"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.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with Roscosmos head Yury Borisov at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, on November 15, 2024. (VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV / Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed Yury Borisov as CEO of the state space corporation Roscosmos, the Kremlin's official website announced on Feb. 6.
Borisov's removal allegedly stems from uncertainty over the costs and implementation of the National Space Center project in Moscow, according to Russian media outlet RBC.
Borisov was appointed as Roscosmos chief in July 2022, succeeding Dmitry Rogozin. His tenure saw a decline in launches, with 19 in 2023 — three fewer than in 2022. Launches fell by 25% from pre-war 2021 and nearly halved compared to the early 2000s.
Before leading Roscosmos, Borisov played a key role in Russia's military-industrial sector, overseeing the state rearmament program since 2011.
As deputy chairman of the Military Industrial Commission, then-deputy defense minister, and later deputy prime minister, he was responsible for funneling 2 trillion rubles ($20.5 billion) annually into the defense industry.
Under his leadership, Russia had pledged to produce divisions of new Armata tanks, a next-generation strategic bomber, 600 aircraft, and thousands of helicopters by 2020, while increasing the share of modern weapons in the military to 70%.
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 exposed shortcomings in Russia's defense industry, with its forces relying heavily on aging Soviet-era equipment.
Borisov also admitted that Roscosmos had failed to meet its 2023 state launch plan, adding to concerns over Russia's declining space capabilities amid economic strain and Western sanctions.
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
