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.
A portrait of Alexei Navalny at a memorial in Paris on Feb. 16, 2024, after the announcement that the Kremlin's most prominent critic had died in an Arctic prison. (Ian Langsdon/AFP via Getty Images)
Yuliya Navalnaya, widow of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and Western leaders decried repression in Russia on Feb. 16, the anniversary of Navalny's death.
Navalny, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was arrested on politically motivated charges in January 2021. He was convicted and later died in an Arctic penal colony in February 2024.
Western countries, including Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, issued a joint statementon the anniversary of Navalny's death.
"We reiterate that the ultimate responsibility for his death lies with the Russian authorities. One year on, Russia's dire human rights record continues to deteriorate ... All to serve its own interests," the statement read.
The statement condemned Russia for holding over 800 political prisoners who are tortured and forced into psychiatric detention.
"The Kremlin crushes peaceful dissent, maintains a climate of fear, and undermines the rule of law," it said.
The countries also claimed that Russia uses the threat of imprisonment to quash opposition to the full-scale war against Ukraine.
"Many (are) imprisoned for speaking out against the Kremlin's illegal invasion of Ukraine and the brutality shown towards the Ukrainian people," the statement said.
The anniversary of Navalny's death falls during the Munich Security Conference, where European and U.S. officials convened to discuss the status of the war as it approaches its third year.
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas issued her own statement regarding Navalny on Feb. 16.
"Navalny gave his life for a free and democratic Russia. Today, his lawyers are unjustly imprisoned along with hundreds of political prisoners," she said.
"Russia is increasingly waging an illegal war of aggression against Ukraine while continuing its domestic repression, persecuting those who advocate for democracy ... The EU calls on Russia to stop its brutal repression of civil society, media, and opposition figures."
Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, also posted a video commemorating her late husband one year after his death.
"To whom he opened their eyes to the truth of Putin's regime, it is important to continue supporting (Navalny)," she said.
Since her husband's death, Navalnaya has emerged as a key Russian opposition figure. She spoke at the Munich Security Conference at a panel alongside Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, warning against attempts to negotiate with Putin.
"Even if you decided to negotiate with Putin, just remember he will lie," she said on Feb. 14.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.
Abbey Fenbert
