"(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.
DJI Matrice 300 reconnaissance drones, bought through the 'Army of Drones' program, are seen during test flights in the Kyiv region on Aug. 2, 2022, prior to being sent to the front line. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine's Digital Transformation Ministry is partnering with the Kyiv School of Economics to launch a new master's program in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on Aug. 13.
Ukraine and Russia have both heavily invested in drone technologythroughout Russia's full-scale invasion. Drones have allowed outnumbered Ukrainian forces to strike Russian warships, naval bases, oil refineries, and airfields inside occupied territories.
The graduate program will train drone development engineers to design, test, analyze, and improve UAVs, Fedorov said.
"There are a lot of cool specialists in Ukraine who have learned how to create and use drones from scratch," he said.
"Civilian and military drones are among the most promising areas, so we need to train specialists at a professional level right now."
The program is accepting applications from individuals with bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as "specialists of all specialties." The Kyiv School of Economics will also provide 10 scholarships to military personnel.
Companies participating in the government's Brave1 initiative have signed on to develop the program and share their expertise in drone production. Brave1 was launched in spring 2023 to invest in defense tech innovations for the Ukrainian military.
According to Fedorov, there are over 500 Ukrainian companies working in the drone sector. The new graduate program hopes to add trained specialists to the growing industry.
Ukraine has the production capacity to produce more than 3 million dronesa year, the government announced in July. In June, Ukraine officially presented its Unmanned Systems Forces, four months after after President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered the creation of a separate branch of the armed forces tasked with improving drone operations.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Alexander Khrebet
