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 inscription Aeroflot seen on an aircraft model presented by Russian Airlines at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2024 on June 5, 2024. (Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
About 30 Russian airlines, accounting for 26% of domestic passenger traffic, may go bankrupt in 2025, Russia's Izvestia newspaper reported on Nov. 13.
Russian airlines fear a deterioration in their financial condition and the revocation of their operator's certificates due to accumulated debts for leasing foreign aircraft, the media reported.
In 2025, the government allowed the companies to write off their debts, but these amounts will be subject to a 25% income tax. This financial burden may force them to close their operations, according to Izvestia.
Almost the entire fleet of Russian carriers was registered in Bermuda, Ireland, as well as other European countries, with monthly payments for a used Airbus A320s running up to around $80-150,000.
Only major airlines, including Aeroflot, Ural Airlines, and S7 Airlines, were able to buy back leased aircraft with funds from the National Welfare Fund. In the first quarter of 2024, 165 out of 400 were repurchased.
Since the written-off accounts payable are classified as "non-operating income" and the "saved" money is recognized as profit and taxed, this causes dissatisfaction among market participants, the media reported.
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Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
