"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 soldiers patrol a street on April 11, 2022, in Volnovakha in Donetsk Oblast. The picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian Corporal Nikita Posmetukhov was sentenced to life in prison on Feb. 10 by Russian authorities for shooting four other Russian soldiers in November 2023, Mediazona reported.
Russian troops have deserted or sabotaged operations as Russia presses on with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine for over three years with high casualties, using so-called "meat wave" tactics to gain ground.
Posmetukhov was allegedly angry with a captain who imposed disciplinary measures and threatened to transfer him to an assault unit, accordingto a document provided Mediazona.
The Southern District Military Court did not officially describe the incidents as the case proceeded behind closed doors. The Kyiv Independent cannot verify the details of the incident as outlined by Mediazona.
The soldier is accused of killing the patrolmen of a command bunker which Posmetukhov entered after having a drink. The accused allegedly killed Junior Sergeant Vladimir Glazyev in the bunker, according to findings by Mediazona.
After the incident, Posmetukhov allegedly entered a dugout and shot Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Klyukin, Captain Mikhail Trubin, and Private Vladimir Petrichenko while they were sleeping.
At the conclusion of the closed-door trial, Posmetukhov was found guilty of killing two or more people "for official activities and out of hooligan motives," and charged with "violent actions against military command in the context of an armed conflict" under the Russian criminal code.
As Russia presses on with its war against Ukraine, Russia has lost over 850,000 troops and high equipment losses.
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.
Kateryna Hodunova
