"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.
Pavlo Vovk, Judge of the liquidated Kyiv District Administrative Court (OASK). (Pavlo Vovk/Facebook)
The High Council of Justice has dismissed Judge Pavlo Vovk, the head of the liquidated Kyiv District Administrative Court (OASK), who has been charged with creating a criminal organization and attempting to seize power, according to an official announcement published on March 18.
Vovk was held responsible for "committing a significant disciplinary offense, gross or systematic neglect of duties that is incompatible with the status of a judge or revealed his incompatibility with the position he holds."
The Anti-Corruption Action Center reported that Vovk failed to appear before the High Council of Justice and instead submitted multiple appeals, including requests for the recusal of council members and postponement of the proceedings.
The speaker at the meeting, High Council of Justice member Oksana Kvasha, proposed dismissing Vovk. All 14 council members supported the proposal.
Vovk has become a symbol of systemic corruption and judicial impunity in Ukraine. He and other judges from his court face charges of usurpation of power, obstruction of justice, organized crime, and abuse of authority.
In December 2022, Ukraine's parliament voted to dissolve the Kyiv District Administrative Court, which had been mired in corruption scandals under Vovk's leadership. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the decree, making it law.
On Dec. 9, 2022, the U.S. Department of State sanctioned Vovk to mark International Anti-Corruption Day, imposing visa restrictions and potentially freezing his assets.
Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court is hearing the criminal case against Vovk and his accomplices. For years, prosecutors, investigators, and courts have obstructed and delayed cases against him.
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.
Martin Fornusek
