"(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 apartment building destroyed by a Russian combined aerial attack on Odesa, Ukraine, on Nov. 14, 2024. (Oleh Kiper/Telegram)
UNESCO has condemned Russia's overnight strikes on Odesa's historic center overnight on Nov. 15, which damaged numerous architectural monuments, according to a statement on its official website.
As a result of the Russian attack overnight on Nov. 15, a 35-year-old was killed. The strike also injured 10 people, with eight of them hospitalized with injuries of varying severity.
"UNESCO condemns these strikes, which contravene international law, and expresses its support for the victims, the population, and the local authorities," reads the statement published on Nov. 18.
The historical center of the southern city of Odesa was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in January 2023.
"Once again, UNESCO is calling for an end to all attacks on cultural property protected under widely ratified international standard-setting instruments."
A UNESCO mission led by Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, head of the UNESCO Office in Ukraine, arrived on Nov. 16 to inspect the recently damaged cultural heritage sites. The organization has not yet provided the results of the assessments.
Since the beginning of the all-out war, Russia has destroyed over 1,000 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine, including those under the protection of UNESCO, according to the Culture Ministry.
In July 2023, the Russian missile strike damaged more than 20 architectural monuments in the historical center of Odesa and heavily damaged the Transfiguration Cathedral.
On Oct. 28, the Russian bomb hit an iconic 13-story building situated in the very heart of Kharkiv, known as Derzhprom, or the State Industry House. Derzhprom was added to UNESCO's preliminary list in 2017 and was placed under provisional enhanced UNESCO protection after Russia's full-scale invasion.
As of Oct. 21, UNESCO confirmed the damage to 457 sites, including 143 religious sites, 231 buildings of historical or artistic interest, 32 museums, 33 monuments, 17 libraries, and one archive.
Irynka Hromotska
