"We have a plan B and a plan C. But our focus is plan A, the essence of which is to get everyone's support" for Ukraine's accession, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
"(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.
Enlistment officers approach Ukrainian investigative journalism outlet Slidstvo.Info's journalist Yevhenii Shulhat in a Kyiv shopping mall in an attempt to give him a mobilization summons. (Screenshot of Slidstvo.Info's YouTube video published on April 6, 2024)
The International Press Institute (IPI) sent a letter to Ukrainian authorities on April 12 urging them to investigate the "pattern of state-sponsored intimidation and harassment" of Ukrainian journalists, particularly Slidstvo.Info reporter Yevhenii Shulhat.
The IPI said it was "deeply troubled" by the treatment of Shulhat and called on authorities to "conduct their own credible internal investigations into possible irregularities and abuse of power in this case."
The letter, signed by IPI Executive Director Frane Maroevic, was addressed to Prosecutor-General Andrii Kostin, SBU Chief Vasyl Maliuk, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and Commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksander Syrskyi.
"(W)e call on authorities to establish systemic safeguards that prevent SBU officials from targeting journalists or other critics in retaliation for their work, and protect journalists who report on possible misconduct or crimes by SBU officials," the letter said.
The IPI also addressed other incidents involving the intimidation of investigative journalists in Urkaine, including the illegal surveillance of Bihus.Info and the harassment of journalist Yurii Nikolov.
The investigative outlet Bihus.Info proved that the SBU had secretly recorded some of their staff members using drugs during a New Year's party and then published the footage to discredit the organization.
After the revelation, the Security Service fired the employees implicated in the spying operation and pledged to stand for the freedom of the press.
Yurii Nikolov, a prominent journalist, said he received a threatening visit at his home after his reporting exposed corruption in the Defense Ministry's procurement operations.
Nikolov's investigations into inflated prices for food supplies and low-quality winter jackets for the military prompted the ousting of previous Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.
The IPI said these incidents "show a pattern of state-sponsored intimidation and harassment of investigative journalists in Ukraine."
The IPI is an international network of journalists and media professionals who promote press freedom around the world through direct advocacy and awareness campaigns.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
