"(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.
An energy worker walks through a destroyed control room at a DTEK power plant in an undisclosed location in Ukraine on April 19, 2024, amid the Russian invasion. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian energy company DTEK's gas production facilities in Poltava Oblast were attacked by Russia on the morning of March 7, forcing them to halt operations due to the damage, the company reported.
DTEK is Ukraine’s largest private energy company, and its facilities have been repeatedly targeted since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion as Moscow looks to destroy Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least two people and injured 24 others over the past day, regional officials said on March 7. In Poltava Oblast, debris from a downed aerial target hit a house, injuring two people, including a child, Governor Filip Pronin said.
Ukraine's main gas production facilities are in front-line regions like Kharkiv and Poltava, making them vulnerable to Russian attacks. Strikes on gas infrastructure have repeatedly reduced production, at times by 40%.
Before the full-scale war, Ukraine produced 52 million cubic meters of gas daily but needed 110–140 million cubic meters in winter, covering the gap from storage. Russian strikes have reduced domestic production, forcing Ukraine to increase imports.
In February, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said the country would need at least 1 billion cubic meters of imported gas by the end of 2025.
Ukraine imported 560 million cubic meters of gas from Europe in February, nearly matching the total of 700 million cubic meters for the previous heating season. Bloomberg reported on March 4 that Ukraine plans to import 3.5 billion cubic meters for the next winter.
Ukraine's gas import plans come as Europe faces high competition and rising prices while working to replenish low gas reserves.
At the start of 2025, Ukraine halted its transit agreement to transport Russian gas to European customers through its pipelines, as the deal expired at the end of 2024 and was not renewed.
Yana Prots
