"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 Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
The alleged cadet who collaborated with the FSB after being detained by the SBU (The Security Service of Ukraine)
An 18-year-old military cadet has been charged with treason for allegedly aiding Russian special services, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on Jan. 24.
The cadet, transferred to Lviv Oblast for training, reportedly communicated with a representative of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and provided sensitive information in exchange for monetary rewards.
According to the statement, the suspect transmitted data on the locations of military facilities, troop deployments, and the aftermath of shelling in the region.
"Law enforcement officers exposed her activities and prevented potential strikes on Ukrainian military positions," the statement said.
She used a mobile messenger to send geolocations of training facilities and barracks, which were relocated from Kharkiv to Lviv following the full-scale invasion.
The FSB allegedly planned to evacuate her from Ukraine to Russia via a third country after the completion of her mission.
The cadet was detained by the SBU while attempting to send coordinates to the FSB and flee the military institute. During searches, officers seized a mobile phone and a laptop containing evidence of her collaboration.
The SBU revealed that the cadet planned to provide the FSB with the geolocations of official university buildings where other cadets, including her classmates, were staying.
She is currently being held without bail, and the court has imposed a preventive measure of detention under Article 208 of Ukraine's Criminal Procedure Code.
The pre-trial investigation, conducted by members of the SBU Department in Lviv Oblast, is ongoing.
The charges under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine carry a penalty of up to 15 years or life imprisonment, along with confiscation of property.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Abbey Fenbert
