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.
Illustrative purposes only: People flash the heart sign as they take the train east to Dnipro on April 05, 2022, in Lviv, Ukraine. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Ukraine expects 400,000 more people will leave the country in 2024 and 300,000 in 2025, according to the National Bank of Ukraine's (NBU) inflation report published on Aug. 1.
The NBU estimates the number of new emigrants from Ukraine will increase compared to its previous predictions in the April report.
Over 6 million Ukrainians remain abroad after they fled the country as a result of Russia's full-scale war, deepening the country's economic and demographic challenges.
According to the NBU's report, the main reason behind the predicted emigration surge is the difficult energy situation and associated insecurities about the upcoming winter, as well as the slow stabilization of economic processes due to safety risks.
According to the NBU's data, 200,000 people left Ukraine in 2023.
The NBU also said that Ukrainian refugees are likely to start returning to Ukraine in 2026.
The report's authors admit that it will be a slow process, expecting 400,000 returning citizens in 2026. The reasons for the limited numbers are difficult living conditions in Ukraine, primarily due to the power shortages, and the successful adaptation of Ukrainians abroad.
Deteriorating demographics have been a long-standing problem for Ukraine, going decades before the full-scale invasion.
The country's population went from its peak of over 50 million in the early 1990s to over 37 million by January 2024. According to one of the U.N.'s projections, the population could drop to 15.3 million by 2100.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Kate Tsurkan
