"(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 view of the Moscow City Court in Moscow on March 26, 2024. (Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP via Getty Images)
A Russian court on Dec. 24 convicted U.S. citizen Eugene Spector of espionage and sentenced him to 15 years in a high-security prison.
Spector, 52, was already serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence for bribery when he was charged with espionage.
The Moscow City Court on Dec. 24 added 13 years to Spector's sentence after convicting him of being a spy in a closed-door trial. His previous charge for bribery was added to this term, bringing his total sentence to 15 years.
Spector was also fined 14,116,805 rubles (approximately $140,500), according to the independent Russian outlet Mediazona.
Spector in 2020 pled guilty to acting as an intermediary to a bribe. He was accused of mediating bribes for Anastasia Alekseyeva, once an aide to former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.
The details of the espionage charges against Spector have not been made public. He was charged with spying in August 2023.
Spector was born in Russia but moved to the United States, where he attained citizenship.
Many U.S. nationals who have been arrested in Russia are now awaiting trial or serving lengthy sentences. Washington has accused Moscow of orchestrating the detention of U.S. citizens to gain leverage for future prisoner swaps.
A number of U.S. citizens, including the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, were released in a historic prisoner swap on Aug. 1, with Russia and several Western countries exchanging a total of 24 detainees.
The U.S. State Department has warned Americans against traveling, saying they "may face harassment or detention by Russian security officials."
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Oleg Sukhov
