Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea of a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, claiming in an interview with ABC News on May 10 that it would be "an advantage" for Ukraine.
"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.
The US Flag flies above a sign marking the US Department of Justice (DOJ) headquarters building on Jan. 20, 2024, in Washington, DC. (J. David Ake/Getty Images)
The U.S. Justice Department is shutting down a program that sanctioned Kremlin-linked oligarchs, launched in 2022, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Feb. 5.
In Bondi’s memo, she stated that the program known as “Task Force KleptoCapture” will be discontinued, as the priority of the Trump administration is combatting drug cartels and international gangs.
Initiated under former U.S. President Joe Biden, the program aimed to financially pressure wealthy allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and penalize those involved in sanctions evasion.
While ongoing cases against Russian oligarchs will continue, the task force will no longer be centrally managed at the Justice Department.
The changes will take effect for at least 90 days, with the possibility of becoming permanent.
The task force previously seized assets from individuals such as Tsargrad TV channel owner Konstantin Malofeyev and Dagestani senator and billionaire Suleyman Kerimov.
A civil forfeiture complaint against Malofeyev was first filed in the U.S. on Nov. 30, 2022, and prosecutors threatened to seize $5.4 million.
Similarly, in April 2022 the U.S. seized Kerimov's $300 million superyacht and sanctioned his family and associates later that year.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Abbey Fenbert
