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.
In this archival photo, gay rights activists hold rainbow flags during their protest in central Moscow on May 31, 2014. (Dmitry Serebryakov / AFP via Getty Images)
Russian police conducted raids on several bars and nightclubs across Moscow on Nov. 30, intensifying the government’s ongoing crackdown on what it calls "LGBTQ+ propaganda," according to Russian state media.
Officers reportedly seized smartphones, laptops, and video cameras while inspecting clubgoers' documents. Tass, Russia’s state news agency, cited law enforcement sources in its coverage of the events.
The raids coincide with the one-year anniversary of Russia’s Supreme Court decision to classify the "LGBTQ+ movement" as an "extremist organization." The ruling followed a years-long effort to suppress LGBTQ+ rights in the country, with President Vladimir Putin frequently emphasizing "traditional family values" as a key aspect of his administration during his 25 years in power.
Videos circulating on social media showed a heavy police presence at Moscow’s Arma nightclub. In one clip, officers appeared to order partygoers to lie on the floor while the venue was searched. Another venue, Mono bar, was also reportedly targeted in the raids.
Authorities also detained the head of the "Men Travel" tour agency under Russia’s anti-LGBT laws. Tass reported that the 48-year-old is suspected of planning a trip for "supporters of nontraditional sexual values" to Egypt during Russia’s New Year’s holidays.
The raids reflect the broader fears expressed by activists who warned about the potential consequences of labeling the LGBTQ+ movement as "extremist" despite it not being a formal organization.
Other recent legislative measures, including the Nov. 23 law banning the adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender transitioning is legan, show the Kremlin’s push to enforce "traditional values." The law targets over a dozen countries, including several in Europe, as well as Australia, Argentina, and Canada.
Putin also signed a law prohibiting the dissemination of informational material encouraging people not to have children.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Katie Marie Davies
