"(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.
Lawmaker Roman Kostenko is seen during a briefing in the Ukrainian Parliament, Kyiv. (Yevhen Kotenko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
The Wall Street Journal's recent claims that 80,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died during the full-scale war with Russia are "exaggerated," secretary of the parliamentary defense committee Roman Kostenko told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Sept. 18.
The U.S. outlet wrote on Sept. 17 that according to a "confidential Ukrainian estimate from earlier this year," Ukraine has suffered 80,000 soldiers killed and 400,000 wounded.
Russian losses were estimated at 200,000 killed and 400,000 wounded, putting the overall casualties of the war to over 1 million.
"I think that these are exaggerated data. Definitely... Namely when talking about the recorded number of (Ukrainian soldiers) killed," Kostenko said.
Ukraine has largely avoided commenting on its losses, though President Volodymyr Zelensky said in February that 31,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed.
"If we look at the past two years, we had roughly the same number – 19,000 each (year). And this is considering only those who were issued official death certificates," Kostenko said, adding that many are still considered missing.
The lawmaker suggested that 50,000 soldiers killed could be an approximate figure, though he admitted he does not have the most accurate data and that even his number could be an overestimation.
Regarding Ukraine's ability to continue to defend itself despite the losses, Kostenko believes that the country still has enough men to mobilize and that everything depends on the ability to enlist more troops.
Ukraine has sought to replenish the ranks of its military as the war has been ongoing for two and half years. Kyiv adopted new legislation on mobilization in the spring, lowering the conscription age from 27 to 25 and imposing stricter penalties for dodging draft.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
