"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: A display of Ukraine's new 'Peklo' (Hell) missile-drones in Kyiv on Dec. 6, 2024. (Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Ukraine targeted key Russian military and industrial sites in occupied Crimea and Krasnodar Krai, striking the Saky and Kacha military airfields and the Tuapse oil refinery, Ukraine's General Staff reported on Feb. 26.
The operation, conducted by Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces and military intelligence agency (HUR) in coordination with other units, aimed to degrade Russia's air operations and logistical capabilities.
Saky and Kacha airfields, located in occupied Crimea, are used by Russia to control airspace over the Black Sea and to launch strikes on Ukrainian territory.
The Tuapse oil refinery, with an annual processing capacity of 12 million tons, is significant in supplying fuel to the Russian military.
At least 40 explosions were reported near the refinery, with claims of damage to infrastructure, according to the General Staff.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these claims.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its air forces shot down 128 Ukrainian drones overnight on Feb. 26. It reported downing 83 drones over Krasnodar Krai, 30 over occupied Crimea, and several others over the Azov and Black Seas, as well as in Bryansk and Kursk oblasts.
"Strikes on military and strategic facilities involved in the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine will continue," the General Staff said.
Kyiv has intensified strikes on Russian fossil fuel infrastructure, aiming to disrupt revenue sources funding Moscow's war effort.
Ukraine regularly conducts deep strikes on military and industrial targets in Russia, predominantly using domestically developed drones.
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.
Kateryna Hodunova
