Victorios news of 440th day of war: Pentagon announces new aid package for Ukraine, Prigozhin complains that Ukraine’s forces are tearing up flanks near Bakhmut

New US aid package includes ammunition to combat drones and air defense systems

The Pentagon has announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine, aimed primarily at strengthening its air defense and meeting artillery ammunition needs. The package, which is worth up to $1.2 billion, is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), the US Defense Department said in a statement.

The package includes: additional air defense systems and ammunition; equipment to integrate Western launchers, missiles and radars with Ukraine's air defense systems; ammunition to combat unmanned aerial systems; 155 mm artillery shells; commercial satellite imagery services; and support for training, maintenance and support activities.

European Parliament extends duty-free trade with Ukraine

On Tuesday, May 9, the European Parliament extended duty-free trade with Ukraine for another year. This was reported by Radio Liberty correspondent Rikard Jozwiak.

"The European Parliament has now voted in favor of prolonging tariff free trade with Ukraine by another year," he wrote.

Jozwiak added that 537 parliamentarians voted in favor and 42 voted against. At the same time, 38 members of parliament abstained from voting.

Ukrainian Armed Forces strike six times at enemy concentration areas

According to the General Staff, the aviation of the Defense Forces carried out four strikes on the areas of concentration of Russian enemy personnel and military equipment, as well as two strikes on Russian anti-aircraft missile systems.

Two more areas of concentration of manpower and an occupier's electronic warfare station were hit by missile and artillery units.

Ukrainian military is "tearing up the flanks" in the Bakhmut sector – Prigozhin

In another video, the chief of the illegal Wagner PMC reported problems with ammunition for his mercenaries and complained about the active actions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Donetsk region.

In the video, Yevgeny Prigozhin once again complained about the difficult situation of his Wagner fighters and continued to claim that he had not yet received any ammunition. In addition, he noted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are "tearing up the flanks" in the Bakhmut direction and may launch a counteroffensive in the near future.

The financier of the PMC also confirmed that the Ukrainians had attacked and retaken more than a kilometer of territory yesterday. According to the mercenaries’ chief, it was not his fighters who left the positions, but units of the regular army.

Partisans burn down a Su-24 combat jet in Russia’s Novosibirsk

On the morning of May 8, unknown partisans destroyed a Su-24 combat aircraft on the territory of the Sukhoi aircraft plant in Novosibirsk.         

This is stated on the Telegram channel of the Freedom of Russia Legion.

"The partisans burned combat aircraft to show that this war must end. You can't fight for peace by killing children and women in a neighboring country. The Kremlin has indeed "managed to repeat" the crimes of the Nazi regime against humanity, and everyone involved will be held accountable for it in court," the statement reads.

The video of the burning aircraft appeared on the  Freedom of Russia Legion's channel just as Putin was hosting his lame military parade and threatening the West with horrific punishment for the umpteenth time.