"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.
Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Vadym Sukharevskyi at the "Ukraine. Year 2024" forum in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 25, 2024. ("Ukraine. Year 2024" forum)
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) have conducted over 220 operations deep inside Russian territory in the six months since its creation, Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi, commander of the USF, said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty published on Feb. 3.
Throughout Russia's full-scale invasion, both Ukraine and Russia have heavily invested in drone technology, revolutionizing warfare tactics.
"Our units have conducted over 220 operations to engage the enemy on Russian territory. More than 3,500 weapons have been launched so far," Sukharevskyi said.
Ukrainian bomber drones and the units that use them are "extremely efficient," Sukharevskyi said. Ukrainian bomber drones have recently hit targets over 50 kilometers (31 miles) deep inside Russia, the commander added.
Work is also underway to systematize various types of software systems, develop tactics, and use ground robotic systems, according to Sukharevskyi.
"We have already begun the process of synchronizing and developing the components of activities at sea regarding defense and attack. And I think we will move on to the practical part very soon," he said.
Various aerial, naval, and ground drones have been developed and are frequently used by Ukrainian troops for reconnaissance, combat, and other tasks.
The USF said on Jan. 31 that Ukrainian soldiers are now using a long-range drone capable of traveling up to 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) and carrying a 250-kilogram air bomb.
Ukraine also produced more than 30,000 bomber drones in 2024, according to Ukraine's Strategic Industries Minister Herman Smetanin.
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.
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