"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.
Purported footage of the aftermath of a Ukrainian drone attack against Engels, Saratov Oblast, Russia, on March 20, 2025. (Ukraine's General Staff / Facebook)
Ukraine's strike on Russia's Engels-2 military airfield on March 20 destroyed 96 air-launched cruise missiles, Ukraine's General Staff said on March 26.
The missiles were reportedly intended for three planned strikes in March and April.
The attack destroyed multiple Kh-101 cruise missiles, among other munitions, Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said on March 20.
A fire, explosions, and secondary detonations of ammunition were recorded at the air base following the attack.
"Strikes on aviation fuel storage sites have led to the destruction of significant stocks, which negatively affects the Russian aggressor's ability to support combat operations," Ukraine's General Staff reported.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these claims.
Located in Russia's Saratov Oblast, over 450 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, Engels-2 is home to the 184th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment and the 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment.
The airfield houses three types of strategic bombers regularly used in missile attacks on Ukraine: the Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160.
The Tu-95, first flown in 1952, was originally designed for nuclear bombing missions but has since been adapted to launch cruise missiles.
Each aircraft can carry up to 16 Kh-55, Kh-555, Kh-101, or Kh-102 missiles. The Tu-95's turboprop engines allow for long-range missions without refueling.
Engels-2 has been a frequent target of Ukrainian strikes since Russia's full-scale invasion. A drone attack on Dec. 5, 2022, reportedly damaged two Tu-95 bombers.
The British Defense Ministry at the time called it "one of the most strategically significant failures of force protection since (Russia's) invasion."
Subsequent drone attacks in December 2022 and January 2024 targeted Engels, with the most recent incident setting fire to an ammunition depot.
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.
Martin Fornusek
