"(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.
A Russian flag flies next to the US embassy building in Moscow on November 30, 2023, on a snowy day. (Alexander Nemenov / AFP via Getty Images)
A 28-year-old U.S. citizen was detained at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after Russian authorities allegedly found food items containing cannabis derivatives in his luggage. The man had arrived from Istanbul on Feb. 7 when a customs inspection led to his arrest, according to Russian state-run news agencies TASS and Interfax.
Russia’s Federal Customs Service claimed that a service dog alerted officials to one of the man’s suitcases, prompting a search. Inside, authorities reportedly discovered two plastic jars and a zip bag containing sweets. A chemical analysis later confirmed that the items contained narcotic substances from the cannabinoid group, TASS reported.
The detained traveler reportedly told officials that the gummies and marmalade had been prescribed to him by a doctor in the United States. He claimed he needed the products while traveling, according to TASS. The possession of cannabis, even for medical use, is illegal in Russia.
The U.S. State Department has not yet commented on the case. The detention comes amid ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Russia, including previous high-profile detentions of American citizens.
Earlier this week, Russia and the U.S. carried out a prisoner exchange, with Moscow releasing U.S. teacher Marc Fogel in exchange for Alexander Vinnik, a Russian national accused of Bitcoin fraud. Fogel had been sentenced to 14 years in prison for carrying marijuana he claimed was medically prescribed.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Andrea Januta
