"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.
Nataliia Nikolaychyk of Team Ukraine (L) and Shizuka Hangai of Team Japan (R) compete during the Para Judo Women's -48kg J1 Final on day eight of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at Champs-de-Mars Arena on Sept. 5, 2024 in Paris, France. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Ukrainian athletes won nine medals on Sept. 5, the eighth day of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
Ukraine's current medal count is 61, with 15 gold, 20 silver, and 26 bronze medals. The team ranks seventh in the overall medal standings.
The Paralympic team won two gold medals on day 8. Mariia Pomazan secured the gold in the F35 class shot put competition, and Nataliia Nikolaichuk took gold in judo.
Sprinter Oksana Boturchuk won a silver medal in the women's 100-meter final.
The Ukrainian national team also won a silver medal in goalball, a team sport created specifically for athletes with vision impairment. The second-place finish marks Ukraine's first medal in the event.
Ukraine took home five bronze medals on day 8 of the Games, with Anzhela Havrysiuk and Davyd Khorava both winning bronze in judo.
Pavlo Bal won a bronze medal in biking, and swimmer Danylo Chufarov took bronze in the 100-meter breaststroke, SB11 class.
Team Ukraine also won bronze in the 4x50 medley relay.
The 2024 Paralympics run from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8 in Paris.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Abbey Fenbert
