"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.
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.
Vladimir Putin during a meeting with workers at the Obukhov State Plant in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Jan. 18, 2023. (Contributor/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he constantly considers potential successors and confirmed he has a list of candidates, according to a segment of a new pro-Putin regime documentary produced in Russia titled "Russia. Kremlin. Putin. 25 Years" released on May 4.
Putin, 72, has ruled Russia for over 25 years, first becoming president in 2000 after serving as prime minister and briefly heading Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
In an interview with pro-Russian state journalist Pavel Zarubin for the documentary, Putin confirmed he assesses the potential of each possible successor. "Yes, I do," he replied when asked directly.
The Russian president stressed that any successor must earn "the trust of the people," warning that without it, a future president would have "no chance to do anything seriously."
He added, "There should be a person — and preferably several, so that people have a choice — who could achieve this trust from the citizens of the country."
Putin himself was chosen as former President Boris Yeltsin's successor in 1999. By 2025, Putin's regime is widely characterized as authoritarian with growing totalitarian features.
Power remains centralized around the Russian president, propped up by state-controlled media, a loyal judiciary, and security forces that suppress dissent and political opposition.
Although Russia's Constitution prohibits holding the presidency for more than two consecutive terms, Putin sidestepped the restriction in 2008 by becoming prime minister while his close ally Dmitry Medvedev served as president for one term.
In 2012, Putin extended the presidential term from four to six years. Later, constitutional amendments passed in 2020 "nullified" his previous terms, enabling him to run again in 2024 and potentially stay in power until 2036.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Kateryna Denisova
