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.
Illustrative image grab taken from AFPTV video footage on April 28, 2023, shows an aerial view of black smoke rising over Khartoum, Sudan. (AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images)
Russia plans to sow disinformation in African media that accuses Ukraine of using Western-supplied arms to fight in Sudan, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on April 17.
Russia maintains a strong presence in African countries like Sudan through its Wagner Group and other entities, helping prop up authoritarian governments, fueling destabilization, and extracting resources to fund its war against Ukraine.
Moscow may plant fake stories in African media with fabricated photos of U.S.-produced weapons obtained by Wagner Group mercenaries in Ukraine, HUR warned.
"The Kremlin will also try to emphasize that elite Ukrainian special forces are participating in hostilities in Africa," drawing African attention away from its war in Ukraine, HUR said.
HUR said this plan is being developed "against the background of the weakening of the positions of Russia and its proxy forces" in Africa.
The Wall Street Journal reported in March that a small number of Ukrainian army teams took part in hostilities in Sudan, helping the country's leader fend off Wagner Group-backed rebel forces.
Claims have previously appeared in other media publications that Ukrainian special forces took part in operations in Sudan and are responsible for strikes against Wagner-backed militants.
According to the WSJ, Sudan's de facto ruler, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, appealed to Ukraine for assistance in the summer of 2023 while besieged by rebel forces.
The civil war in the African country between Burhan's military government and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary broke out in April 2023. Over 13,000 people have been killed and over 6 million people have become internally displaced in Sudan, according to International Rescue Committee.
Kyiv has not publicly confirmed involvement in the conflict in Sudan. "We emphasize that Ukraine and its Defense Forces continue to act exclusively within the framework of international law and the UN Charter," HUR said.
Ukraine has "nothing to do with any illegal actions related to illegal arms trafficking," HUR added.
Ray Hartley
