"(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.
Ukrainian servicemembers training on Gepard anti-aircraft vehicles in July, 2023. (Photo by Sergei Supinsky / AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine is preparing its air defenses with upgraded weapons systems to combat Russian assaults on the power grid during winter, Reuters reported on Sept. 7.
"We had fewer (systems) last winter. Now we have been given more, and the effectiveness will be better," Joint Forces Commander Serhii Naiev told Reuters during an interview in Zhytomyr.
Ukrainian air defense can now take advantage of German-made Gepard systemsandU.S.-made M2 Browning machine guns.
The Gepard system has successfully shot down five Shahed drones since August, which the Ukrainian military labeled "a 100% success rate."
Reuters spoke to an air defense crewman, identified as Anton, who helped shoot down two drones using the Gepard.
"Adrenaline, emotional overload... you can't convey it with words," he said. "We are not frightened. It drives us on to work and destroy targets in the Ukrainian sky."
Last winter, Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure destroyed nearly half of the country's energy systems. Russian strikes deliberately targeted power plants and critical infrastructure, forcing Ukrainians to face a winter of emergency shutdowns and power shortages.
Most of the damaged facilities have now been repaired, and with the new weapons systems Ukraine is in a better position to defend the state grid against Russia's winter offensive.
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.
Daria Shulzhenko
