"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.
A North Korean soldier sent to fight alongside Russia against Ukraine takes part in a training exercise in Russia. Footage released on April 28, 2025. (Screenshot from a video released by the Russian state news agency TASS)
The Russian state news agency TASS published a video on April 28 that purports to show North Korean troops who fought alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast training in Russia.
This is the first official footage released after North Korea and Russia acknowledged for the first time that North Korean troops were deployed to fight against Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
In the video, North Korean soldiers appear to be conducting combat training exercises, dressed in Russian military gear and armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers (RPGs). TASS did not specify the exact location or date of the footage.
At one point, a Russian instructor is seen demonstrating how to deploy a hand grenade. The footage concludes with the North Korean troops marching in formation while singing what appears to be a military song.
A group of North Korean soldiers, dressed in Russian military gear and equipped with rifles, are gathered around a Russian instructor in a field. Footage released on April 28, 2025. (Screenshot from a video released by the Russian state news agency TASS)
North Korean troops, wearing full Russian military uniforms and carrying rifles, are shown marching at night. Footage released on April 28, 2025. (Screenshot from a video released by the Russian state news agency TASS)
Russia has deployed North Korean troops to help regain control of territories captured by Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast during a surprise cross-border offensive launched in August 2024 — the first large-scale incursion into Russian territory by foreign forces since World War II.
The Ukrainian campaign aimed to disrupt a planned Russian offensive against Sumy Oblast and to divert Russian forces from the embattled Donetsk Oblast.
Following a Russian counterattack this spring, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced on April 26 that Russian forces had fully regained control of the area. Ukraine has refuted the statement, saying that fighting in the region is ongoing.
Ukrainian officials estimate that North Korea has initially deployed around 11,000 troops to Russia, as well as 3,000 reinforcements to replace battlefield losses. Although North Korean units initially suffered heavy casualties and struggled with outdated equipment, they have reportedly adapted to the combat conditions.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Olena Goncharova
