"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.
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 screenshot from a video released by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) showing smoke from an explosion in the night sky above Moscow Oblast, Russia, following a reported Ukrainian drone strike on May 8, 2025. (SBU)
Long-range drones operated by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) struck two key Russian defense industry plants overnight, igniting fires and prompting mass flight disruptions in the Moscow region, sources within the SBU told the Kyiv Independent on May 7.
According to the SBU, Ukrainian drones targeted the Bazalt plant in Krasnoarmeysk, Moscow Oblast, Russia’s primary manufacturer of munitions and weaponry for all branches of its military. Residents reported at least seven explosions followed by a large fire at the site.
Simultaneously, another strike hit the Splav plant in Tula, a city located about 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of Moscow. Splav is reportedly the only facility in Russia responsible for designing and producing multiple-launch rocket systems and related ammunition. Footage from the scene appeared to show heavy smoke and flames engulfing part of the facility.
0:00
/
A large explosion lights up the night sky above Moscow Oblast, following a reported Ukrainian drone strike on May 8, 2025. (Ukraine’s Security Service)
The strikes, according to the SBU, triggered heightened alert measures across the Moscow Oblast, forcing Russian authorities to enact “Plan Cover,” a security protocol that includes grounding civilian air traffic. Airports across Moscow and the surrounding oblast temporarily shut down, stranding thousands of passengers and forcing airlines to cancel or reroute hundreds of flights.
Pro-Kremlin sources, including the Telegram channel Mash, reported a near-total “collapse” of air operations across Moscow airports on the night of May 7. Around 350 flights were reportedly affected, with over 60,000 passengers impacted, according to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia. Some passengers were forced to wait on board planes for hours without food or clear information.
The disruption comes just two days before Russia’s annual Victory Day parade on May 9, a central propaganda event for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Separately, Ukrainian drone strikes on May 7 reportedly damaged the Optic Fiber Systems plant in Saransk, Republic of Mordovia, according to independent Russian outlet Astra and Ukrainian security officials. The facility, which produces fiber for Russian military drones, suffered “serious damage,” said Andrii Kovalenko, an official with Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.
A second fire broke out nearby at the Saranskkabel plant. Local residents described hearing powerful explosions around 6 a.m. in the city’s industrial zone. Russian authorities have banned the publication of images or video from the attack sites.
The Kyiv Independent was unable to independently verify these claims.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Lucy Pakhnyuk
