Russo-Ukrainian war, day 1171: Ukraine strikes Russian missiles before launch

Exclusives

Ukraine can't shoot down all of Russia's missiles. So they're blowing them up before launch.. For the second time in 6 weeks, Ukraine's drones struck Shaykovka air base and the Kh-22 missiles stored there

May 9: How Putin built a war machine from Soviet nostalgia. Putin transformed history into a crusade requiring new enemies—Ukraine became the target.

Only Ukraine can slay the Soviet "victory myth" that fuels Putin's war. As a former USSR member, Ukraine must condemn its Soviet past and dismantle the WWII dragon powering Putin's imperial ambitions.

Inside Trump's Crimea plan — and why Europe may pay the price. Tempting as it may be to hand Crimea to Putin for peace, it remains a loaded gun pointed at Ukraine and at Europe.

Military

Nearly 200 Russian attacks recorded across front lines over past day amid Moscow-declared "ceasefire". Russia didn't stop bomb attacks and drone "human safari" in southern regions. Russian attacks killed at least five civilians and injured 16 more. Putin's Victory Day speech may reveal his next target in Ukraine. At the 9 May parade in Moscow, Vladimir Putin declared that Russia would achieve its strategic goals in the war against Ukraine. In his speech, he referred to Sevastopol and Odesa as part of Russia's "greatness." Frontline report: Russia yanks 280+ missile systems to guard Putin's parade—now Ukraine sees the gaps. Moscow is covered. Everywhere else is exposed. Ukrainian soldiers break the spell: Russian wands, invisibility cloaks fail on Lyman front. From black plastic "invisibility coats" to fear-fueled mind games, Russia is betting on battlefield magic. Ukrainian defenders, grounded in reality, are tearing the illusion apart. Frontline report: Ukraine just walked through Russia's "impenetrable" border ahead of Putin's favourite holiday. Moscow faces an excruciating choice: abandon key positions to protect Russian pride on 9 May, or commit valuable reserves to a Ukrainian trap specifically designed to bite down when it hurts most.

Intelligence and Technology

Dutch Intelligence: Russia is making "much more artillery" than it needs for war in Ukraine and moving troops toward NATO borders. It has also doubled its defense budget to $149 billion while hacking European elections. For the first time, SBU exposes Hungarian intelligence agents who were spying against Ukraine. Ukrainian counterintelligence detained two people in Zakarpattia who allegedly collected military intelligence for Hungary, including how locals might react to Hungarian troops entering the region. The Economist: Russia is churning out munitions at extraordinary speed. Russia is churning out over 1,400 Iskander ballistic missiles annually while planning significant military expansion along NATO's borders, according to intelligence reports cited by The Economist.

International

WP: Putin's Russia will never stop threatening West, says expert after Moscow's Victory Day parade. Despite years of sanctions, two dozen world leaders attended Russia's Victory Day parade, allowing Putin to exploit divisions between Trump's America and Europe. While Moscow's paraded, 39 nations in Ukraine created modern Nuremberg for Russia. On 9 May, two very different events unfolded simultaneously: as Moscow paraded weapons through Red Square, diplomats in Lviv signed an agreement that could label Putin, Lavrov, and even their allies war criminals. German president accuses Putin of "historical lies" and Trump of "breach of values". In a Bundestag address, Steinmeier accused Russia of glorifying invasion through false WWII comparisons and criticized the US abandonment of shared post-WWII values. Vance again threatens US withdrawal from peace talks if Russia negotiates in bad faith. He called Russia's demands excessive and said the US wouldn't back Ukraine's territorial concessions unless earned militarily by Russia. Trump calls for 30-day unconditional truce in Ukraine, threatens new sanctions on Russia. In an 8 May phone call, Zelenskyy told Trump that Ukraine is ready to halt fighting immediately and awaits Russia's unconditional agreement to join the ceasefire. EU transfers € 1 billion to Ukraine from frozen Russian assets for aggressor to pay for destruction. The transfer emerges from a G7-led initiative, which aims to eventually provide approximately $50 billion in assistance to Ukraine using interest from $280 billion in frozen Russian funds. Xi calls for Ukraine peace deal "accepted by all parties" during Moscow visit. China has called for a "fair and binding" Ukraine peace deal as President Xi Jinping meets with Vladimir Putin Lithuania exits anti-personnel mine convention amid Russo-Belarusian threats. Russia has never signed the Ottawa Treaty, while Belarus did not ratify it. Moscow has extensively used anti-personnel mines in Ukraine. Romanian election frontrunner wants compensation from Ukraine for military aid. The pro-Russian presidential candidate Simion called past assistance a betrayal of national interests and vowed to prioritize domestic needs if elected. Ukraine hopes for visit from newly elected Pope Leo XIV. Ukraine's FM welcomed Pope Leo XIV's election, emphasizing Ukraine's hope for moral leadership to end Russia's war and restore justice.

Humanitarian and Social Impact

UN reports sharp rise in civilian casualties in Ukraine due to Russian ballistic missile attacks on major cities. At least 209 civilians died and 1,146 were injured in Ukraine during April 2025, making it the deadliest month since September, according to a UN human rights report.

Political and Legal Developments

Russia's victory in World War II wasn't just Russia's, says Ukrainian historian. He warns that Moscow deliberately obscures Ukraine's tremendous WWII sacrifices to monopolize victimhood and justify today's invasion. Russian children's army larger than US army and combined armies of EU countries. Russia's youth military program "Yunarmia" consists of 1.8 million children, including hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians from occupied territories. Indoctrinated by Russian propaganda, they may become future soldiers in various conflicts. UK to sanction 100 Russian oil tankers in biggest ever shadow fleet crackdown. Amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, Britain targets Moscow's shadow fleet, linked to $24 billion in smuggled oil, citing risks to undersea cables, the environment, and Europe's infrastructure security. Read the daily review for Thu, 8 May 2025 here