Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea of a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, claiming in an interview with ABC News on May 10 that it would be "an advantage" for Ukraine.
"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.
The Reni-Giurgiulesti international automobile checkpoint on the Ukraine-Moldova border. (Liashonok/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
The State Border Guard has recorded a decrease in attempts to illegally cross Ukraine's border since July 2024, spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said on Feb. 10.
"If we compare January with July last year, we see a 45% decrease," Demchenko said.
Speaking on national TV, the spokesperson said that despite this trend, attempts to illegally cross the border occur every day.
Men of the conscription age are prohibited from leaving the country during martial law, save for several exceptions. Many attempt to reach neighboring countries in spite of that, hoping to avoid mobilization.
Most such cases occurred outside the checkpoints on the border with Romania and Moldova, and fewer cases are recorded on the border with Slovakia and Hungary. The lowest number of attempts to illegally cross the border outside of checkpoints was recorded on the border with Poland, according to the spokesperson.
There have been multiple reports of men attempting to illegally flee Ukraine by swimming the Tysa River, which flows along the border with Hungary, Romania, and Moldova.
"Attempts to illegally cross the border through checkpoints continue. Most of these cases occur on the border with Poland, because it has the highest passenger traffic," Demchenko added.
People turn to criminal groups to plan a route for escape, offering them money, the spokesperson said.
More than 760 such groups have been uncovered since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war, including around 40 in January 2025, Demchenko said.
Some countries, like Lithuania or Poland, voiced support for helping Ukraine bring back its military-aged men living abroad but rejected the possibility of forcibly deporting them.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Martin Fornusek
