Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea of a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, claiming in an interview with ABC News on May 10 that it would be "an advantage" for Ukraine.
"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.
Illustrative image: Russian POWs are seen living in a prisoner of war detention camp lining up for a meal in the cafeteria in the Lviv region, Ukraine, on Aug. 3, 2023. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Five people have been killed and a further seven injured in a fire at a detention center in the city of Yakutsk, which houses Russian soldiers who deserted their units during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials reported.
The fire broke out around 2 a.m. local time on Dec. 20, Sakha Republic military authorities said.
At least seven people have been hospitalized having suffered smoke inhalation. The identities of those killed is still being established, authorities said.
No information was immediately available as to the cause of the fire, or the extent of the damage caused.
The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify details surrounding the incident.
Desertion rates during Russia's full-scale invasion remain relatively high amid Russia's mounting casualty rates. Although up-to-date statistics on desertion are not readily available, the Russian independent media outlet Mediazona reported in April 2024 that Russian courts had received over 8,200 cases related to mobilization since the start of the war.
Yakutsk is located in Russia's far-east, and is located about 450 km south of the arctic circle. Given the region's harsh weather conditions, Yakutsk and its surrounding region served as a key location for housing political prisoners during the rule of Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
