"(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.
Soldiers practice an airborne manoeuvre from a combat infantry vehicle as the 141st Separate Infantry Brigade operates on November 20, 2024 in Zaporizhzhia (Nikoletta Stoyanova/Getty Images)
Editor's note: The article was corrected to indicate that Kostiantyn Denysov is a spokesperson for Ukraine's Svoboda Legion, not the Freedom of Russia Legion.
The situation on the Zaporizhzhia front is becoming "very difficult and tense," but the development was "predicted," a spokesperson of Ukraine's Svoboda Legion, Kostiantyn Denysov, said on Dec. 7.
"Their infantry assault groups are trying to find weaknesses in our defenses," he said in an interview with KYIV24.
"Under the cover of armored vehicles, they are trying to figure out how to confront tanks and armored personnel carriers."
The comment comes after a series of warnings about, and attacks on, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, which is becoming an increasingly active part of the frontline.
Denysov said the Russian attacks were still causing difficulties, but added "all this was predicted" as it is a repeat of a pattern observed previously.
"They trained their infantry and practiced with armored vehicles," he said.
"We all understood very well why they were doing all this, and we can already see that they are gradually starting to send bigger groups to attack."
The Svoboda Legion is an association of the ultranationalist Svoboda party's members serving in Ukraine's Defense Forces during the full-scale war with Russia.
Assault groups arrived in November, and Ukrainian soldiers repelled an attempted offensive in the oblast.Ukraine has been building heavy fortifications just in preparations for a potential Russian offensive in the region.
Martin Fornusek
