"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.
The aftermath of Russia’s overnight attack on Odesa Oblast on March 7, 2025. (Odesa Oblast Prosecutor’s Office / Telegram)
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least two people and injured 24 others over the past day, regional officials reported on March 7.
Ukraine's Air Force said it shot down 100 out of 194 drones launched overnight, including Shahed-type attack drones, as well as 34 missiles out of 67.
According to the Air Force, 86 drones disappeared from radars before reaching their targets, indicating they were likely decoys meant to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses.
Ukraine's anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare systems, and mobile fire groups repelled the attack. Fighter jets, including F-16s and French Mirage 2000s, were also deployed.
Russia carried out a mass missile and drone attack overnight, targeting infrastructure facilities in the Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts, according to officials.
A Russian ballistic missile attack on Kharkiv injured eight people and damaged more than 30 houses, officialsreported. Two of the injured were hospitalized.
In Donetsk Oblast, 12 civilians were wounded, including six in Sloviansk, two in Kramatorsk and Bahatyr each, and one in Myrnohrad and Kostiantynivka, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian airstrikes killed two people and wounded one, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
In Poltava Oblast, debris from a downed aerial target struck a house, injuring two people, including a child, Governor Filip Pronin said.
A 66-year-old man was wounded in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where 19 houses and apartments were damaged, Governor Ivan Fedorov reported.
Russia also carried out a large drone attack on Odesa Oblast, with officials still assessing potential casualties, Governor Oleh Kiper said.
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.
Dmytro Basmat
