"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.
Alleged aftermath of the drone attack on Saratov Oblast, Russia, overnight on Feb. 11, 2025. (Astra / Telegram)
Ukrainian forces struck Russia's Saratov oil refinery in a strike overnight on Feb. 11, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said after reports of drone attacks in the region.
Unverified videos posted to social media showed a large fire and search lights raking the sky reportedly in the vicinity of the refinery.
"The refinery mainly produces gasoline, fuel oil, and diesel fuel. In total, more than 20 types of oil products (are being produced there)," the General Staff said, adding that the facility supplies Russian occupation forces in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military reported a confirmed hit and a fire at the Rosneft facility. The full extent of damage is being determined, it added.
The attack was carried out jointly by the Unmanned Systems Forces, the military intelligence agency (HUR), and the Special Operations Forces, as well as other units, according to the statement.
The confirmation of the attack on the Saratov oil refinery came after earlier reports of a drone attack against the oil refinery lying some 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from Ukraine's border.
The Russian Telegram news channel Shot also reported at least 11 explosions over Engels, a city lying across the Volga River from Saratov.
The Russian strategic aviation airbase Engels-2, which has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian long-range strikes, lies in the vicinity.
"The Saratov Oil Refinery is one of the key facilities in Russia's fuel infrastructure. Its refining capacity reaches 7 million tons of oil annually," said Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, adding that the refinery is crucial in supplying fuel to the Russian military.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian energy infrastructure, including oil refineries and fuel depots, to disrupt supplies to Russian forces. The strikes are part of a broader strategy to weaken Russia's military logistics and economic resilience amid the ongoing war.
Russia's seaborne exports of petroleum products declined by 9.1% to 113.7 million metric tons in 2024, reflecting mounting challenges to its fossil fuel industry, including Ukrainian drone strikes, Reuters reported on Jan. 17.
Russian refineries reportedly processed approximately 267 million metric tons of oil in 2024, the lowest since 2012, as rising production costs, falling prices, and an export ban on gasoline strained operations.
Exports through Baltic ports fell by 9% to 61.96 million tons, while shipments via Black and Azov Sea ports dropped 10% to 42.75 million tons.
Notably, exports from Tuapse plummeted by a third to 9.1 million tons, largely due to drone attacks and operational disruptions at state-owned Rosneft refineries.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Martin Fornusek
