"(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.
The Russian Foreign Ministry building in Moscow. (Suphanat Wongsanuphat/Getty Images)
Two Romanian diplomats were expelled from Russia in response to Bucharest's expulsion of two Russian diplomats in March, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on April 9.
On March 5, Romania expelled Russian military attache Victor Makovskiy and his deputy, Evgeny Ignatiev, for breaching diplomatic rules of conduct. The move was reportedly in response to Russian interference in Romania's presidential election.
The two Romanian diplomats were declared "persona non gratae" and were ordered to leave Russia on April 9.
Romania's defense attache and his deputy were expelled, Russia's Foreign Ministry said.
Russia previously promised to respond to Romania's decision to expel Makovskiy and Ignatiev in March.
On March 5, Romanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Andrei Tarnea said the expelled Russian diplomats breached the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
"It is an exceptional measure... It is not a measure taken easily, and it is taken when the breaches are grave," Tarnea said.
The move was reportedly connected to the campaign of Romania's pro-Russian presidential candidate, Calin Georgescu.
Georgescu, a former candidate in Romania's presidential elections, was barred from running amid accusations of Russian cyberattacks and a bias in favor of Georgescu on TikTok.
Diplomatic expulsions between Russia and Western nations have become a common occurrence since the onset of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.
Dominic Culverwell
