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.
A soldier wears a patch to commemorate his training on the IRIS-T air defense system during the operative launch of the Bundeswehr's first IRIS-T SLM air defense system at the Todendorf military base in Panker, Germany, on Sep.4, 2024. (Gregor Fischer/Getty Images)
Germany will supply Ukraine with two additional IRIS-T air defense systems, including the medium-range SLM and short-range SLS models, by the end of the year, Major General Christian Freuding, head of the Bundeswehr's Situation Center Ukraine, told journalists in Kyiv on Nov. 25.
"The next IRIS-T SLM (medium-range) and SLS (short-range) systems should arrive in Ukraine in the coming days and weeks, before Christmas," Freuding was quoted as saying. He added that Germany’s support for Ukraine would continue beyond Christmas and the Feb. 23 federal elections in Germany.
On Nov. 13, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would receive the sixth German IRIS-T air defense system by the end of the year following his call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Ukraine will then have a total of seven systems in its arsenal.
The IRIS-T is a state-of-the-art surface-to-air missile system designed to counter aircraft, helicopters, drones, and cruise missiles. In September, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced plans to deliver an additional 17 IRIS-T systems, further bolstering Ukraine's defensive capabilities.
Germany has been a key defense partner for Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, providing a range of equipment, including IRIS-T and Patriot air defense systems, anti-aircraft and artillery systems, armored vehicles, Leopard tanks, drones, and ammunition.
On Nov. 20, the German government announced a new military aid package featuring howitzers, vehicles, and hundreds of drones.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
