Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
A notice about the airspace closure was published on the U.S. Defense Department's NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) website on May 10, as cited by Ukrainian defense news outlet Militarnyi.
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.
Illustrative purposes only: Coal in freight wagons ahead of shipping at Tomusinskaya railway station near Mezhdurechensk, Russia, on July 19, 2021. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
China's imports of Russian coal in March rose by 6% year-on-year after falling over the previous year, data from Beijing's General Administration of Customs showed on April 20.
China had been decreasing coal imports from Russia despite a steady growth in domestic demand, turning instead to Australian and Mongolian suppliers, it was reported in January.
Russia’s coal exports to China were reported to have dropped by almost 7% in 2024 compared to 2023.
The development was another blow to the Russian coal industry, which was already facing multibillion-dollar losses and mass bankruptcies.
But the latest data showed March imports were up 6% year-on-year to 7.33 million metric tons.
Warnings that Russia’s coal industry was beginning to nosedive appeared in the second half of 2024, when AC TEK, a Russian state analytical center under the Energy Ministry, published a dire assessment.
Western sanctions, insufficient transport infrastructure to the east, and Chinese tariffs levied on Russian coal were contributing to the industry's setback.
Kemerovo Oblast, or Kuzbass, which accounts for 60% of Russia's hard coal production and 80% of its coking coal, was hit the hardest.
Financial troubles have forced eight coal companies in the region to halt operations, leaving hundreds of miners without pay for months, according to Kemerovo Governor Ilya Seredyuk said at the time.
"Falling prices on world markets, problems with logistics, a shortage of personnel, and a high key rate — along with Western sanctions — have created a serious challenge for the coal industry," Seredyuk said.
Despite growing economic ties between Moscow and Beijing, Western sanctions have presented an increasingly serious obstacle to Russian-Chinese trade relations.
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