WAR IN UKRAINE: May 9, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 440
Russian forces launched a total of 25 Kalibr and X-101/X-555 cruise missiles overnight on May 9, the Ukrainian Air Force said in its morning update. 15 of them targeted Kyiv, in a second attack following a wave of drone strikes on May 8. "In total, during two waves of attacks on Ukraine on the night of May 9, the Russian occupiers launched 25 cruise missiles; 23 of them were destroyed by the air defense of Ukraine," the General Staff of Ukraine's military said in a statement early on May 9 - RFE/RL
The attack on Kyiv was the second in hours, after Russia on May 8 launched 35 suicide drones and 16 missiles. The missile strikes targeted the regions of Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolayiv, and Odesa, and inflicted human casualties. "Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded civilians, and high-rise buildings, private homes, and other civilian infrastructure were damaged," the General Staff said. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that five people were injured overnight on May 8 as a result of a drone strike that damaged buildings and infrastructure.
Russia has refused to register and inspect ships sailing through the grain corridor to enter Ukrainian seaports. According to Ukrinform, the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine reported this on Facebook. "Russia has once again stopped the grain initiative by refusing to register ships for entry and conduct inspections. This approach is completely contrary to the terms of the current agreement," the statement said.
Meanwhile, the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin on Tuesday questioned the Kremlin's ability to defend the country as Ukraine prepares for a spring offensive, AFP reported. He says the Russian army leaders trying to 'deceive' Putin and that they fled Bakhmut.
A parade on Red Square in Moscow has started as Russia commemorates the 78th anniversary of the end of World War II, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin pushes ahead with the continent's largest land war since the conflict that ended in 1945. Putin in Red Square accused western elites of “sowing Russophobia.”
The flight program of the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow and in a number of other Russian cities has been canceled, the official reason being - as with last year’s commemorations - the weather conditions. Parades have been cancelled in 24 cities, according to @verstka_media, and not just on the border. BBC’s Steve Rosenberg reported: “Fewer soldiers (8,000 compared to 11,000 last year), less military hardware, no modern tanks, no military flypast, and the parade was shorter than in previous years.“
Zelenskiy marked the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe by saying his nation will be victorious over Russia as the Kremlin-connected head of a Russian paramilitary group claimed his forces were inching forward in the fiercely contested town of Bakhmut - RFE/RL
"We've got a major challenge on our hands with a Russian leader who is out of control,” says Labour MP Lisa Nandy, as Vladimir Putin observes a much scaled down Victory Day. She says the government is "right to say that we need to stick together with our allies.”
Moldova Prime Minister Maia Sandu at Victory Day commemoration in Chișinău: “We are here to give a message of peace. We are here to condemn the current aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine”
UK PM Rishi Sinak’s response to Putin’s Victory Day speech: “There’s only one person responsible for the illegal & unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and that’s President Putin. The crimes that are being committed are appalling & the suffering that’s being inflicted on the Ukrainian people is appalling. That’s why we remain steadfast in supporting the people of Ukraine”
Europe expert Sergej Sumlenny said the only tank the Russians brought to their VD parade today was a WWII Ukraine-developed (Kharkiv) T-34. All other vehicles were wheeled ones. The air part of the parade was predictably cancelled. “It looked like a parade of a 3rd class dictatorship, what it also was.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has arrived in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on May 9 after Russia launched another missile attack at the Ukrainian capital overnight -- the fifth since the start of the month and the second in as many days. "Good to be back in Kyiv," von der Leyen said on Twitter. "Where the values we hold dear are defended everyday….I welcome President Zelenskiy's decision to make 9 May Europe Day also here in Ukraine," she added. Von der Leyen's visit -- the fifth since the start of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine -- takes place on a day full of symbolism as the European Union on May 9 celebrates Europe Day, a nod to the Schuman Declaration presented by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman on the same day in 1950. The declaration is seen as the founding stone of what was to become the present-day 27-member EU. Von der Leyen is to "reaffirm the EU's unwavering support towards Ukraine," her spokesman said.
Poland has transferred 10 MiG-29 jet fighters to Ukraine as Kyiv prepares to launch a counteroffensive.
A survey published by the Democratic Initiatives Foundation on May 8 shows that over 67% of Ukrainians say the war with Russia can end only after a Ukrainian victory. Roughly 5% of those asked say any compromises are acceptable as long as they end the war - Kyiv Independent
On a castle wall in the Estonian city of Narva, located on the border with Russia, on May 9 they hung a banner with the image of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the inscription in English "Putin is a war criminal." The banner is clearly visible to residents of Russian Ivangorod, which is located on the other side of the river.
The photograph of the banner was posted on social media by the Narva Muuseum located in the castle. The action, according to Postimees, was prepared jointly with the Propastop association, whose goal is "to debunk propaganda and false information disseminated in the Russian media." - Radio Svoboda
