"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.
Photo for illustrative purpose. Tupolev Tu-22M3R bomber landing at Kubinka air force base in Moscow Oblast, Russia, on May 18, 2015. (Artyom Anikeev / Getty Images)
A Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bomber crashed in Irkutsk Oblast on April 2, killing the pilot and forcing four crew members to eject, the Russian Defense Ministry said, according to the state news agency TASS.
The aircraft was reportedly conducting a scheduled flight when it went down in a deserted area. "The search and rescue team that arrived on the scene is evacuating the crew members to the base airfield," the statement reads.
Irkutsk Oblast Governor Igor Kobzev attributed the crash to a technical malfunction and said no local residents were injured.
The Telegram channel Mash reported that the plane struck a power line, causing electricity outages in two nearby villages.
The Tu-22M3, a supersonic bomber developed by the Soviet Union, remains a key component of Russia's Air Force and has been used in strikes against Ukraine.
The aircraft played a role in Russia's heavy bombardment of Mariupol in 2022, dropping unguided bombs on the besieged city.
This is the latest in a string of Russian military aircraft crashes. On March 24, a Su-25 attack aircraft went down during a training flight in Primorsky Krai in Russia's Far East, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
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
