"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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only. Russian-controlled forces stand near a tank in occupied Volnovakha, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on March 11, 2022. (Photo by Leon Klein/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Ukraine has captured two Togolese nationals who were fighting alongside Russian forces, a Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent on April 3.
Petro Yatsenko, spokesperson for the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, said the two individuals are in Ukrainian custody.
Togo’s Foreign Ministry earlier said the detainees had been misled into leaving the country with promises of scholarships allegedly offered by entities claiming to represent Russian institutions. The ministry said most of those involved were young students who ultimately ended up in combat.
“The ministry is actively working with certain diplomatic partners to shed light on this situation and to provide, as far as possible, the necessary assistance to the people concerned,” the ministry said in a statement, urging citizens to verify any scholarship offers through official channels before committing to study abroad, particularly in Russia.
The Kyiv Independent has interviewed foreign POWs in Ukrainian custody before. They often cite being misled by their recruiters.
Recently, over 1,500 foreign mercenaries from 48 countries were identified in an April 23 investigation by independent Russian outlet Important Stories.
Despite earlier claims by Russian President Vladimir Putin that foreign fighters were not needed, leaked documents from Moscow’s military recruitment system show mass enlistment efforts. Among the top nationalities are Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Chinese, and several Central Asian citizens.
President Volodymyr Zelensky later said that "several hundred" Chinese nationals were taking part in the war on Russia's side. One detainee reportedly paid a middleman 300,000 rubles (about $3,500) to enlist in exchange for Russian citizenship.
China has denied involvement, claiming it urges its citizens to avoid armed conflicts. Moscow has also used some 12,000 North Korean army troops dispatched by Pyongyang to counter the Ukrainian incursion in Kursk Oblast,involvement of which it firstly confirmed on April 26.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Tim Zadorozhnyy
