Key developments on May 9-10: * Putin says he believes war in Ukraine almost over * 'Victory will be ours,' Putin tells Victory Day parade without any tanks * Russia breaks 3-day ceasefire as strikes kill 1, injure 19 across Ukraine * Kremlin says it expects US envoys Witkoff, Kushner, 'quite soon' Russian President Vladimir Putin said on May 9 that he believes the full-scale war in Ukraine will be over soon. "I think the (war in Ukraine) is coming to an end," he told journalists at a Kre

A German official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the proposal was not credible because Russia had not changed its conditions for ending the war.

Since the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the information space around the war has been obsessed with this deceptively simple question, and the constant new iterations of answers to it. In the hands of those fighting the narrative war, from officials on both sides, online cheerleaders, armchair generals, and a certain world leader who likes to talk about who has the cards, the answers differ radically, but all are delivered with consistent venom, emotion, and intellectual ass

Ukraine has offered to send experts to the Baltic states to help strengthen air security following several drone-related incidents, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on May 9.

For the first time in nearly two decades, Russia’s Victory Day parade on Red Square was held without heavy military equipment, officially due to security concerns linked to Ukrainian drone attacks. In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, Kateryna Hodunova examines whether Russia can still be considered a military superpower, and what recent developments reveal about its true capabilities.

Platforming "anti-Russian" positions is "inconsistent with the spirit of relations" between Moscow and Yerevan, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Peace talks will not move forward until Ukraine pulls its forces from Donbas, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that "if the president of Ukraine is interested in a meeting, he should contact his Russian counterpart by phone."

Ukrainian mixed martial arts fighter (MMA) Yaroslav Amosov secured a victory over Spaniard Joel Alvarez at UFC 328 on May 10 in the welterweight division.

"Preliminary findings at the scene suggest it was likely a military reconnaissance drone, with no combat capabilities," the Polish military police reported.

Ukraine's Air Force said it intercepted all 27 drones launched by Russia from Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Millerovo overnight.

Russia has lost around 1,341,110 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on May 10.

The sabotage operation is alleged to have destroyed the locomotive, used for transporting military cargo towards Ukraine's Sumy Oblast.

Trump had previously pledged to withdraw U.S. forces after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized Washington's handling of the Iran war.

The estimate includes only officially confirmed deaths of Russian citizens. For the first time, it also includes soldiers declared dead or missing in cases where bodies were not recovered or identified.

The drone attack hit a nine-story building in the city's Industrial district, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. While civilians were impacted — including two 8-year-old boys who suffered acute stress reactions — no casualties have been reported.

The Russian leader also said he would be willing to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in a third country — a shift from his usual invitation to host the Ukrainian president in Moscow.

Magyar's Tisza party resoundingly defeated Orban's Fidesz in the parliamentary elections on April 12, pledging a pivot away from Budapest's pro-Moscow direction and a mend in ties with the EU.

Toxic rain is falling on Tuapse — just 75 miles from Vladimir Putin's summer residence in Sochi — coating cars and streets in oily grime. A once-picturesque Black Sea resort town is now choking on the fallout of a war that has come home to Russia. Four times in a span of two weeks, Ukrainian drones lit up the local oil refinery and export terminal, laying bare the weakness of Russian air defenses. Clouds of smoke so vast that they were visible from space. As long-range hits were gathering pace

"It turned out that Fico simply provided a fairly detailed account of what he had discussed with Zelensky," Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters on May 9.

Russia will celebrate Victory Day on May 9 — the most sacred date in its political calendar and the centerpiece of a state-built cult of war. Over more than two decades of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rule, the Soviet memory of World War II has moved far beyond commemoration, with its complexities and crimes erased in favor of a simplified, heroic narrative that has also been weaponized — the Kremlin has used the language of World War II to frame its enemies, above all Ukraine, as "Nazis,

This weekly update from the Kyiv Independent aims to shed light on the situation facing Ukrainians living under Russian occupation and the ever-tightening control of information imposed by the Kremlin. Key news as of May 9: * Ahead of Victory Day new wave of house evictions in Mariupol began * 'More to come' — Azov Corps drones strike Russian logistics in Mariupol in new footage * Ukraine condemns 'alarming situation' in Russian-occupied Oleshky, civilians trapped in urgent need of aid * R

A handful of foreign attendants of the scaled-back 2026 parade included Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko.

A greatest hits compilation of Russia's most modern military hardware was shown on a video displayed on screens at the event.

The declaration issued by President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 8 made a good case for the election of comedians to higher office: I hereby decree: 1. To authorize the holding of a parade in Moscow (Russian Federation) on May 9, 2026. For the duration of the parade (beginning at 10:00 a.m. Kyiv time on May 9, 2026), the area of Red Square shall be excluded from the plan for the use of Ukrainian weapons. Humor is an underrated weapon in the arsenal against fascism. Zelensky, former professional

As Europe enters another cultural season, its cities once again become stages for creativity, reflection, and dialogue. Festivals open, exhibitions draw global audiences, and institutions reaffirm their commitment to freedom of expression. At the center of this landscape stands the Venice Biennale, long regarded as a symbol of artistic openness and international exchange. Yet this year, the Biennale is no longer just a celebration of culture. It has become a test of the organizers' moral clarity

The surprise ceasefire, first announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, is scheduled to remain in place from May 9-11.

The number includes 1,080 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

The global perception of the United States has fallen for a third consecutive year, now ranking several spots behind Russia, a survey commissioned by the Alliance of Democracies Foundations revealed on May 7.

The man is accused of assisting the head of the Izolyatsia prison camp in the torture of inmates. His arrest marks the second time a foreign country has detained a suspect charged with war crimes in Ukraine.

The declaration makes no mention of a ceasefire on attacks elsewhere in Russia.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed that Ukraine's military launched dozens of drones towards the Russian capital throughout the night on May 8, just one day before Moscow is set to stage its annual Victory Day military parade.