"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.
Participants attend 'Kyiv international cyber resilience forum 2024. Resilience at the Cyber War' in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 07, 2024. (Vladimir Shtanko/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Justice Ministry has faced "serious challenges" after the largest cyberattack in months targeted state registries, but a full restoration is expected within two weeks, First Deputy Justice Minister Mykola Kucheryavenko said on Dec. 22.
In comments to the Kyiv Independent, Kucheryavenko said that the precise date of the full restoration of the registries would be more clear in the coming days.
"The aggressor's actions were aimed at destabilizing the work of the state registries," Kucheryavenko said. "The goals of the attack were not achieved."
The cyberattack targeted several government services on Dec. 19, including state registers overseen by the Justice Ministry, Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna said. Officials say the cyberattack had been prepared for months. Ukraine launched a criminal investigation.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) suggested on Dec. 20 Russia's military intelligence agency (GRU) could be behind the cyberattack on Ukraine's government services.
The former Justice Minister, Denys Maliuska, told Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda that the majority of the information Russia stole was "already freely available," though closed a register were also affected.
"This is one of the most closed register where information is stored, in which there is no secret, it would seem — that someone was born or married," Maliuska told Ukrainska Pravda.
"But at the same time, there is a secret that is strictly protected by law — the secret of adoption," he added.
Kucheryavenko said that "preliminary estimates no information from the registries has been lost," adding that the ministry has backup copies of the data.
Behind the scenes of the fierce battles on the front line, both sides are fighting a cyberwarfare crucial to the war efforts.
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.
