"(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.
A locomotive body with the inscription "Ukrzaliznytsia" on March 22, 2022 in Lviv, Ukraine. (Stanislav Ivanov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
The cyberattack that disabled Ukrainian Railways' (Ukrzaliznytsia) ticketing system was a terrorist act that employed "tactics, techniques, and procedures typical for Russian intelligence services," top cybersecurity official Yevheniia Nakonechna said on April 1.
The company's website and app became unavailable on March 23 over what was initially described as a "technical failure." The next day, Ukrainian Railwayssaid it had been targeted by a "large-scale and sophisticated cyberattack" carried out by "the enemy."
On the morning of March 27, the company said that its website and app were restored after "89 hours of non-stop work" and that it had sold more than 12,000 tickets since the restoration of online services.
"The failure of the ticketing system impacted the provision of public services. The enemy is well aware that such cyberattacks are extremely painful and critical. Therefore, in essence, it was a terrorist act," said Nakonechna, head of the State Center for Cyber Defense of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection.
Perpetrators used malware developed considering the specifics of Ukrainian Railways' infrastructure. According to Nakonechna, preparing for such a cyberattack requires significant resources.
Ukrainian Railways has restored 90% of its online passenger services as of April 1. Work is underway to restore services for shippers, with the estimated date of completion in early April.
The restoration of online services involved a thorough check of backup files for hidden threats and the implementation of additional cybersecurity measures. IT specialists from government agencies and businesses are assisting Ukrainian Railways, the top cybersecurity official added.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Yana Prots
