"(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 general view of the parlament in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia, on April 25, 2013. (Sergey Rassulov/Getty Images)
Russian authorities killed four militants overnight on March 5 in a counter-terrorist operation in Dagestan aimed against the Islamic State terrorist organization, Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee claimed.
The militants "were planning to commit a terrorist act at a facility of the regional administration of the Russian Interior Ministry in the (Dagestani) city of Kaspiysk," the committee said in a statement.
"There were no casualties among the civilian population or losses among law enforcement personnel."
The statement came after reports of an attack by a group of unknown assailants against a police station in Makhachkala, the region's capital. A counter-terrorist operation was announced at 0:25 a.m. local time.
Russia's predominantly Muslim Republic of Dagestan, lying in the North Caucasus, has seen a number of terrorist attacks by Islamic radicals and clashes with security forces over the past years.
During one such attack in June 2024, 17 police officers and five civilians were killed, along with five perpetrators who opened fire against snagoygues and churches in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala.
Following the operation on March 5, Russian authorities claimed they had discovered grenade launchers, improvised explosive devices, grenades, machine guns, a pistol, and ammunition at the site of the skirmish and in a nearby cache.
"According to available data, the gang's activities were coordinated by members of the Islamic State," the committee said.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Russia suffered one of its deadliest terrorist attacks in March 2024 when several assailants linked to the Islamic State opened fire in the Crocus City Hall near Moscow, killing 145 people.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Kateryna Denisova
