"(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 photo published by Ukrainian prosecutors purportedly shows Russian troops who shot Ukrainian prisoners of war near the village of Novopil in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on May 3, 2025. (Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office)
Russian troops shot three unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) on May 3 near the village of Novopil in Donetsk Oblast, the regional prosecutor's office reported on May 6.
The execution of prisoners of war is a breach of the Geneva Conventions and qualifies as an international crime.
Russian soldiers captured three Ukrainian servicemen during the assaults near Novopil and forced them to lay down their arms. The Russian military then shot the Ukrainian soldiers, according to Ukrainian prosecutors.
The case is being investigated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights, appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the U.N. for a response.
"The international community should immediately respond to the following systemic gross violations by Russia," Lubinets wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine has previously documented widespread violations of the Geneva Conventions by Russian forces, including the execution of 177 captured Ukrainian soldiers as of mid-December 2024.
Visual evidence of such atrocities continues to emerge, reinforcing concerns over Moscow’s systematic violations of international law.
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.
Asami Terajima
