"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.
A view of the crash site where an Azerbaijan Airlines plane with 67 people on board, traveling from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Russia's Chechen Republic crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, on Dec. 25, 2024. (Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A Russian surface-to-air missile caused the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines flight near Aktau, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijani government sources reportedly confirmed to Euronews on Dec. 26.
The plane, en route from Baku to Grozny, carried 67 passengers, including 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs, and three Kyrgyz citizens. Thirty-eight people have been confirmed dead.
The missile was fired from a Russian Pantsir-S air defense system, the Baku-based outlet AnewZ reported, citing official Azerbaijani government sources.
The missile allegedly targeted Flight 8432 during drone activity over Grozny on Dec. 25. According to Euronews sources, shrapnel from the explosion reportedly struck the passengers and cabin crew as the missile detonated mid-flight near the aircraft.
The reported use of air defense systems aligns with multiple media reports of drone attacks in Chechnya on the morning of Dec. 25. The aircraft attempted to land in Grozny, but Russian airports reportedly denied it permission for an emergency landing, forcing the pilots to divert toward Aktau in Kazakhstan.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
Footage analyzed by independent media outlets Meduza and Mediazona shows damage consistent with surface-to-air missile impacts, including holes in the fuselage and traces of a missile strike on the tail section.
Survivors recounted hearing an explosion before the failed landing attempts in Grozny. Upon trying to land in Aktau, the plane broke apart on impact and caught fire.
Rasim Musabekov, a member of Azerbaijan's parliament and foreign affairs committee member, told Azerbaijani news agency Turan that it was evident that the plane was "shot down over Russian territory, in the sky above Grozny. It is impossible to deny this."
"Those responsible for this must be held criminally accountable, and compensation must be paid for the deaths and injuries. If this doesn't happen, the relations will certainly shift to a different level," Musabekov added.
Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) initially attributed the crash to a collision with a flock of birds, causing the pilot to attempt an emergency landing.
The black box from the crash site has been recovered, and Azerbaijani media reported that its analysis will be critical in confirming the events leading up to the crash.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
