"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.
A suspected Russian agent detained in Kharkiv for allegedly orchestrating an explosion near a war veteran’s home and poisoning a soldier, published on March 10, 2025. (Security Service of Ukraine / Official website)
Ukrainian security forces have detained a suspected agent of Russian intelligence who allegedly orchestrated an explosion near a war veteran’s home and poisoned a soldier under the guise of providing volunteer aid, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on March 10.
According to the investigation, the suspect, an IT specialist from Kharkiv, was recruited by Russian intelligence services and tasked with assembling improvised explosive devices (IEDs) containing metal fragments to maximize casualties.
She allegedly hid one of the devices in a designated cache, where an accomplice retrieved it and placed it near the home of a Ukrainian army veteran. The explosion injured the veteran, who was later hospitalized.
The SBU also accused the woman of poisoning a soldier by lacing food and medicine with toxic substances while posing as a volunteer. The serviceman was hospitalized and is in serious condition.
Investigators believe Russian intelligence operatives first approached the suspect before the full-scale invasion when she was visiting relatives in Russia. By early 2025, she was receiving direct instructions from her handlers, the SBU said.
Authorities are now investigating her potential involvement in other crimes. The court has ordered her detention without bail while the case proceeds.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Martin Fornusek
