"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.
Illustrative purposes: Russian military police members stand outside an armored personnel carrier (APC) along a road in the countryside near the northeastern Syrian town of Amuda in Hasakeh province on Oct. 24, 2019, as part of a joint patrol between Russian forces and Syrian Kurdish Asayish internal security forces near the border with Turkey. (Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images)
At least 543 Russian military personnel and mercenaries died during their deployment in Syria between 2015-2024, the BBC reported on Dec. 9, citing its open-source investigation.
Of the total number, 346 were employees of the Wagner company, a private mercenary group that also saw deployment in Russia's war in Ukraine and elsewhere.
The news comes shortly after the ousting of Moscow's ally, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, in a lightning rebel offensive that culminated in the capture of Damascus on Dec. 8.
As not every service member’s death can be confirmed by open-source intelligence, the real number of casualties may be higher, the BBC noted. Russia's Defense Ministry only acknowledged 116 dead among its service members in Syria in a statement in 2019.
The BBC established its list using publications in the media, social networks, and data from cemeteries and war memorials.
According to the BBC’s reporting, Russia has lost, among others, members of the Special Operations Forces, Federal Security Service (FSB) officers, military intelligence (GRU) officers, and military pilots.
Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said that Syria hosted between 6,000-7,500 Russian soldiers and mercenaries as of the summer of 2024.
Assad regime's began unraveling in late November, when a rapid rebel offensive dismantled the Russian-backed dictator’s hold on power within two weeks, leaving Russian troops stranded in bases in Syria.
Russia, a long-standing supporter of Assad, maintained substantial military infrastructure in the Middle Eastern country, including the Tartus naval base and the Khmeimim airbase. The rebellion’s rapid advance marks a pivotal shift in Russia’s regional influence.
Moscow reportedly began withdrawing its military presence from Syria, Ukraine's military intelligence agency said on Dec. 8.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump remarked earlier the same day that Assad's fall highlights Russia’s strained foreign policy, as it struggles to manage its involvement in Syria while remaining committed to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Boldizsar is a former Reuters correspondent for Hungary, currently based in Kharkiv, reporting for the Kyiv Independent and various other outlets. He holds degrees in political science, philosophy, and development policy.
Oleg Sukhov
