"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 Pulkovo Airport reopens after temporarily suspending all flights due to the detection of an “Unidentified Object” in the sky in Russias St. Petersburg on Feb. 28, 2023. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Pulkovo International Airport in St. Petersburg suspended operations for several hours after an alleged drone attack near Russia's second-largest city on March 10, Russian state news agency Ria Novosti reported.
While Russian regions bordering Ukraine have often faced drone attacks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine over two years ago, St. Petersburg is rarely targeted by such attacks.
Leningrad Oblast Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko reported that a drone had been downed near the village of Fornovoso south of Pulkovo Airport without casualties on the ground.
Ukrainian officials have not commented on the alleged attack.
Fornosovo sits more than 800 kilometers from Russia's border with Ukraine.
Russia's aviation watchdog reported that the airspace had been closed over the airport “to ensure safety” without specifying other details.
Several videos were published on Russian Telegram channels depicting smoke rising near Pulkovo International Airport. Local media reported a fire breaking out at a warehouse in the vicinity. Two people were reportedly injured in the blaze.
Authorities in the neighboring Novgorod Oblast claimed that three drones had been shot down over the region.
The Kyiv Independent couldn't independently verify the claims.
Alexander Khrebet is a reporter with the Kyiv Independent. He covers Ukraine’s foreign policy, alleged abuse of power in the country’s military leadership, and reports on the Russian-occupied territories. Alexander is the European Press Prize 2023 winner, the #AllForJan Award 2023 winner and Ukraine's 2022 National Investigative Journalism Award finalist. His was published in the Washington Times and Atlantic Council.
Dominic Culverwell
