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May 9, 2022: Russia-Ukraine news

By Rhea Mogul, Andrew Raine, Tara John, Ben Church, Aditi Sangal, Laura Smith-Spark and Maureen Chowdhury, CNN

Updated 0408 GMT (1208 HKT) May 10, 2022
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8:31 a.m. ET, May 9, 2022

Putin showed "a slight shine of desperation," says UK defense secretary

From CNN's Brad Lendon in Seoul

Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace speaks during the Defence of Europe conference at King's College London in central London, on May 9.
Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace speaks during the Defence of Europe conference at King's College London in central London, on May 9. (Dominic Lipinski/PA Images/Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin showed “a slight shine of desperation” in his Victory Day speech Monday, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said, according to PA Media.

Among the reasons for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was that the NATO alliance was surrounding Russia and putting bases in its western neighbor, Putin said.

Wallace dismissed Putin's claims.

NATO accounts for 6% of his land border. That’s not being surrounded if only 6% of your land border is NATO countries,” the UK defense secretary said.

As for NATO bases in Ukraine, “I’m sure the Ukrainian ambassador will tell you there weren’t any NATO bases in Ukraine,” PA quoted Wallace as saying.

I think he is believing what he wants to believe – a slight shine of desperation,” Wallace said of Putin.

Earlier, in a speech at the British National Army Museum, Wallace reiterated London’s strong support for Kyiv in the war.

“The British government – the whole United Kingdon – stands in solidarity with Ukraine, supporting their courageous defense of sovereignty, territorial integrity and simple right to a peaceful and prosperous future,” Wallace said.

5:57 a.m. ET, May 9, 2022

Putin is 'completely out of ideas' on Ukraine, analyst says

From CNN's Brad Lendon in Seoul

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on the screen as he delivers a speech during 77th anniversary of the Victory Day in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on May 9.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on the screen as he delivers a speech during 77th anniversary of the Victory Day in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on May 9. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Vladimir Putin seems like he’s “completely out of ideas” about the war in Ukraine, one prominent analyst said after the Russian President’s Victory Day speech in Moscow on Monday.

Either doesn’t now understand the reality of the situation in Ukraine, or willfully ignoring it,” Phillips O’Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said of Putin in a Twitter post.

Some context: Speculation before the speech was that Putin might formally declare war on Ukraine or order a mass mobilization of Russian forces to prosecute the war that has now stretched into its third month, with heavy Russian losses.

While Putin blamed NATO and the West for forcing him to invade Ukraine to protect Russian interests, he didn’t offer any idea of what would be considered a victory or any ways to prosecute the war further.

Without concrete steps to build a new force, Russia can’t fight a long war, and the clock starts ticking on the failure of their army in Ukraine,” O’Brien said.
5:48 a.m. ET, May 9, 2022

Head of Russia-backed Luhansk People's Republic congratulates residents on Victory Day

From CNN's Katharina Krebs in London

The head of the self-declared Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), Leonid Pasechnik, laid wreaths at monuments in honor of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti reported on Monday.

Wreaths were laid at the Pylon of Glory in tribute to Luhansk Heroes of the Soviet Union and at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

"Victory will be ours," said Pasechnik.

He said that due to the liberation of the regions of the LPR, residents can celebrate Victory Day, wear a St. George ribbon and speak Russian "without fear of persecution and repression."

"People of different ages, professions and nationalities united to deliver a crushing blow to Nazism -- which is now Ukrainian," Pasechnik said.

The leaders of the self-declared separatist republics in eastern Ukraine have been prominent in marking Victory Day, claiming it symbolizes another victory over Nazism.

Some context: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government have repeatedly said the aim of their so-called "special operation" is to "denazify" Ukraine, and made the baseless claim that freeing the country of Nazis is a matter of Russian survival.

8:08 a.m. ET, May 9, 2022

"Auntie Soup" rescued from Mariupol steel factory

From CNN’s Julia Kesaieva in Kyiv and Ivana Kottasová in Lviv

“Auntie Soup," one of the evacuees from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine.
“Auntie Soup," one of the evacuees from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine. (Mariupol City Council)

Her name is Natalia, but the kids of the Mariupol steel plant know her simply as “Auntie Soup.”

Natalia is one of the civilians rescued from the Azovstal complex, according to a statement posted on the Mariupol City Council’s Telegram channel.

Her last name has not been released by the authorities.

“Me and my husband have been sitting in the bomb shelter for two months and four days. We've been feeding the children and adults,” Natalia says in a video posted on the channel.

"That's why I'm Auntie Soup, because kids could not remember my name."

With little food available, Natalia had to be creative, the statement said, using “water dough and canned food” to create “the most delicious pizza in the world.”

“What is the power of these wonderful people? War and death are around, bombs dropping every minute, and they continue to fight for life, believe in the best and give each other love,” the statement added.

On Saturday, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that "all women, children and elderly people" had been evacuated from the steel plant.

7:12 a.m. ET, May 9, 2022

It's 12 p.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, center left, walk after a military parade on Victory Day in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, on May 9.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, center left, walk after a military parade on Victory Day in Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, on May 9. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his accusation that the West left him no choice but to invade Ukraine in a speech given during Russia's Victory Day parade, an annual commemoration of the country's defeat of Nazi Germany at the end of World War Two. The speech provided little detail on how Russia planned to proceed in Ukraine; it followed days of speculation that Putin would use the event to announce to make a major announcement.

Here are some of the latest developments:

  • Russia's muted Victory Day parade: Defence analysts noted a low-key parade, which saw thousands of troops assemble outside the Kremlin in the Red Square and the expected air portion of the annual event canceled due to weather, according to a Kremlin official. Putin repeated his reasons for invading Ukraine, saying the intervention was necessary as the West was creating "threats next to our borders" and "preparing for the invasion of our land." He also said the West didn't want to hear Russia's proposals for dialogue.
  • Modest celebrations in occupied areas: There were small pro-Russian celebrations in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, including Kherson, according to Russian state media. Pro-Russian social media accounts circulated videos shot in Ukraine's southern Kherson region showing small crowds waving red flags and carrying flowers as they marked Russia's Victory Day. Ukrainian activists in Kherson claimed Russia had brought in people from Crimea to bolster the numbers attending. In the southeastern city of Mariupol, flowers were laid at a memorial recently refurbished by Russian-backed separatists, according to Ukrainian officials.
  • Evacuations from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol: The Ukrainian government said "all women, children and elderly people" have been evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol -- the last Ukrainian holdout in the city. Zelensky said more than 300 civilians have been rescued.
  • Ukrainian counterattack in Kharkiv unfolds: The Ukrainian military says that Russia is holding back some of its forces within its borders to prevent a Ukrainian counterattack that has made some headway east of Kharkiv. Inside Ukraine, the general staff says the most intense activity is in Donetsk region, where Russian forces are trying to advance towards the town of Lyman, a major transport hub.
  • Rebuild Ukraine with Russian foreign exchange reserves, says top diplomat: The European Union should consider using billions of dollars’ worth of Russian foreign exchange reserves to rebuild Ukraine after the war, the bloc’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said in an interview with the Financial Times Monday. 
  • First lady Jill Biden and Canada’s Prime Minister make unannounced Ukraine trips: The US first lady made an unannounced trip on Sunday to Uzhhorod, a small city in the far southwestern corner of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Justin Trudeau announced the reopening of the Canadian embassy in Kyiv in a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Ukrainian capital.
  • Dozens feared dead after bomb hits school sheltering Ukrainians: Ukraine has accused Russia of dropping a bomb on a school in the Luhansk region. Ninety people were said to be sheltering in the school; 60 are feared dead. Serhiy Hayday, head of the Luhansk regional military administration, said the school building was destroyed.
5:17 a.m. ET, May 9, 2022

Pro-Russian media pumps out video of events in occupied Ukraine to mark Victory Day

From CNN's Tim Lister in Lviv

Social media videos uploaded by pro-Russian media have shown parades and ceremonies in several Russian-occupied Ukrainian towns to mark Victory Day.

A procession in the town of Enerhodar, in Zaporizhzhia, which has been in Russian hands since the beginning of March, appears to have been attended by several hundred people.

Another rally in Nova Kakhovka, in the Kherson region, filmed by state Russian outlet RIA Novosti, appears to have been thinly attended.

The official media outlet of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic reported on a rally in Kherson city, saying: "Citizens came in families, carrying portraits of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers who fought during the Great Patriotic War and who liberated Kherson region from fascists."

There was also a rally in Berdiansk and events in several other towns. None appear to have been attended by more than a few dozen people, according to videos uploaded by the separatist Donetsk channel PRO Republic.

At one event, a few people were seen sitting in a square as Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech was broadcast on large screens.

4:53 a.m. ET, May 9, 2022

Missiles fired at Ukraine's southern Odesa region, says official

From CNN's Julia Kesaieva

Russian forces have fired four Onyx cruise missiles at the Odesa region in southern Ukraine, according to the spokesman for the Odesa region military administration, Serhiy Bratchuk.

"The missiles arrived from the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea," he said. Russian forces illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

Bratchuk provided no details of where the missiles had struck.

Ukraine's Black Sea coast has seen a significant uptick in missile attacks by Russian forces in recent days.

4:38 a.m. ET, May 9, 2022

Russia sees a "low key" parade, defense analyst says

From CNN's Brad Lendon in Seoul

Russian service personnel ride military vehicles during the Victory Day military parade at Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, on May 9.
Russian service personnel ride military vehicles during the Victory Day military parade at Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, on May 9. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images)

Nicholas Drummond, a defense industry analyst specializing in land warfare, described this year's Victory Day parade in Moscow as a "very low key" affair.

The commemoration saw thousands of troops assemble outside the Kremlin in the Red Square and Russia's President Vladimir Putin reiterate his reasons for invading Ukraine. But the expected air portion of the annual event was canceled due to weather, a Kremlin official said.

Very low key," Drummond, who is a former British Army officer, told CNN of the parade. "But there was a discipline and precision about it that was absent last time. Look of steely resolve on many faces. Suggests that Putin has consolidated his power base rather than being weakened by recent events."
4:44 a.m. ET, May 9, 2022

Ukrainian officials say there was no parade in Mariupol

From Tim Lister in Lviv and Julia Kesaieva

A Soviet-era flag, which was raised to mark the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, flies in front of a residential building in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on May 8.
A Soviet-era flag, which was raised to mark the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, flies in front of a residential building in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on May 8. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

Ukrainian officials have commented on the apparently muted commemoration of Victory Day in occupied Mariupol.

An adviser to the Mariupol mayor, Petro Andriushchenko, said there had been no parade but that flowers were laid at a memorial recently refurbished by Russian-backed separatists.

To celebrate May 9, the occupiers lit an eternal fire on the Savur Mohyla [war memorial in Donetsk oblast] from a torch from the eternal fire in Moscow. The grotesque combination of the traditions of the Olympics and the Ascension of the Blessed Fire at Easter is the best demonstration of the essence of Victory Day for Russians," Andriushchenko said.

The leader of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, lit the eternal flame in Mariupol to mark Victory Day, according to video released by the DPR Telegram channel "PRO_Republic."

Separately, the Mariupol city council said: "The occupiers celebrate Victory Day on the bones of Mariupol residents. Hundreds of citizens killed by the Russian army continue to be taken to the mass grave near the village of Vynohradne."