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.
Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze at a press conference on April 12, 2024. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images)
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced on Sept. 9 that the government will create a fund for grants for NGOs and media in the wake of the controversial foreign agents law coming into force, local media reported.
The opposition has denounced the ruling Georgian Dream party's plan as "bribery" and an attempt to exert influence over independent NGOs.
Georgia's foreign agents law came into effect on Aug. 1, giving organizations that receive foreign funding one month to register with the Justice Ministry. Failure to do so by Sept. 1, when the official monitoring period began, could result in fines of 25,000 Georgian lari ($9,200).
Kobakhidze called the creation of the state fund a "step towards" NGOs and media, which allegedly risk losing funding from international donors if they follow the law. The government will make "organizational preparations" in the coming months, and the first grants will be issued in January 2025, according to Kobakhidze.
"Over 450 non-governmental organizations, many of which receive foreign funding, have applied to the Justice Ministry. I want to thank these organizations for their civic responsibility. This proves that receiving foreign funding does not necessarily indicate negative foreign influence," the prime minister said at a press conference.
The Georgian opposition spoke out against the idea.
"This is a complete absurdity, bribery of non-governmental organizations," said Nika Gvaramia, a former minister under now-imprisoned ex-President Mikhel Saakashvili and one of the leaders of the opposition Coalition for Change.
Roman Gotsiridze, the chair of the Eurooptimists parliamentary group, said that the Georgian Dream "wants to bribe the free non-governmental sector so that the voice of criticism will not be heard from their side."
The Georgian opposition and pro-EU President Salome Zourabishvili are also awaiting the Constitutional Court's decision on a joint lawsuit against the foreign agents law.
The passing of the controversial legislation, along with the excessive use of force during accompanying protests and a growing crackdown on civil society, has strained Georgia's relations with its traditional Western allies, the EU and the U.S.
Georgian Dream has also taken steps toward stabilizing relations with Russia, which has contributed to deteriorating ties with Kyiv.
Salome Samadashvili
