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.
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov holds a press conference in Moscow, Russia, on April 26, 2018. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, accused of high treason, is running for membership in the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), the T-Invariant academic community said on April 2.
Azarov, who led the Ukrainian government under pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych between 2010 and 2014, is a candidate for the RAS membership in mining sciences. Despite this, Azarov has a zero Hirsch index, a key indicator of the quality of scientific activity.
The fugitive ex-official has no academic publications, T-Invariant said, citing eLibrary, a Russian scientific electronic library integrated with the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI).
Azarov was a corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NANU) until June 2022, when he was expelled. The Scopus database, which tracks academic article citations, also has no publications by Azarov.
The Russian-born politician served as prime minister under Yanukovych's tenure before resigning amid the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014. He now resides in Russia and makes regular anti-Ukrainian statements and promotes pro-Kremlin narratives on Russian state propaganda channels.
In December 2022, Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation and the Prosecutor General's Office completed a pre-trial investigation into Yanukovych's and Azarov's high treason cases.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) pressed further treason charges against Azarov and his assistant in October 2023. Last January, the case was sent to court under the charges of "information activities" on Russia's behalf.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Katie Marie Davies
