"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.
Illustrative image: People forcibly drafted as part of Russia's ongoing mobilization, attend in Russian-occupied Sevastopol, Crimea, on Sept. 27, 2022. (Getty Images)
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, law enforcement agencies have uncovered over 570 criminal networks that help individuals evade military service by aiding them in fleeing abroad, State Border Guard spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said during a telecast on Sept. 2.
Under martial law, Ukrainian men between the ages of 18–60, with some exceptions, are not allowed to leave the country as they could be called up for military service.
Criminal entities who assist those escaping military service reportedly charge between $7,000 to $10,000 to provide fake certificates declaring individuals unfit for military service due to fabricated health conditions.
Law enforcement officials have begun to crackdown on the criminal networks helping individuals evade military service. In total, Demchenko said that over 200 criminal networks have been uncovered thus far in 2024.
Earlier this year, Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, voted in favor of a draft law that increases the fines given to those who evade mobilization, although the country does not have plans to forcibly bring back military-aged men who are in the EU.
A November 2023 report by the BBC indicates that at least 20,000 Ukrainian men have illegally crossed the border and escaped mobilization - although the total is now likey significantly higher.
Many men end up crossing the border illegally with the help of smugglers, who demand vast sums only to leave the men to cross a river or mountain alone, Demchenko said in April.
Some of those attempting to escape have died attempting to cross Ukraine's mountainous western border to evade mobilization.
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.
Kateryna Hodunova
