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.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with workers at a plant, which is part of Russian missile manufacturer Almaz-Antey, in Saint Petersburg on Jan. 18, 2023. (Ilya Pitalev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 22 threatened Ukraine with "more destruction" after drones struck several buildings in the Russian city of Kazan the previous day.
Drones hit residential buildings in Kazan, located in Russia's Tatarstan region, the morning of Dec. 21. The strike shattered windows in a high-rise apartment complex, but there were no reported casualties.
Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the attack.
"Whoever, and however much they try to destroy, they will face many times more destruction themselves and will regret what they are trying to do in our country," Putin said in a video address to the local leader of Tatarstan on Dec. 22.
The comment comes a few days after Putin on Dec. 19 threatened to launch Russia's Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) at Kyiv to test Western air defenses.
Previously, Putin claimed Russia planned to target "decision-making centers" in Kyiv with Oreshnik missiles.
The drone attack on Kazan, which lies about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the Ukrainian border, prompted school evacuations and temporary suspension of flights at nearby airports.
Officials in Tatarstan reported that of the eight drones that attacked Kazan, six struck luxury apartment buildings, one hit an industrial facility, and one was shot down.
Kyiv has targeted military and industrial facilities in Russia with drone strikes in an attempt to reduce Moscow's capacity to launch long-range weapons and finance its full-scale war against Ukraine.
Russian aerial attacks against Ukrainian cities escalated sharply in the fall of 2024. Drone strikes surged to record levels in October and November, and Russia dropped at least 100 guided bombs per daynearly every day between Nov. 1-20.
Civilian casualties from Russian missiles and aerial bombs increased significantly in 2024 compared to the previous year, the U.N. reported.
A Russian guided aerial bomb struck an oncology center in Kherson overnight on Dec. 21. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack "a heinous act of cruelty."
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
