"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.
The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
A Maxar satellite imagery of Engels Air Base in Saratov Oblast, Russia, on Dec. 3, 2022. (Maxar Technologies)
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect a statement by Maxar Technologies provided to the Kyiv Independent.
U.S. aerospace company Maxar Technologies has restricted Ukraine's access to its satellite imagery, the Ukrainian media outlet Militarnyi reported on March 7, citing unnamed users of the service.
Kyiv has relied on high-resolution satellite images for defense and strategic planning, tracking Russian troop movements, assessing battlefield conditions, and monitoring Russian infrastructure damage.
The alleged move follows the U.S. decision to halt intelligence sharing with Ukraine, a shift confirmed by CIA Director John Ratcliffe on March 5.
According to Militarnyi, the restriction was imposed under an order from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, with the State Department allegedly prohibiting U.S. companies from providing satellite data to Ukraine.
In a statement to the Kyiv Independent, Maxar Technologies confirmed the implemented restrictions, while noting that they are "specific to imagery shared through U.S. government programs."
"The specific program in question is GEGD (the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery program), a U.S. government program that provides access to commercial satellite imagery that has been tasked and collected by the U.S. government. The U.S. government has decided to temporarily suspend Ukrainian accounts in GEGD," a statement to the Kyiv Independent read.
"Each customer makes their own decisions on how they use and share that data," the statement added, noting that the company has contracts with "dozens of allied and partner nations around the world."
Ukraine's cyber community Cyberboroshno also reported the restriction, claiming that free access to satellite reconnaissance had been cut off.
"According to our information, at least private companies can buy already ordered (satellite) images through the provider," Cyberboroshno wrote on Telegram.
Washington has also frozen military aid to Kyiv as part of a broader effort to pressure President Volodymyr Zelensky into peace talks with Russia.
Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on March 6 that Kyiv is working on alternatives to counter the loss of U.S. intelligence, including potential cooperation with European partners.
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.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
