A cut-down parade in Moscow, missile attacks on Ukraine and new aid from US: highlights of the day

Missile attack

In the early hours of May 9, Russian troops attacked Ukrainian territory with sea- and air-launched cruise missiles. According to the Air Force, the enemy launched 25 Kalibr and Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles in two waves. 23 of them were destroyed by the Defense Forces.

The occupiers targeted Kyiv in particular. The local administration did not report any casualties or serious damage. The enemy also attacked Dnipro with missiles — the fragments of one of them fell on a four-story building. As a result, a 32-year-old woman was injured. The roof and ceilings of several apartments were damaged.

Russian forces also launched two cruise missiles at Cherkasy Oblast. In one of the cases, a minor fire broke out at the crash site. The blast wave damaged the windows in a municipal institution. There were no victims.

New aid from United States

The United States has announced a new $1.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine. The package will include additional air defense equipment and ammunition, commercial satellite imagery services, training, and maintenance support.

The funds will be allocated under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). This means that Kyiv will receive assistance from this package not immediately, but after purchasing its contents from US manufacturers or partners.

Europe Day and Victory Day

Ukraine celebrated Europe Day for the first time on May 9. For this purpose, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv. She attended a meeting of a coalition of 37 countries to discuss the creation of a tribunal for Russia.

In Moscow, the Victory Day parade was traditionally held. It was attended by about 8,000 soldiers. This is the lowest number since 2008. Also, only one old tank from the Second World War, a T-34, was shown during the event. The aviation part of the parade was canceled.

According to the Russian service of Radio Liberty, citing analyst Oliver Alexander's calculations, this year's parade in Moscow featured significantly fewer units of military equipment than in previous years.

The event was attended by the heads of six countries: Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko also turned up in the Russian capital.

The situation at the front

According to the General Staff, the occupiers continue to focus on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka and Maryinka axes. On May 9, they carried out almost 30 attacks in these sectors of the frontline.

On May 9, the aviation of the Defense Forces carried out four strikes on the clusters of the occupiers and their military equipment, as well as two strikes on Russian air defense systems. Ukrainian missile and artillery units struck two clusters of manpower and an enemy electronic warfare station.

The General Staff reported that on May 8, the Defense Forces destroyed 650 troops, 13 artillery systems, four tanks, and other equipment. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has lost 195,620 of its soldiers.

Removal of people from occupied territories

The mayor of Enerhodar, Dmytro Orlov, said that the evacuation of people from the city, organized by the occupiers, continues, but it is still voluntary. Stores and pharmacies do not work in the occupied ZNPP satellite town.

The official noted that most of the locals who cooperated with the Russians left Enerhodar in advance. According to him, the occupation authorities are actively taking their documents out of the town.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that the Russians also began to take preschool and school-age children with their parents, as well as teachers and other public sector employees from the town of Kamianka-Dniprovska in Zaporizhzhya Oblast. There were very few takers.

Other news

• The largest German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall wants to be able to produce tanks, anti-aircraft systems, and ammunition in Ukraine in the future.
• The body of a Russian helicopter pilot, who died at the beginning of the full-scale war in 2022, was found on the shore of the Kyiv reservoir in Vyshhorod.
• The European Parliament agrees to cancel duties on imports from Ukraine for another year.
• An employee of the President's Office, Oleksiy Tytarenko, was killed on the front line in Donetsk Oblast. He worked as a chief consultant for the Directorate for Internal and Humanitarian Policy.
• The Security Service of Ukraine exposed the administrator of the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel of propagandist Tetiana Montyan, who publicly justified Russia's armed aggression.
• The Washington Post reported that the United Kingdom is preparing to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles. It may be air-launched Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
• Law enforcement officers detained two Zaporizhzhya residents who collaborated with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). According to the investigation, they were preparing terrorist attacks against the command of the Defense Forces and SBU officers stationed in Zaporizhzhya Oblast.