"Our involvement in the war was justifiable, and this belongs to our sovereign rights," North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un said. "I regard this as part of the sacred mission we must execute for our brothers and comrades-in-arms."
"We have a plan B and a plan C. But our focus is plan A, the essence of which is to get everyone's support" for Ukraine's accession, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
"(T)he presence at the Victory Parade of a country that bombs cities, hospitals, and daycares, and which has caused the deaths and injuries of over a million people over three years, is a shame," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
"According to the participants of the performances, their goal is to remind the civilized world of the barbaric actions of Moscow, which for many years and decades has systematically violated international law," a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
"I have great hope that an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine will be reached this weekend," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 9, shortly before traveling to Kyiv alongside the leaders of France, Poland, and the U.K.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will arrive in Kyiv early on May 10.
The United States embassy in Kyiv on May 9 issued a warning that Russia could launch "a potentially significant" attack in the coming days, despite Putin's self-declared Victory Day "truce."
The sanctioned oil tankers have transported over $24 billion in cargo since 2024, according to Downing Street. The U.K. has now sanctioned more shadow fleet vessels than any other country.
Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
Russian forces attacked Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast on Feb. 25, 2025. (Ukraine's National Police / Telegram)
Russian airstrikes on Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast killed at least five civilians and injured 11 others on Feb. 26, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.
According to Ukraine's National Police, a 47-year-old woman and four men — aged 56, 57, and 75, with one more yet to be identified — were killed.
The injured include five women and six men, ranging from 33 to 83 years old.
Filashkin said Russian forces dropped three guided bombs on the city and its outskirts. The attack damaged or destroyed at least 52 civilian sites, including more than 20 residential buildings.
Kostiantynivka, located about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of the front-line city of Chasiv Yar, had a prewar population of around 67,000.
Russian forces have regularly targeted settlements in Donetsk Oblast with artillery and airstrikes, often resulting in civilian casualties.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Kateryna Hodunova
