"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.
Photo for illustrative purposes: A display of Ukraine's new 'Peklo' (Hell) missile-drones in Kyiv on Dec. 6, 2024. (Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Ukraine has significantly ramped up weapons manufacturing over the past year and is using domestically produced ballistic and cruise missiles every month, the country’s Minister for Strategic Industries said.
At a briefing marking Ukraine’s Gunsmith Day, Strategic Industries Minister Herman Smetanin said the country increased cruise missile production eightfold in 2024 compared to the previous year. He highlighted the progress since 2022, when Ukraine was only able to manufacture a single type of cruise missile, the Neptune.
“Last year, we introduced many new models, allowing us to grow production eightfold compared to 2023,” Smetanin said.
Ukraine has also more than doubled its production of long-range drones in 2024 compared to the previous year, which is a 22-fold increase compared to 2022. In total, 324 new types of weapons were developed in Ukraine by the end of 2024.
Smetanin said Ukraine produced $9 billion worth of arms in 2024, and the defense industry is on track to nearly quadruple that amount by the end of 2025. “We already foresee growth this year,” he said. “By the end of 2025, we will have the capacity to produce $35 billion worth of military equipment domestically.”
President’s Advisor Oleksandr Kamyshin added that Ukraine can now supply its armed forces with nearly the full range of necessary military goods.
“Today, according to various estimates, 30% to 40% of what our troops use on the front lines is made in Ukraine,” Kamyshin said. “It’s not only about war — it’s about our economy. As of last year, defense manufacturing made up a significant share of our GDP. After our victory, I’m confident we’ll be exporting Ukrainian-made weapons to the world.”
Ukraine has been rapidly developing its domestic arms industry since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. In December 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country aims to produce 30,000 long-range drones and 3,000 missiles. As of November 2024, Ukrainehad produced its first 100 domestically made missiles.
Ukraine has also turned to local production to address battlefield shortages and reduce dependency on foreign supplies, including new domestic artillery contracts.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Tim Zadorozhnyy
