"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.
An State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer. Illustrative purposes only. (SBU)
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has uncovered and arrested a high-ranking Ukrainian officer allegedly working as a Russian mole, the SBU reported via its Telegram channel on Nov. 15.
According to the report, the officer, the commander of a unit in Special Operations Forces, had been transmitting critical military intelligence to Russian troops.
The leaked information included sensitive details about sabotage and reconnaissance missions conducted by Ukrainian special forces in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts and Russian-occupied Crimea.
Russian forces were reportedly using this intelligence to target Ukrainian Defense Forces stationed at the front lines and in occupied areas of southern Ukraine.
The officer, whose identity was not revealed, has been arrested and is currently in custody.
He faces charges of treason and espionage, which carry severe penalties, including life imprisonment and asset forfeiture upon conviction.
The suspect was recruited by the Russian military intelligence agency (GRU) before Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, and started receiving tasks in the spring of 2024, according to the SBU.
The command of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces confirmed the detention of the commander and said they had been aware of the investigative actions regarding this serviceman and “fully facilitated their implementation.”
“While special forces operators perform combat missions behind enemy lines in temporarily occupied territories, unfortunately, there are those who try to interfere from the inside,” the command added.
“Special forces continue to fulfill tasks, destroy the enemy, and liberate Ukrainian land from the occupiers. And all those who think that they can interfere with this and put the lives of our soldiers in danger will be exposed and sent behind bars.”
This is not the first time the SBU has uncovered Russian infiltration within Ukrainian ranks.
On Aug. 14, it uncovered a Russian intelligence cell that included two former members of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych's security detail and an active member of Ukraine's National Guard.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Asami Terajima
