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 agreement, signed on April 30, establishes a joint investment fund between Kyiv and Washington and grants the U.S. special access to projects developing Ukraine's natural resources.
Russian forces attacked the town of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, on May 7, 2025, destroying a 9-story building and injuring at least 12 people. (Ukraine's Emergency Service)
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed at least 7 civilians and injured at least 31 others over the past day, regional authorities reported on May 8, some after the beginning of the Kremlin's self-declared "truce'" to mark its Victory Day later this week.
The so-called "humanitarian" unilateral ceasefire runs from midnight on May 8 to midnight on May 11, the Kremlin has said.
But on the morning of May 8, Russian attacks killed and injured Ukrainian civilians in at least two oblasts.
In Sumy Oblast, Russian forces hit a house with an aerial bomb, killing a 55-year-old woman at around 3 a.m. local time in the Mykolaiv community. The woman's 24-year-old son was injured in the attack.
Three other people were injured in the Yunakivka, Vorozhba, and Bilopillia communities, the local military administration reported.
In Kharkiv Oblast, women aged 18, 30, and 58 were injured when a Russian FPV drone struck their car on the morning of May 8. According to Viacheslav Zadorenko, head of the Dergachiv Military Administration, the women thought there was a ceasefire, so they went to the garden to plant potatoes.
Prior to the midnight start of the truce, Russian forces also killed at least six and injured at least 20 people in Donetsk Oblast. In Myrnohrad, two people were killed and five others injured, while in Pokrovsk, one person was killed and another was injured, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.
In Kostiantynivka, 13 people were injured because of the Russian strikes. In Illinivka, one person was killed, and in Oleksandr-Kalyniv, two people were killed and another one was injured.
In Kherson Oblast, Russia targeted 32 settlements, including the regional center of Kherson, over the past day. As a result of the attacks, six people were injured, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russia attacked the Novopavlivka community, injuring a 72-year-old woman on May 7, the local military administration reported.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, one person was injured due to the Russian attack on the Huliaipole community. Russian forces targeted settlements with three guided aerial bombs, according to the local military administration.
Over the past day, Russian forces also launched 31 drones from the Russian city of Millerovo against Ukraine overnight, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
Ukraine's air defense shot down 20 drones, while another six disappeared from radars without causing any damage, according to the statement. Drones that disappear from radars before reaching their targets are often decoys that Russia launches alongside real drones to overwhelm Ukraine's air defense.
As of 8:00 a.m. on May 8, no missile attacks or drone launches were recorded in Ukrainian airspace. However, during the night, Russian forces intensified tactical aviation strikes using guided aerial bombs in Sumy Oblast, the statement added.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Yuliia Taradiuk
