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.
El Al plane is seen at the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on December 31, 2022. (Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Israeli national carrier El Al will restart flights to Moscow on May 1 after a four-month pause, according to the company's official website.
The airline halted its Moscow route in late December 2024 following the downing of an Azerbaijani aircraft during a drone attack, which killed 38 people.
The plane was flying from Baku to Grozny in Russia's Chechen Republic before suddenly changing course and crashing on Dec. 25 near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.
The source revealed to Reuters that the Azerbaijani side possesses a fragment of a Russian Pantsir missile extracted from the crashed plane.
El Al said its decision to resume service came after "assessing the current situation" and holding discussions with authorities.
In 2022, Moscow closed its skies to airlines from 36 countries, including all 27 European Union members, in retaliation for Ukraine-related aviation sanctions.
While Israel condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and sent humanitarian aid to Kyiv, it has avoided direct economic measures against Moscow. Kyiv, in turn, expressed solidarity with Israel following the deadly attack by Hamas terrorists in October 2023.
Russia has lobbied for the easing of aviation restrictions. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on April 11 that Moscow had asked the U.S. to lift sanctions on its state airline, Aeroflot, but Washington had not responded.
Lavrov linked the potential restoration of direct U.S.-Russia flights to that decision.
"The Americans have taken it up, so far we have not seen any reciprocal step," Lavrov told state media TASS. "But we will work on it because this is a return to normality."
Ukrainian officials have warned against such concessions. In an April 30 opinion article for the Guardian, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak argued that lifting aviation sanctions would hand Moscow both military and economic advantages.
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.
Katie Marie Davies
