"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.
Illustrative purposes only: Russian military personnel site inside a Sukhoi Su-34 aircraft before taking to Ukraine on March 8, 2024. (Russian Defense Ministry/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Editor's note: The article was updated with new information from the source that Su-27, not Su-24 aircraft, were based at the Morozovsk airbase.
An overnight attack against the Russian Morozovsk airbase on April 5 was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in cooperation with Ukraine's military, sources familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent.
At least six military aircraft were destroyed, and another eight were damaged, according to the source. Furthermore, about 20 Russian soldiers were reportedly killed or wounded.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the information.
"This is an important special operation that will significantly reduce the combat potential of the (Russian forces)," the source commented.
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Earlier on April 5, Russia reported a massive Ukrainian drone attack against several Russian regions, claiming to down 53 drones.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that the majority of the drones – 44 – were shot down over Rostov Oblast, where the Morozovsk airbase is located. Earlier, claims appeared on Telegram channels that explosions were heard near the airbase.
Six more drones were allegedly downed in Krasnodar Krai, and one each in Kursk, Saratov, and Belgorod oblasts, the Russian Defense Ministry alleged.
Telegram channels reported explosions also near the Engels and Yeysk airbases, which are located in the Saratov and Krasnodar regions, respectively, but this information was not confirmed by Russian officials or the Kyiv Independent's sources.
In March, Ukrainian media reported that Ukrainian drones attacked the Engels base, claiming that "targets were hit" without clarifying which ones. Citing satellite images, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Schemes project said that there were 11 Russian military aircraft at the Engels airbase at the time of the attack, including six Tu-95 and three Tu-160 bombers.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Abbey Fenbert
