Russia launches a barrage of missile attacks on Kyiv; Italy urges citizens to leave Ukraine.

According to RT, in a message posted on May 8th on the Viaggiare Sicuri website, managed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Italian Embassy emphasized: “Italian citizens still in Ukraine are advised to use available means, including trains, to leave the country immediately, before the curfew takes effect. Extreme caution is advised. All travel to Ukraine, under any circumstances, is discouraged.”

The Italian Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine. Photo: Embassy.center

Italian diplomatic representatives further noted that missile attacks had been recorded in both the capital Kyiv and throughout Ukraine.

Rome recalled non-essential staff from its embassy in Kyiv last year, as Moscow launched a special military operation in its neighbor. Italian authorities also urged citizens to avoid the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, as well as Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

The US is providing an additional $1.2 billion in military aid to Ukraine.

CNN, citing an unnamed US official, revealed that Washington is expected to announce a new $1.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine as early as today (May 9). This move comes at a crucial time for Kyiv's plans to counterattack Russian forces.

Ukrainian Aidar Battalion soldiers are unloading artillery shells at a location near the Bakhmut frontline. Photo: The Guardian

According to U.S. officials, the new aid package will include drones, artillery shells, anti-aircraft missiles, and other equipment. This aid package is part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), meaning Washington will contract to purchase weapons and ammunition from manufacturers instead of directly taking them from the U.S. Department of Defense's stockpiles to transfer to Kyiv.

Instead of sending Ukraine the weapons it is requesting, USAI's aid packages aim to create medium- and long-term supply sources for the Eastern European nation.