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."
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.
Transmission towers and power lines near a missile-damaged high-voltage electricity sub-station, operated by Ukrenergo in central Ukraine, on March 1, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes (Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Emergency energy power shutdowns were introduced in eight Ukrainian oblasts due to higher consumption and Russian attacks on the country's energy system, Ukrenergo, Ukraine's state grid operator, reported on Feb. 4.
The news comes as Ukraine's power grid continues to recover from past Russian missile and drone strikes, with restoration work continuing at power facilities.
The most recent Russian attacks inflicted damage to electricity generation and transmission facilities, leading to power cutoffs, Ukrenergo wrote. Electricity consumption is also growing as temperatures in Ukraine drop below zero.
The emergency shutdowns were introduced in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia, and Kirovohrad oblasts, as well as partially in the Dnipropetrovsk and Cherkasy oblasts, Ukrenergo said on Telegram.
The grid operator Ukrenergo asked Ukrainians to reduce electricity consumption between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. to prevent electricity shortages.
Scheduled blackouts were common across Ukraine when Russia launched mass attacks on the country's energy system in the fall and winter of 2022-2023 and in the spring-summer period of 2024. These attacks also led to heat, water, and mobile network disruptions throughout Ukraine.
This winter was expected to be one of the war’s toughest, with blackouts potentially lasting up to 20 hours a day. For now, Ukraine has managed to avoid predicted winter blackouts due to warm weather and Ukraine's improved ability to protect and quickly repair its energy infrastructure despite continued Russian attacks.
Natalia Yermak
