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.
"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.
Three women wearing the niqab in Aden, Yemen, in an undated picture from 2004. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Scott Wallace/Getty Images)
The Muftiate of Dagestan announced on July 3 that it would introduce a temporary ban on the wearing of niqabs following a terrorist attack in the Russian republic in June that killed 22 people.
The ban will be instituted until "the identified threats are eliminated and a new theological conclusion is issued," said a spokesperson for the Muftiate, a religious organization that represents Dagestani Muslisms.
The announcement follows a statement after the attack by Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia's Investigative Committee, who said it was the work of "Islamist terrorists" and urged Russia to ban the niqab, which covers the wearer's entire face, excluding the eyes.
Many Muslim-majority countries in Central Asia have various kinds of bans on the wearing of hijabs or niqabs, and Bastrykin urged Russia to follow suit.
Bastrykin's suggestion prompted a reaction from Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, who said that the official should be "extremely careful" in blaming the attack on Islam.
Muslims "have not committed and do not commit" terrorist attacks, Kadyrov said, urging Bastrykin not to compare Islam with terrorism in the future.
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WTF is wrong with Russia?
Dagestan is a multi-ethnic, majority-Muslim republic located in Russia's North Caucasus region. It is also home to an ancient Jewish community whose numbers have dwindled in recent decades. Neighboring Chechnya is also around 95% Muslim, according to statistics.
As part of the spillover from the wars in Chechnya, Dagestan saw repeated acts of terrorism in the early 2000s. A violent but low-intensity insurgency against the government also went on for several years in the area.
Following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, a massive antisemitic riot occurred in Makhachkala in late October.
A group of over 1,000 people came to Makhachkala Airport as a flight from Tel Aviv was set to land, reportedly looking for Jews.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
