"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.
The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
A manufacturer of bulletproof vests in Dnipro on March 21, 2022. The vest manufacturer was converted from a PC service company store. (Andrea Carrubba/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Domestic producers account for over 80% of the total volume of materiel contracts for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Defense Ministry reported on Aug. 16.
Contracts with Ukrainian manufacturers have reportedly increased since the Defense Ministry in December 2023 established the State Logistics Operator (DOT), a new procurement agency responsible for all non-military purchases, such as food, fuel, and clothes.
Since its founding, DOT has engaged 28 new Ukrainian companies to provide the military with essential supplies, the ministry said.
"Due to the increased competition, we see the quality of goods for the Armed Forces improving and the price decreasing at the same time," said Deputy Defense Minister Dmytro Klimenkov.
"This is an important aspect of our strategy, as transparent procurement rules provide a wider choice of suppliers and create conditions for innovation. Our goal is to supply the military with everything they need, using state resources efficiently."
Domestic suppliers are now providing the army with chemical hot water bottles, which offer servicemembers an alternative heat source. The hot water bottles were previously produced in China for twice the price.
The Defense Ministryreported that the domestic hot water bottle contract saved 12.5 million hryvnias (approximately $304,364).
DOT also signed a contract with a Ukrainian company that produces women's summer field uniforms and ponchos. The company has collaborated with European firms and produced uniforms for EU institutions.
DOT was founded in part to combat corruption in military procurement. Scandals in procurement of clothing and food supplies for the army led to the dismissal of former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov in September 2023.
Even under DOT, the Defense Ministry has reportedly spent millions on supplies for the army at triple the market rate, according to media investigations.
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.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
