"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.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on April 22, 2025 (Gavriil Grigorov / POOL / AFP)
Despite significantly ramping up weapons production last year, Russia's armed forces are still missing key military equipment, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the state Military-Industrial Commission on April 23, Kremlin state media reported.
The Russian army received in 2024 over 4,000 armoured vehicles, 180 warplanes and helicopters, over 1.5 million drones of various types, Putin claimed, adding that approximately 4,00 FPV drones are sent to the battlefield daily.
"Last year, almost all defense companies fulfilled the tasks of the state defense order, qualitatively and on time, and some types of weapons were (produced) ahead of schedule," Putin said.
Despite this, he said there are still gaps in Russian weapons manufacturing.
"I know very well that these means of defeat (drones) are still lacking. There are not enough," he said.
"I am sure that all plans to increase the production of [...] drones will certainly be fulfilled. They are very much awaited on the line of contact. In fact, this is currently one of the major factors in combat success," he added.
Putin said Russia was pushing forward to gain technological advantages, claiming the Kremlin has modernized more than 400 companies in recent years.
"Global trends in the development of military technologies should be taken into account to forecast and understand potential armed conflicts, as the future is rapidly approaching," he said.
He added that the Kremlin’s experience in the "special military operation" is being studied "without any exaggeration by all armies of the world, leaders of the global arms industry, and high-tech companies."
"And we need to be one step ahead, as we have been able to do recently and, I am sure, will be able to do in the future."
Both Ukraine and Russia have increasingly relied on drone warfare, using aerial, naval, and ground-based drones for reconnaissance and combat missions.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine and Russia have been developing and deploying technological innovations and cutting-edge unmanned systems.
Russia is using drones not only on the frontline but also to target civilians on a daily basis.
Kateryna Hodunova
