"We have a plan B and a plan C. But our focus is plan A, the essence of which is to get everyone's support" for Ukraine's accession, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
"(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.
Smoke rises over the site of a reported attack near the village of Uhlove, near the Kacha airfield, Crimea, on May 2, 2025. (Crimean Wind / Telegram)
Russian air defenses allegedly intercepted 89 Ukrainian drones over occupied Crimea and another 23 over the waters of the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed on May 2.
The pro-Ukrainian Crimean Wind Telegram channel reported explosions in several key locations across the peninsula, including Sevastopol, Dzhankoy, Saky, Novofedorivka, and Kacha — sites that host Russian military airfields.
The Saky and Kacha airfields are used by Russia to control airspace over the Black Sea and to launch strikes on Ukrainian territory. Videos published by Crimean Wind showed multiple explosions and a fire near the village of Uhlove, close to the Kacha airfield.
Uhlove is located about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the coast of Kalamit Bay and roughly 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Simferopol.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-installed leader in Sevastopol, confirmed on Telegram that "loud sounds" were caused by Russian forces repelling an attempted drone attack.
He claimed seven drones had been destroyed over the sea at a significant distance from shore.
"The fleet, in cooperation with air defense forces, is reflecting a massive combined attack," he wrote, claiming no damage to infrastructure in Sevastopol or its waters.
Ukraine has not officially commented on the reported strikes, and the Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims.
Ukraine has carried out several successful attacks against Russian targets in occupied Crimea and its vicinity, heavily degrading the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
