Moscow just threatened diplomats in Kyiv to be careful on May 9 in a not-so-subtle warning.
Ahead of Saturday’s V-Day parade, the Kremlin said it doesn’t recognize Kyiv’s ceasefire proposal while at the same time threatening to hit key government buildings in Kyiv – surrounded by diplomatic missions – if its parade was disrupted by Ukrainian attacks. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the parade’s fate depends on Kyiv’s decision on whether to strike, while the EU said it isn’t caving to Moscow’s threats.
Ukraine war updates – Perm hit again, and also logistics hub near Moscow
Zelensky also said Ukraine is preparing a “fair” response after nearly 100 drones were launched against the country and responded in kind by sending 347 drones over Russia, with some reportedly hitting near Moscow, while others struck an oil refinery in Perm again, some 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) away from Ukraine.
Multiple drones also entered Latvia, with two of them crashing – though now it’s unclear whether they were Russian or Ukrainian.
Politically, Ukraine is also eyeing law changes to enable the creation of private military companies, as well as revisions to existing gun laws following recent cases of gun violence.
Otherwise, Ukraine’s US delegation team lead Rustem Umerov is also heading to the US soon to meet US envoy Steve Witkoff for renewed peace talks. Zelensky said Umerov has already been briefed, so we will see whether this round produces any tangible outcomes.
Russia braces for V-Day parades – but only some cities
In Russia, the Red Square parade is set to take place without any tanks or missiles – and without communications, it seems, as even the “whitelisted” sites are said to be restricted on Saturday.
And in some cities, they just decided it’s better not to have any parades at all.
It is also unclear how many world leaders will attend the parade – Armenia’s prime minister is likely not among them, after Yerevan said it is not on Russia’s side in the Ukraine war and the Kremlin scolded him for hosting Zelensky earlier this week. Meanwhile, Slovakia’s Robert Fico is expected to attend, while Poland’s foreign minister said he could be forgiven if Bratislava unblocks aid to Ukraine.
Other Russia-related news includes the sale of the Russian subsidiary by Italy’s UniCredit, the surge in Schengen visas issued to Russians, and the expulsion of the Russian Union of Journalists from the International Federation of Journalists.
Reports also suggest Russia has failed to reap additional revenue from surging oil prices due to government subsidies aimed at propping up the industry, though the data needed to calculate the precise impact may take longer to arrive.
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