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May 9, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

By Tara Subramaniam, Christian Edwards, Eliza Mackintosh, Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt, Mike Hayes and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Updated 12:01 a.m. ET, May 10, 2023
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2:08 a.m. ET, May 9, 2023

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives in Kyiv

From CNN's Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

Ursula von der Leyen during a meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, on May 2.
Ursula von der Leyen during a meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, on May 2. Katerina Sulova/AP

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv Tuesday to mark Europe Day, according to a post on her Twitter account.

"Good to be back in Kyiv. Where the values we hold dear are defended every day, so it is such a fitting place to celebrate the day of Europe," Von der Leyen wrote. "I welcome President @ZelenskyyUa's decision to make 9 May Europe Day also here in Ukraine."

The Ukrainian President on Monday proposed moving World War II Victory Day celebrations a day earlier to May 8 in a bill presented to lawmakers in Kyiv. May 9 would henceforth be celebrated as Europe Day in Ukraine, he added. 

Like Russia, Ukraine traditionally commemorates victory over the Nazis on May 9, but that date has become increasingly associated with a parade in Moscow, used by the Kremlin to flex its military might. 

1:33 a.m. ET, May 9, 2023

Ukrainian Air Force says it shot down 23 Russian cruise missiles

From CNN's Josh Pennington

All but two of 25 cruise missiles fired by Russia against Ukraine overnight Tuesday were intercepted by the country's air defenses, the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement.

"In total, during two waves of shelling of Ukraine on the night of May 9, 2023, the Russian occupiers launched 25 Kalibr and X-101/X-555 cruise missiles," the statement said, adding that 23 missiles fired from the sea and the air were destroyed.

The Ukrainian military warned earlier this week that Russia is trying to wear down Ukraine's air defenses ahead of an anticipated counteroffensive.

A part of a cruise missile shot down during a Russian missile strike is seen in the backyard of a house in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 9.
A part of a cruise missile shot down during a Russian missile strike is seen in the backyard of a house in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 9. Press service of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine/Reuters

Falling debris: Shrapnel from a downed missile landed in a private yard in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district, Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said in a statement Tuesday. There was no damage and nobody was hurt, he said. Explosives experts and emergency responders were working at the scene, he added. 

The intercepted attacks Tuesday come after Klitschko said Russian strikes early Monday marked Moscow's "most massive" drone attack on the capital.

12:37 a.m. ET, May 9, 2023

Ukrainian Eurovision duo launch fundraiser for premature war babies 

From CNN's Mariya Knight

Tvorchi attend the Eurovision contest in Liverpool, England, on May 7.
Tvorchi attend the Eurovision contest in Liverpool, England, on May 7.  Anthony Devlin/Getty Images

Tvorchi, the duo representing Ukraine at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, have launched a fundraiser for equipment to help Ukrainian babies born prematurely due to war stressors. 

The fundraiser is in partnership with Visa and United24, an official fundraising platform launched by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to United24, “because of the war, the number of such newborns has increased by at least 15% and behind this figure there are thousands of vulnerable children who were born prematurely and cannot survive without special assistance.” 

During the Eurovision opening ceremony on Sunday in the English city of Liverpool, the duo wore costumes with the names and weights of Ukrainian babies born prematurely displayed on their jackets. 

“Sofia, 1340 grams. Marichka, 804.6 grams. Nikita, 1280 grams. Alice, 1600 grams. Denis, 900 grams...These names and weights are displayed on our costumes, that we wore on the turquoise Eurovision runway,” they said in an Instagram post Monday.
“They belong to children who were born in Ukraine during the war, very tiny. More often, because their mothers experienced stress during pregnancy due to explosions, shelling and a constant sense of threat.
“These babies survived — their little hearts were saved by intensive care incubators.”

The goal of the initiative is to attract international support to raise nearly $270,000 to buy 10 incubators for Ukrainian infants, according to the United24 website. 

Eurovision is traditionally hosted by the defending champion's country. Ukraine won the contest in 2022 but cannot host it due to the ongoing conflict. The theme of Eurovision 2023 is "United by music" with the first semifinals to start on May 9. 

1:14 a.m. ET, May 9, 2023

Ukraine shoots down more than a dozen cruise missiles over Kyiv, military says

From CNN's Mariya Knight

An explosion is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 9.
An explosion is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 9. Gleb Garanich/Reuters

Ukrainian air defenses destroyed about 15 cruise missiles launched by Russia in the airspace over Kyiv in the early hours of Tuesday, a Ukrainian military official said.

In a Telegram post, Serhiy Popko, head of the city's military administration, said preliminary information indicated there were no casualties and little damage caused.

“In the Holosiiv district, a fire broke out in the yard of a private house as a result of falling debris and the removal of debris on the road in the Shevchenkiv district,” he said. “The launched cruise missiles, most notably of the X-101 (X-555) type, did not reach their targets. The anti-aircraft defense of the capital worked perfectly again!"

Popko said the attack was "carried out by four Tu-95MS strategic bombers from the Caspian Sea region,” in the fifth air assault launched by Russia against Kyiv since the beginning of May.

Some context: The intercepted attacks Tuesday come after Kyiv's mayor said Russian strikes early Monday marked Moscow's "most massive" drone attack on the capital since the invasion began last year. The Ukrainian military has warned that Russia is trying to wear down Ukraine's air defenses ahead of an anticipated counteroffensive.

12:02 a.m. ET, May 9, 2023

Russia has little to celebrate on its annual Victory Day as Ukraine war falters. Here's the latest

From CNN staff

It's Victory Day in Russia, where an annual Moscow parade is set to take place in an exhibition of patriotism marking the Soviet Union's role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II.

The day is the most significant in Russian President Vladimir Putin's calendar, and he has long used it to rally public support and demonstrate the country's military prowess.

But in light of two recent alleged Kremlin drone attacks, deepening fissures between senior Russian officials over war tactics, and an expected Ukrainian spring offensive, tensions in Moscow are at an all-time-high ahead of the second parade since Russia launched its invasion.

Here are the latest developments:

  • Muted celebrations: Thousands of people will line the streets of Moscow's Red Square on Tuesday as part of Russia's annual Victory Day parade, when the Kremlin will display a front of military might and grandeur contrasting with its faltering military campaign in Ukraine. But several regions in Russia — many near the border with Ukraine — have scaled down preparations for the May 9 spectacle due to security concerns and a lack of military equipment to display.
  • "Most massive attack": Russia launched a wave of strikes on Ukraine early Monday in what Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko called its "most massive attack." The mayor said five people were injured in capital, but no deaths were reported. Other attacks were recorded in Ukraine's Kharkiv and Kherson regions.
  • New US aid: The United States is set to announce a $1.2 billion aid package to Ukraine as early as Tuesday, according to a US official familiar with the package. It comes at a critical point with Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces looming. The package will include drones, artillery ammunition and air defense missiles as well as other capabilities, the official said.
  • Wagner resupplies: Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russian mercenary group Wagner, said preliminary information indicates that his fighters in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut have started to receive more ammunition. Prigozhin had repeatedly complained that his units were not receiving enough munitions from Russia’s defense establishment. Last week, he announced they would withdraw from Bakhmut — a threat he now appears to be rowing back on. 
  • Mariupol mobilization: Kremlin-backed authorities in the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol are in the process of mobilizing residents who have Russian passports, the exiled city council claimed on Telegram. Denis Pushilin, head of the Russian-backed self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, which administers Mariupol, signed a decree allowing the mobilization of Russian citizens in the occupied region on March 31. 
  • Officials' departure: A significant part of the Russian-installed administration of Skadovsk left the occupied city near the Black Sea on Sunday, Ukrainian military officials said. The activities of Skadovsk’s district and city administrations were "suspended," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its daily update. On Saturday night, "the occupiers loaded documentation, office equipment, and other property of state institutions into vehicles," before leaving with their families on Sunday morning, the Ukrainian military said.
8:37 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

US set to announce $1.2 billion aid package to Ukraine ahead of counteroffensive

From CNN's Oren Liebermann

The United States is set to announce a $1.2 billion aid package to Ukraine as early as Tuesday, according to a US official familiar with the package. It comes at a critical point with Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces looming. 

The package will include drones, artillery ammunition and air defense missiles as well as other capabilities, the official said.

The package — first reported by the Associated Press — will fall under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which means it will be contracted and purchased from manufacturers instead of pulled directly from Defense Department stocks in a drawdown.

Instead of supplying Ukraine with the weapons it currently needs, USAI packages are intended to create a medium and long-term supply for Ukraine.

Last week, the Pentagon announced its 37th drawdown package for Ukraine since August 2021. The $300 million package included additional ammunition for the HIMARS rocket system, artillery and tank ammunition, anti-tank weapons and more. 

1:18 a.m. ET, May 9, 2023

Russia launched its "most massive" attack with drones Monday, Kyiv mayor says

From CNN's Mariya Knight

An apartment building damaged by remains of a drone shot down during a Russian overnight strike, in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 8.
An apartment building damaged by remains of a drone shot down during a Russian overnight strike, in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 8. Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

Russia's wave of strikes on Ukraine early Monday was its "most massive" drone attack since the invasion began last year, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

“I visited a high-rise building that was hit by fragments of a Russian drone at night,” Klitschko wrote in a statement on Telegram. “Last night, the barbarians staged the most massive attack with kamikaze drones. Almost 60 'Shaheds' were launched,” more than half of which targeted Kyiv, according to Klitschko.   

Other attacks were recorded in Ukraine's Kharkiv and Kherson regions.

The Ukrainian military said it repelled the assault on the capital, the latest in Moscow’s efforts to wear down its air defense system. According to Kyiv's mayor, “36 drones flew to the capital” but were shot down by air defense forces.

“However, debris from several drones damaged some social facilities and a residential high-rise building in Sviatoshyn district,” Klitschko said.

The mayor said the drone attack did not cause any deaths, “but five people were injured in two districts of the city.” 

“Three of them were in high-rise buildings. Two victims were hospitalized, one of them underwent surgery. Doctors say that there is no threat to their lives,” he added.

Shahed drones are manufactured in Iran and have been frequently deployed by Russian forces in Ukraine. 

1:07 a.m. ET, May 9, 2023

Wagner forces in Bakhmut are receiving more ammunition, head of private military group says

From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the private Russian military group Wagner, said on Monday that preliminary information indicates that his fighters in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut have started to receive more ammunition.  

“Ammunition supplies, according to preliminary data, we continue to receive. I haven't seen it in person yet,” Prigozhin said in a voice memo posted to his Telegram channel late on Monday. 

Prigozhin has repeatedly complained that his Wagner units are not receiving enough ammunition from Russia’s defense establishment. Last week, he announced they would withdraw from Bakhmut — a threat he now appears to be rowing back on. 

Earlier Monday, a Ukrainian commander in Bakhmut said his unit faces “constant” shelling and had seen no evidence of the Russian ammunition shortage that Prigozhin had claimed.

8:33 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Russia-backed officials depart occupied city on Black Sea, Ukraine's military says

From CNN’s Kostan Nechyporenko in Kyiv

A significant part of the Russian-installed administration of Skadovsk left the occupied city on Sunday, Ukrainian military officials said. 

The activities of Skadovsk’s district and city administrations were “suspended,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its daily update.

On Saturday night, “the occupiers loaded documentation, office equipment, and other property of state institutions into vehicles,” before leaving with their families on Sunday morning, Ukrainian military officials said.

The General Staff claims the Russians planned to transport the “documents and looted property," by sea, further into Russian-held territory. 

Skadovsk sits on the Black Sea. 

The statement said similar activity was occurring in the nearby villages of Krasne, Shevchenko, Shyroke, Ulianivka and Petrivka, as well as in Mykhailivka — some 28 kilometers (17 miles) away.