more," he added.
Lukashenko previously asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to deploy Oreshnik missile systems in Belarus during the signing ceremony of new agreements between Russia and Belarus in early December.
Putin responded that such a deployment was "possible" and said the missiles could be supplied to Belarus by the second half of 2025.
The Oreshnik is likely not a new Russian development at all, Fabian Hoffmann, a defense expert and doctoral research fellow at the University of Oslo, told the Kyiv Independent. The weapon appears to be a modification of the RS-26 missile, also known as the Rubezh.
"I think basically they (Russians) just took apart the RS-26 or just cannibalized it and then put together this new missile with a couple of upgrades and a new paint job," Hoffman said.
First produced in 2011, and successfully tested in 2012, the Rubezh is a 36,000 kilogram, nuclear-capable, intermediate-range ballistic missile with a known range of 5,800 kilometers.
While Putin has claimed that Russia is planning mass production of the Oreshnik, a U.S. official told The Kyiv Independent that Moscow likely possesses "only a handful" of these experimental missiles.
Russia launched the Oreshnik missile against Ukraine following Kyiv's first successful use of U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles on a military target in Russia. Moscow later acknowledged additional ATACMS strikes on targets in Kursk and Bryansk oblasts.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Chris York
