"(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 photo taken on May 18, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine, of a monument memorializes the "lost childhood of children" during the Holodomor, a man-made famine orchestrated by the Soviet Union that killed upward of 3 million Ukrainians in the 1930s. (Oleg Pereverzev/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
The Welsh Parliament has recognized the Holodomor famine as a genocide against the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian embassy in the U.K. announced on Oct. 25.
The Holodomor, a man-made famine that took place between 1932-33, occurred during Joseph Stalin's reign over the Soviet Union and caused an estimated 3.5 to 5 million Ukrainian deaths.
"It's a significant milestone in restoring historical justice and raising awareness about the millions of innocent victims!" the embassy wrote on the social media platform X.
"The memory and legacy of Gareth Jones also deserve a wider recognition by the international community," the embassy noted, referring to a Welsh journalist who was the first to report on the famine.
The Ukrainian government has called on the international community to recognize the Holodomor as a genocide. Around 30 countries have taken this step so far.
Wales, one of the historical countries comprising the U.K., has its own devolved legislature. The U.K. parliament in London passed a resolution recognizing the Holodomor as genocide in May this year.
Asami Terajima
