Moscow's grand avenues, like every year in early May, were taken over by the growling of 80-year-old tanks and the smell of gasoline burned by military vehicles. To the delight of many locals, soldiers marched in multiple rehearsals for the May 9 Victory Day Parade in the week leading up to the actual event.

A staged reading of Cassandra -- the iconic poem by Ukrainian literary legend Lesia Ukrainka -- takes place in the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York on Friday, May 9. The performance is directed by Artemis Wheelock and produced by Illia George and Kaitlin Rowan. A full theatrical performance of Cassandra has been planned for autumn 2025.

Kim Jong Un stated that North Korea's involvement in the Ukraine conflict is justified. According to the dictator, it's the "sovereign right of the Republic" and serves as the defence of a "brotherly nation.