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 visitor stands next a F-35 fighter jet poster during Japan Aerospace 2018 air show in Tokyo, Japan, Nov. 28, 2018. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Alessandro Di Ciommo/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Japan scrambled fighter jets and used flares to warn off a Russian military plane that breached Japanese airspace on Sept. 23, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said.
The airspace violation could be related to the joint military exercises Russia and China planned to participate in during September.
A Russian Il-38 reconnaissance aircraft entered Japanese airspace over Rebun Island, off Japan's northern coast, Kihara told reporters. The plane breached Japan's airspace three times, for up to a minute in each instance, over the course of a five-hour flight in the region.
In response, Japan scrambled F-15 and F-35 fighter jets, which used flares after the Russian plane ignored earlier warnings.
The incident marks the first time Japanese aircraft used flares to warn off a Russian military plane.
"The airspace violation was extremely regrettable," Kihara said. He also said Japan has lodged a protest with Moscow via diplomatic channels.
"We will carry out our warning and surveillance operations as we pay close attention to their military activities," Kihara said.
The Russian plane was not engaged in particularly dangerous activities at the time it entered Japanese airspace, he said.
Earlier in September, Russian Il-38 and other military aircraft were detected and tracked in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in North America, though the planes stopped short of violating U.S. or Canadian airspace.
In July 2024, the U.S. and Canada scrambled fighter jets to intercept Russian and Chinese military planes in the ADIZ.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Dinara Khalilova
