Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Moscow on May 9 to celebrate Victory Day, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
US President Donald Trump on May 8 called for a "30-day unconditional ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia. Writing on Truth Social, Trump expressed his hope for "an acceptable ceasefire," with both countries "held accountable for respecting the sanctity of... direct negotiations."
President Volodymyr Zelensky had a "constructive" phone call with United States President Donald Trump on May 8, discussing the war, continued pressure on Russia, and a potential ceasefire.
The survey, conducted between April 24 and May 4, shows that 56.9% of respondents would not be willing to compromise on either territorial integrity or Ukraine’s pro-Western direction in any potential talks with Moscow.
U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced on May 8 to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, according to Vatican News.
The shooting occurred around 3:22 p.m. local time in Sofiivska Borshchahivka, a residential area in Bucha district, according to the Kyiv regional police.
Lawmakers urged the EU and its member states to step up efforts to hold Moscow accountable through international courts and support for Ukraine’s campaign to bring its children home.
The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sat down with author, historian, and Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9, which mark the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, are one of the country’s biggest public events of the year. President of the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland Andrej Lushnycky who sheds some light on the things Putin would rather you didn’t know about World War II.
Washington’s involvement may also help mitigate political opposition in Europe, while giving the U.S. strategic visibility over future Russian energy flows, sources told Reuters.
The flooded center of the Russian-occupied Nova Kakhovka following the demolition of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam in Kherson Oblast carried out by Russian forces on June 6, 2023. (Lachen Pyshe/Telegram)
Russian troops occupying the east bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast were not ready for the effects of the Kakhovka dam destruction, resulting in losses in personnel and military equipment, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on June 8.
In particular, there are injured, dead, and missing in Russia's 7th Air Assault Division and the 22nd Army Corps, the General Staff wrote, without specifying the numbers.
According to the report, those units also lost several field ammunition depots and food storages, soft-skinned vehicles, armored vehicles, and other military property.
On June 6, a mass evacuation of civilians from Russian-occupied Kakhovka reportedly took place with people using their own vehicles. Russian forces stationed in the town left via the same evacuation routes, thus "using residents as human shields," the Ukrainian military added.
Russia destroyed the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant's dam on the Dnipro River on June 6, sparking a large-scale humanitarian and environmental disaster across southern Ukraine.
As the Institute of the Study of War (ISW) said in its latest update, the flooding caused by the dam's collapse had "heavily disrupted" Russian defensive positions on the river's east bank, particularly Russian first-line positions in Hola Prystan and Oleshky.
According to the ISW, Russian troops were likely forced to retreat from the towns of Hola Prystan and Oleshky due to the flooding. They had previously used those positions to shell the regional capital of Kherson and other nearby settlements on the west bank.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Daria Shulzhenko
