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.
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."
A drone strike targeted the Saratov oil refinery in Russia's Saratov Oblast on Feb. 11, claimed Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation.
"The Saratov Oil Refinery is one of the key facilities in Russia's fuel infrastructure. Its refining capacity reaches 7 million tons of oil annually," Kovalenko said, adding that the refinery is crucial in supplying fuel to the Russian military.
The news comes as Ukraine is ramping up long-range drone strikes against Russian targets in the rear, focusing on oil facilities crucial for supplying the Russian military and feeding Moscow's war chest.
Saratov Oblast Governor Roman Busargin confirmed that drones struck an industrial facility in the region but did not specify whether it was the oil refinery.
"Operational services are working in the places where debris could have possibly fallen. According to preliminary data, there are no victims," he wrote on Telegram.
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Alleged aftermath of the drone attack on Saratov Oblast, Russia, overnight on Feb. 11, 2025. (Andrii Kovalenko / Telegram)
Russian Telegram channels reported explosions and a fire at the facility, while Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses shot down 40 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 18 over Saratov Oblast.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
Saratov, a city nearly 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from Ukraine's border, hosts multiple strategic military and industrial sites.
The last known Ukrainian attack on Saratov Oblast occurred overnight on Jan. 8, igniting a large fire at an oil depot in the city of Engels, according to Russian Telegram channels.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn
