"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.
The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Illustrative photo. Ukrainian servicemen supervise an M142 HIMARS launching a rocket near Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, on May 18, 2023. (Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
The U.S. Defense Department announced on July 3 a new package of military aid worth $150 million to provide Ukraine with capabilities including air defense interceptors.
The package also includes ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS), artillery rounds, and other critical capabilities drawn from U.S. stocks, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Military aid provided by the U.S. in the "last few months has been critical in helping Ukrainians defend their territory against Russian advances," Jean-Pierre said.
The new military package comes from Presidential Drawdown Authority, a mechanism that allows the president to deliver weaponry to allies from current U.S. stockpiles.
According to the Defense Department, the package also includes missiles for HAWK air defense systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, 81mm mortar rounds, tactical vehicles, and Javelin systems.
In addition, the U.S. will use approximately $2.2 billion in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds to purchase interceptors for Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, the Defense Department said.
"As previously announced, the Biden Administration plans to accelerate delivery of these munitions by resequencing upcoming Foreign Military Sales deliveries for Ukraine," the Defense Department said.
"As a result, Ukraine will be provided with the interceptors it urgently needs to protect its people and critical infrastructure against Russia's aerial attacks."
Kateryna Denisova
