Day 440 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

The parade has started in Moscow, Putin is on Red Square

Russia began Victory Day with an attack on Kyiv

Von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv for talks with Zelensky

Ukraine's air defenses are getting better: Shot down 23 out of 25 Russian cruise missiles

Britain could supply Ukraine with long-range missiles

Zelensky: Russia will be defeated as was the case with Nazi Germany

The parade has started in Moscow, Putin is on Red Square

Russian President Vladimir Putin stands on the podium among World War II veterans at the May 9 parade, which began a few minutes ago.

The presidents of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, and Kazakhstan, Kassym Jomart Tokayev, are also on Red Square.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu welcomed the soldiers.

President Vladimir Putin opened Russia's Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square. In his speech, Putin said the West had forgotten the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

"A real war has again unfolded against our homeland. But we have resisted international terrorism, we will protect the residents of Donbas, we will guarantee our security. There are no hostile nations for Russia, neither in the west nor in the east. As most of the people of the planet, we want to see a future of peace, freedom and stability."

Thousands of servicemen from the Russian army in ceremonial uniform marched to the accompaniment of a military brass band. Celebrations of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany have been overshadowed by the military setbacks in Ukraine. Some of the day's events were canceled due to security concerns.

Russia began Victory Day with an attack on Kyiv

Russia fired about 15 cruise missiles at Ukraine's capital on Tuesday, the second attack in recent days, with air defense systems shooting down all of them, officials said, after air raid warnings sounded over much of the country.

Around four o'clock in the morning Bulgarian time, an air alert was announced for Kyiv and for almost two-thirds of the territory of Ukraine, reports Reuters.

"As at the front, the aggressor's plans have failed," Sergey Popko, head of Kyiv's city military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Tuesday's attacks - the fifth in May - came a day after Russia launched its largest ever group of drones in a renewed air campaign that began 10 days ago after a lull since early March.

The strike coincides with Victory Day, May 9, one of Russia's most celebrated holidays, marking the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. A military parade was held in Moscow, with Russian President Vladimir Putin giving a speech

"(They're) trying to kill as many civilians as possible -- on that day," Popko said.

According to preliminary information, no one was injured in the attack, carried out with cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea region.

Debris fell on a house in the Kholosivskyi district in southwest Kyiv, Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said on his Telegram message channel, adding that there were no casualties or major damage.

Debris was found on the roadway in the Shevchenkivsky district of central Kyiv, which is often targeted.

"Kyiv stood up again and will stand up in the future!" Popko wrote, quoted by Reuters.

Von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv for talks with Zelensky

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said early Tuesday that she had already arrived in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Good to be back in Kyiv. Where the values we hold dear are defended everyday. So it is such a fitting place to celebrate the day of Europe. I welcome President Zelensky’s decision to make 9 May Europe Day also here in Ukraine”, she wrote.

The EU's support for Ukraine, as well as the country's progress on its path to the Union, will be discussed during the visit.

Ukraine's air defenses are getting better: Shot down 23 out of 25 Russian cruise missiles

Russia is shelling the territory of Ukraine with cruise missiles. They were launched in two waves from sea and air.

This was announced by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi on his Telegram channel.

Around 22:00 on May 8, the Russians fired 8 Kalibr cruise missiles from aircraft carriers into the Black Sea. They were aimed at the eastern regions of the country. All 8 missiles were destroyed by the air defense forces and the means of the Eastern Air Command.

The second wave of shelling began at 04:00 a.m. on 9 May. Then the Russians launched 17 X-101/X-555 air-based cruise missiles from strategic aviation aircraft - four Tu-95MS (Caspian Sea region).

Air defense forces and assets of the Center Command destroyed 14 cruise missiles, and one was shot down in the area of responsibility of the South Command. A total of 15 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles were destroyed.

In total, the Russian occupiers fired 25 Kalibr and X-101/X-555 cruise missiles in two waves of shelling of Ukraine. Of these, 23 were destroyed by the air defense of the Air Force of the VSU.

Britain could supply Ukraine with long-range missiles

The United Kingdom is considering supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine, according to The Washington Post.

The American publication reports that the British Ministry of Defense has asked the International Fund for Support of Ukraine to show interest in supplying Kyiv with shock weapons capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 300 kilometers. However, a British official quoted by the publication said that no final decision had been taken on the delivery and that the delivery schedule, type and number of weapons had not yet been agreed.

The fund consists of the United Kingdom, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden and aims to provide priority military aid to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press cited a US defense official as saying the Pentagon will announce Tuesday that it is awarding .2 billion to contractors under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative to provide additional air defense systems, combat technologies with drones, commercial satellite imagery and 155 mm artillery.

Zelensky: Russia will be defeated as was the case with Nazi Germany

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia will be defeated just like Nazi Germany, DPA reported. He made a statement on the occasion of the 78th anniversary of Germany's surrender in World War II.

"And all the old evil that is bringing modern Russia back will be crushed just as Nazism was crushed," Zelensky said in a speech.

"We still don't know the date of our victory, but we know that it will be a celebration for all of Ukraine, for all of Europe, for all of the free world," he said.

He introduced a bill in parliament that would make it official to move the commemoration of the German surrender to May 8.

This would move Ukraine away from the Soviet tradition of marking victory over Nazi forces on May 9. On May 8, the allied countries of the anti-Hitler coalition celebrate the day.

Germany's army surrendered to the Soviet Union, the United States, Great Britain and France on May 8, 1945 - but since the documents were signed on May 9 in Moscow time, Victory Day is traditionally celebrated on that day in Russia and many other post-Soviet countries.

In the future, Ukraine should commemorate the victims of the Second World War together with the "free world", Zelensky said.

He also paid tribute to the 8 million Ukrainians who died between 1939 and 1945.

Zelensky signed a decree according to which May 9 will be celebrated as Europe Day in Ukraine, as it is in the European Union.