"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 footage purported to show the aftermath of Ukrainian drones attack on Russia on April 20, 2024. (Video screenshot/Baza/X)
Ukrainian special services, together with the military, orchestrated a large-scale drone attack on Russia's energy infrastructure overnight on April 20, an intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.
According to the country's defense ministry, Russian air defense shot down 50 Ukrainian drones over eight regions, including Belgorod, Kursk, Moscow, Tula, Ryazan, Bryansk, Kaluga, and Smolensk oblasts.
A fire broke out at three separate energy facilities in the latter three regions, according to local authorities. Drone debris also reportedly started a fire at a fuel storage tank in Smolensk Oblast.
The attack was a joint operation of Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Military intelligence agency (HUR) and the Special Operations Forces (SOF), the source said.
The drones reportedly targeted the energy infrastructure that powers the Russian military-industrial complex, causing problems with electricity and water supply in some areas.
"The SBU drones successfully attacked the infrastructure that ensures the continuous operation of military facilities in Russia," a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims of Russian authorities, and Ukraine does not usually comment on alleged attacks on Russian soil.
Ukraine also attacked one of Russia's largest oil refinerieson April 2 in the city of Nizhnekamsk in Tatarstan, over 1,000 kilometers from Ukraine's border.
Igor Kossov
