In an online post, US President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a three-day cease-fire deal starting on May 9. The date coincides with Victory Day celebrations in Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there would be no attacks on the site of the celebrations.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Leonid and Valentyna Stoyanov, two veterinarians in Odesa, took in as many injured and abandoned animals as they could. Soon, they were making regular trips to the front lines to rescue animals affected by the war.