"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.
Supporters of Malian military junta wave Russian flags in Bamako, Mali, on May 13, 2022. Photo for illustrative purposes. Ousmane Makaveli/AFP via Getty Images)
Telegram accounts affiliated with the Wagner Group confirmed on July 29 the deaths of some of its soldiers in a battle in Mali, including one of the local commanders.
According to the Telegram message, Wagner troops and their Malian army comrades fought off the initial assault by Tuareg rebels, but a sandstorm allowed to the rebels to regroup and lay an ambush, resulting in heavy losses for the coalition of Russian mercenaries and Malian government soldiers.
Russian Telegram channels also reported on that Nikita Fedyanin, the administrator of the Grey Zone, a major Telegram channel covering Wagner actions in Ukraine and Africa, was among those killed.
The channels, including those linked to the Wagner Group, published photos and videos allegedly showing the bodies of killed mercenaries and destroyed equipment.
An Mi-24 attack helicopter was among the pieces of equipment reportedly destroyed.
If the casualty estimates are true, it would be the biggest loss of Russian mercenaries abroad since the 2018 Battle of Khasham in Syria, excluding fighting in Ukraine. In the battle, Wagner soldiers and other mercenaries supporting Syrian government forces engaged the U.S. military and Syrian rebels and reportedly suffered heavy losses.
Wagner mercenaries fought in Ukraine and launched a brief rebellion against the Kremlin in June 2023, marching on Moscow before abruptly ending their mutiny. After the failed rebellion, some Wagner members signed contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry, and others went to fight in Africa.
Nate Ostiller
