"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.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks to the media at a news conference at the United Nations headquarters on April 25, 2023, in New York City. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
Russia has sent a list of alleged Ukrainian violations of the partial energy ceasefire to the U.S., the U.N., and OSCE, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on April 1, according to state-owned media TASS.
"The list of violations cited by (Defense Minister) Andrei Belousov at the Security Council meeting, we handed over to U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz," he said.
Lavrov added that the document was also sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russia's representatives in the U.N. and OSCE, claiming it proves Ukraine's lack of credibility in adhering to agreements.
The statement comes after President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on March 28 to provide the U.S. with evidence of Russia's failure to uphold the ceasefire.
The U.S. helped broker the partial ceasefire on March 25 following talks with Ukraine and Russia in Riyadh. The agreement was meant to pause strikes on energy facilities and military operations in the Black Sea.
Only two days later, Zelensky claimed that Russian forces had attacked Kherson's energy infrastructure, calling for a response from Washington.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov insisted Russia has adhered to the agreement but warned it "reserves the right" to abandon it if Ukraine violates the terms.
Moscow accused Kyiv of attacking the Sudzha gas metering station, a charge Ukraine rejected as an attempt to justify further strikes.
The U.S. has not yet responded to the reported violations. Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's power grid since launching its full-scale invasion, while Ukraine has used long-range drones to strike Russian oil and gas facilities.
Kyiv had agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire in U.S.-mediated talks in Jeddah on March 11, but Russia rejected the proposal unless it included conditions limiting Ukraine's military capabilities, including a halt to foreign military aid.
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.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
