"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.
Evidence collection efforts at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Dec. 27, 2024 (Meiramgul Kussainova/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The EU's aviation safety watchdog on Jan. 9 issued a new alert advising non-European airlines to avoid flying over western Russia following the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane last month.
The crash, which killed 38 people, is believed to have been caused by Russian air defenses firing at Ukrainian drones.
"The ongoing conflict following the Russian invasion of Ukraine poses the risk of civil aircraft being unintentionally targeted in the airspace of the Russian Federation due to possible civil-military coordination deficiencies, and the potential for misidentification," the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said.
"EASA recommends not to operate within the affected airspace of the Russian Federation located west of longitude 60° East at all altitudes and flight levels."
Russian airspace is already closed to EU airlines. The alert applies to third-country operators authorised by EASA.
The Azerbaijan Airlines plane, en route from Baku to Grozny, Chechnya, changed course and crashed in Kazakhstan on Dec. 25.
Multiple reports and official Azerbaijani statements attributed the disaster to a missile launched by a Russian Pantsir-S air defense system.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has maintained close ties with Azerbaijan, offered condolences during a Dec. 28 phone call but stopped short of admitting Russian responsibility.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev criticized Russia’s handling of the incident, accusing its agencies of suppressing evidence and promoting "absurd versions" of events.
Aliyev also blamed Russia for failing to close its airspace near Grozny and highlighted poor coordination between its military and civil aviation services as factors contributing to the tragedy.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Francis Farrell
