"(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.
Mstyslav Chernov speaks during the "20 Days in Mariupol" panel during the 26th SCAD Savannah Film Festival on October 27, 2023 in Savannah, Georgia. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for SCAD)
Ukrainian director and journalist Mstyslav Chernov’s documentary 2,000 Meters to Andriivka received the F:ACT Award at Denmark’s CPH:DOX documentary film festival, organizers announced on March 29.
The jury praised the film as a powerful portrayal of war and a strong reflection on loss and resilience.
The documentary follows Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive, as Chernov embeds with a platoon from the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. Their mission was to liberate Andriivka, a strategically important village in Donetsk Oblast. Surrounded by mines, the village is accessible only through a narrow stretch of forest, making the battle particularly grueling.
"Ultimately we give the F:ACT award to 2,000 Meters to Andriivka not just because it’s a conflict on our doorstep, but because it’s a masterpiece in filmmaking: a haunting, multi-layered portrayal of war comparable to All Quiet on the Western Front,” the jury stated.
“But this is not the First World War, it’s today. An artist amid bloodshed brings the reality home, and makes an anti-war film that forces us to reflect on the dignity of each human life lost."
Chernov, an acclaimed war correspondent and documentary filmmaker, worked on the project with Associated Press photographer Oleksandr Babienko. The film was produced by Michelle Misner and Rainey Aronson-Rath, both of whom won an Oscar for "20 Days in Mariupol."
His previous film, 20 Days in Mariupol, won the Oscar for Best Documentary at the 96th Academy Awards last March.
The film captures the Russian siege of Mariupol in the early weeks of the full-scale invasion, offering a firsthand account from Chernov and his team. It is the first Ukrainian-directed film to ever receive an Oscar.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
