"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.
Photo for illustrative purposes: Ukrainian military drone operators of the 22nd Mechanized Brigade assemble a Poseidon reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle on their position in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine, on Aug. 11, 2024. (Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images) #forlilipalianytsia
The Ukrainian Air Force struck a plant in Kamensk-Shakhtynsky, Rostov Oblast, that produces solid propellant for ballistic missiles, Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications (Stratcom) reported on Dec. 26.
These missiles are reportedly used to attack civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, including hospitals, residential buildings, and power plants.
“This strike is part of a comprehensive campaign to weaken the capabilities of the Russian armed forces to carry out terrorist attacks against Ukrainian civilians,” Stratcom said.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
The attack is one of several recent strikes in Rostov Oblast. On Dec. 25, Ukrainian long-range drones targeted an ammunition depot at the Kadamovsky military training ground, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told The Kyiv Independent.
On Dec. 24, drones struck the military airbase in Millerovo, according to local acting governor Yury Slyusar.
Earlier, on Dec. 19, Ukraine’s Navy and the SBU carried out a combined strike on the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Rostov Oblast.
These operations are part of Ukraine’s broader efforts to disrupt Russia’s military supply chain and hinder its ability to conduct attacks on Ukrainian cities.
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.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
