Ukraine war: Selenskyj accuses Russia of forgetting history

In the midst of the war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia celebrated its victory over Hitler’s Germany with a parade on Red Square in Moscow on Monday. The speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to indicate, among other things, whether there could be general or partial mobilization in Russia. Before the anniversary, the West hit Russia with new sanctions – and demonstrated solidarity with Ukraine.

Meanwhile, fighting in different parts of Ukraine continued. In the south, the Ukrainian military said it killed 51 Russian soldiers on Sunday and destroyed two rocket launchers and a helicopter. According to the Ukrainian air defense system, five unmanned aerial vehicles and three Russian cruise missiles were shot down. The information could not be independently verified.

News of the war in Ukraine on Monday, May 9th:

6.58 a.m .: Ukrainian ambassador: “More concrete” desired from Scholz’s speech

Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Melnyk said he was disappointed with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s televised speech on the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. In the speech, “much more concrete” was desired about how the Bundestag decision to supply heavy weapons should be implemented, Melnyk said on the program “Anne Will”. “When we hear the Chancellor saying that Russia must not win, that means that everything, absolutely everything should be done (…) to help us in this difficult situation, in this war, the worst war since Second World War,” demanded the diplomat.

4.12 a.m .: Selenskyj adviser warns of a new Russian attack on Kyiv

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned of a new attack by Russian troops on the capital Kyiv if the West does not speed up arms deliveries to his country. This could give Russia time to mobilize and launch another offensive on Kyiv and other cities in northern Ukraine, argued presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych in a video interview. Russia had withdrawn its troops from the Ukrainian capital after a failed attempt to take Kyiv, and is instead focusing on the east of the country. In view of the high losses, experts believe at least partial mobilization is possible, which the Kremlin has so far rejected.

3:33 a.m.: Fighting continues

Meanwhile, fighting in different parts of Ukraine continued. In the south, the Ukrainian military said it killed 51 Russian soldiers on Sunday and destroyed two rocket launchers and a helicopter. According to the Ukrainian air defense system, five unmanned aerial vehicles and three Russian cruise missiles were shot down. The information could not be independently verified.

2.03 a.m .: NATO chief Stoltenberg calls on Putin to end the war

On the “Day of Victory” over Hitler’s Germany, NATO called on Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to stop hostilities in Ukraine immediately. “I call on President Putin once again on May 9 to end the war immediately, to withdraw his troops from Ukraine and to start peace negotiations,” Stoltenberg told the daily newspaper “Welt” (Monday). “We stand firmly by Ukraine’s side and will continue to help the country enforce its right to self-defense.” Stoltenberg expects “that on May 9 of this year, Putin will again spread lies about NATO and the West as a whole.” During a military parade in Moscow, Putin also wants to address his compatriots with a speech. The NATO Secretary General rejected accusations from Moscow that the western defense alliance was behaving aggressively. “For more than seven decades we have been able to prevent war for our allies. NATO is a defensive alliance and the current crisis shows that it is vital for Europe and North America to stand together in NATO to secure peace and to preserve the values ​​of freedom and democracy,” said Stoltenberg.

0.51 a.m .: Selenskyj accuses Russia of forgetting history on the anniversary of the World War

Shortly before the celebrations marking the end of World War II in Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused his Russian colleague Vladimir Putin of forgetting history. “Russia has forgotten everything that was important to the victors of World War II,” he said in a video message. Decades after the Second World War, “evil is back, in a different uniform, but with the same goal.” Russia celebrates the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany on May 9th.

12:22 a.m .: Great Britain imposes further sanctions on Russia and Belarus

Britain has imposed new sanctions on Russia and Belarus, including import tariffs on precious metals and export bans. “This far-reaching package of sanctions will further damage the Russian war machine,” said Trade Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan. The punitive tariffs on platinum and palladium, among other things, affect a total trading volume of 1.4 billion pounds (1.6 billion euros). The export bans on goods worth £250m target Russian industry. With the new sanctions package, goods worth a total of over £4 billion are now subject to import and export sanctions that are “significantly damaging to Putin’s war effort,” Finance Minister Rishi Sunak said. As Trevelyan emphasized, the most recent round of sanctions was also coordinated internationally.