"We have a plan B and a plan C. But our focus is plan A, the essence of which is to get everyone's support" for Ukraine's accession, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
"(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 aftermath of the Russian drone strike against the regional center of Odesa, Ukraine, overnight on April 22, 2025. (Hennadii Trukhanov / Telegram)
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed at least five civilians and injured at least 16 others over the past day, regional authorities reported on April 22.
Russian forces launched 54 drones from the Russian cities of Kursk, Bryansk, Millerovo, and Primorsk-Akhtarsk, as well as from Cape Chauda in occupied Crimea against Ukraine overnight, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
Ukraine's air defense shot down 38 drones, while another 16 disappeared from radars without causing any damage, according to the statement. Drones that disappear from radars before reaching their targets are often decoys that Russia launches alongside real drones to overwhelm Ukraine's air defense.
In Kharkiv Oblast, Russia attacked the village of Petropavlivka with guided aerial bombs, killing a 54-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
A 24-year-old man was killed by a Russian FPV (first-person-view) drone while he was driving on a scooter in the village of Ivashky.
In the town of Kupiansk, a 58-year-old woman suffered a concussion as a result of a drone attack. Another 48-year-old woman was injured in a strike with glide bombs against the village of Horokhovatka.
In Kherson Oblast, Russia targeted 36 settlements, including the regional center of Kherson, over the past day. As a result of the attacks, one person was killed and seven others were injured, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
In Sumy Oblast, Russia targeted the Esman community, killing one person on April 21. On the following day, Russian forces also used aerial bombs against the Bilopillia community, injuring one person, the local military administration reported.
Overnight on April 22, Russia attacked the city of Odesa with drones, injuring three people, Governor Oleh Kiper reported.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a 66-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman were injured in the Nikopol district, the local military administration reported. Russian forces attacked several settlements with artillery and drones.
In Donetsk Oblast, one person was injured in an attack against the town of Myrnohrad, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Oleg Sukhov
