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.
A group of North Korean soldiers, dressed in Russian military gear and equipped with rifles, are gathered around a Russian instructor in a field. Footage released on April 28, 2025. (Screenshot from a video released by the Russian state news agency TASS)
Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed while fighting alongside Russian forces, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun said on April 30, citing briefings from the country's National Intelligence Service, Reuters reported.
Lee, a member of South Korea's parliamentary intelligence committee, said North Korea has suffered about 4,700 casualties in total, including both dead and wounded.
Despite early losses and poor equipment, North Korean troops have improved their combat effectiveness over six months by adopting to modern weapons, in particular drones.
"After six months of participation in the war, the North Korean military has become less inept, and its combat capability has significantly improved as it becomes accustomed to using new weapons such as drones," Lee told reporters.
Russia's Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, on April 26 publicly acknowledged that North Korean soldiers have fought in Kursk Oblast to help Russia retake territory seized by Ukraine during a cross-border offensive launched in August 2024. Pyongyang followed suit shortly after.
The campaign aimed to disrupt Russian preparations for an assault on Sumy Oblast and divert Kremlin forces from the front lines in Donetsk Oblast.
Kyiv and Seoul have previously estimated that around 11,000 North Korean troops were initially deployed to the region, though Moscow had not officially confirmed their presence until now.
In exchange for troops and arms deliveries to Moscow, Pyongyang appears to have received Russian technical assistance on spy satellites, as well as drones and anti-air missiles, according to the South Korean intelligence assessment.
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously said North Korean units fighting for Russia had suffered around 4,000 casualties, with roughly two-thirds killed.
On April 28, the Russian state news agency TASS released footage allegedly showing North Korean soldiers training alongside Russian troops in Kursk Oblast.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on April 29 that North Korea shares responsibility for the ongoing bloodshed in Ukraine due to its support for Russia's war effort.
"North Korea's military deployment to Russia and any support provided by the Russian Federation to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in return must end," Bruce said.
"Russia's training of North Korean soldiers directly violates Security Council Resolutions 1718, 1874, and 2270, which collectively impose a broad prohibition on providing or receiving military training or assistance to or from the DPRK."
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.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
