"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.
The flag of Russia flies in front of the Russian embassy on Oct. 3, 2024, in Washington, U.S. (Valerie Plesch/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on March 6 appointing Alexander Darchiev as Russia's new ambassador to Washington.
Darchiev, a veteran diplomat with a half-decade of experience in Washington, previously served as Russia's ambassador to Canada from 2014 to 2021 and later as the director of the North American Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The U.S. approved his appointment last month amid renewed diplomatic engagement between the U.S. and Russia. A Russian delegation met U.S. officials in Istanbul on Feb. 27 for a second round of talks, following an initial meeting in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18.
While the first meeting reportedly focused on Moscow's war against Ukraine, the second round did not include discussions on the war, a U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed.
According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the Istanbul discussions centered on embassy operations.
The previous Russian ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, was dismissed from his post on Oct. 10, 2024.
Under former U.S. President Joe Biden's administration, the U.S. had largely severed official diplomatic contacts with Russia in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump's return to office has shifted U.S. foreign policy. His administration engages more directly with Moscow while adopting a more critical stance toward Ukraine. Trump has also paused military and intelligence sharing with Kyiv to pressure Ukraine to enter peace talks.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Dominic Culverwell
