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.
Ukrainian flags wave in a residential area heavily damaged in the village of Dolyna in Donetsk Oblast after Russian troops withdrew from the village on Sept. 24, 2022. (Metin Aktas / Getty Images)
The Ukrainian documentary Militantropos has been selected for the "Directors' Fortnight" program at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, festival organizers announced on April 15.
Created as a co-production between Ukraine, Austria, and France, the film is part of a planned triptych alongside Palingenesion and Cosmomorphosis, each exploring how Russia’s war in Ukraine has transformed people, environments, and global perspectives.
Militantropos will have its world premiere at the festival, and it is currently the only full-length Ukrainian film represented in Cannes this year.
The project, which began development in 2022, has received international support, including a 25,000 euro ($28,000) grant from the IDFA documentary film festival.
The title Militantropos, coined by the film's directors, is a neologism formed from Latin and Greek roots—milit meaning "warrior" and anthropos meaning "human"—and refers to a person reshaped by war, whose survival relies on constant adaptation. The film was directed collaboratively by Yelizaveta Smith, Alina Gorlova & Simon Mozgovyi.
In 2022, the Cannes jury granted their “Special Award” to Mariupolis 2, directed by Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravicius, who was captured and killed by Russian forces on April 3 while documenting atrocities in Mariupol.
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.
Sonya Bandouil
