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.
Russian soldiers patrol a street on April 11, 2022, in Volnovakha in the Donetsk region. The picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military. (Alexander Nemenov / AFP via Getty Images)
Russian troops suffered approximately 53 casualties per square kilometer as they advanced through Ukrainian territory in fall 2024, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on Dec. 5.
During September, October, and November 2024, Russian forces captured approximately 2,356 square kilometers of territory, including parts of Ukraine and the Kursk Oblast, at the cost of an estimated 125,800 personnel, the report said.
The British Defense Ministry, citing Ukraine's General Staff, reported a record peak in Russian daily losses during November 2024, averaging 1,523 casualties per day. On Nov. 28 alone, Russia reportedly lost over 2,000 troops in 24 hours.
November marked the fifth consecutive month of rising Russian casualties, with an estimated total of 45,690 soldiers lost during the month. During that period, Russian forces advanced an average of 27.96 square kilometers per day, capturing 839 square kilometers.
ISW previously reported that Russian casualties in September and October 2024 totaled approximately 80,110, resulting in 1,517 square kilometers seized.
The figures could not be verified as Russia does not disclose its casualty rates.
Meduza, an independent Russian outlet, reported on Dec. 4 that Russia's recruitment of contract soldiers may have slowed in the third quarter of 2024.
An estimated 500–600 contracts were signed daily, a number insufficient to offset battlefield losses, which Meduza estimated at 600–750 troops per day, including 200–250 fatalities.
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.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
