"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.
The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly after Putin's arrival in Pyongyang, North Korea early on June 19, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov / POOL / AFP)
North Korea sent about 15,000 labor migrants to Russia to cover the labor market shortage in the country, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on May 5, citing South Korean intelligence.
The move represents an apparent violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions passed in the wake of North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests.
North Korea has been one of Russia's staunchest supporters since the start of the full-scale war. The economic and military cooperation has only deepened, and the two countries ratified a mutual defense treaty in November.
The lack of workers in Russia is due to heavy losses in the country's war against Ukraine, low birth rates, and the fleeing of citizens abroad, the WSJ reported, citing Western estimates.
By 2030, the country's labor shortage could reach 2.4 million people, compared to the current 1.5 million, according to the Russian Labor Ministry.
To compensate, Russia has begun to attract workers from the allied country, who are now mostly working in the Far East. In the meantime, the Russian authorities hope that North Korean workers will soon appear in large cities in other regions.
Russian employers value North Korean workers because they are willing to work 12 hours for low wages and do not complain about working conditions, according to the media.
Many North Korean workers came to Russia on student visas. In 2024, North Korean nationals crossed the Russian border 7,887 times, allegedly to study, the Russian independent outlet Mediazona reported on Feb. 4, citing the Border Services of the Russian Federal Security Service. This is the largest number since 2019.
The number of students from North Korea began to grow in the third quarter of 2024, according to Mediazona. Meanwhile, in April 2024, the Russian Education Ministry reported that nearly 130 students from North Korea were studying in the country at that time.
Apart from workers, North Korea sends its military and weapons to Russia. In 2024, 12,000 North Korean troops arrived in Russia to participate in the war against Ukraine, and in 2025, another 3,000 arrived, according to South Korean intelligence.
Around 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed while fighting alongside Russian forces, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun said on April 30, citing briefings from the country's National Intelligence Service.
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.
Katie Marie Davies
