Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
A notice about the airspace closure was published on the U.S. Defense Department's NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) website on May 10, as cited by Ukrainian defense news outlet Militarnyi.
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.
Russian soldiers in an armoured vehicle parade during a Victory Day military parade rehearsal on the Red square in Moscow on May 3, 2011. (Dmitry Kostyukov /AFP via Getty Images)
Russia's garrison military courts issued 13,699 criminal convictions against service members in 2024, the highest figure since at least 2010, independent media outlet Verstka reported on April 15, citing official data from the Supreme Court's judicial department.
The surge in convictions in 2024 marks a 76% year-over-year increase, reflecting growing internal discipline issues within Russia's Armed Forces during the country's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In 2023, military courts issued 7,779 verdicts, while 2022 saw 4,191 convictions. Data provided by Verstka dated back to 2010, when the record stood at 8,632.
Among those convicted in 2024, 6,838 service members received custodial sentences — more than double the number imprisoned a year earlier.
The data also revealed a sharp rise in drug-related convictions, with 774 service members sentenced for drug trafficking, surpassing the previous high of 560 in 2015. Russian soldiers have previously told Verstka that 10-15% of personnel in many units regularly use drugs.
Desertion remains one of the most common offenses. Independent media outlet Mediazona calculated that in 2024, Russian courts issued an average of 34 verdicts daily in cases involving troops abandoning their units without permission.
In a landmark case, a Russian court sentenced Roman Ivanishin, a soldier from Sakhalin, to 15 years in a maximum-security prison for voluntarily surrendering to Ukrainian forces — the first known conviction for surrender during the war.
The growing number of convictions highlights the mounting strain on Russia's military ranks more than three years into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
