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 Bulgarian national flag flies on a government building in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Friday, March 29, 2024. (Oliver Bunic/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of Bulgaria’s pro-Russian Revival party, has fueled Kremlin narratives by claiming that Southern Bessarabia, part of Ukraine’s Odesa Oblast, should be returned to Bulgaria.
He stated on his Facebook page that he thinks “Ukraine is falling apart” and that Bulgarians are the “indigenous population” of the region, with deeper historical ties than Ukraine, which has controlled it for only 34 years.
Kostadinov proposed presenting Bulgaria’s claims to “Bulgarian Bessarabia” at a future peace congress to decide Ukraine’s fate.
He also called for unification with Macedonia, emphasizing shared history and culture, and compared his proposals to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s remarks about annexing Canada and regaining control of the Panama Canal.
“There is nothing more logical for two countries with a common history, common origin, common language and common people than to become one country,” he wrote.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Bulgaria condemned Kostadinov’s statements, labeling them a distortion of historical facts that promote border redistribution and violate international law.
The embassy urged official condemnation, highlighting the inappropriateness of such rhetoric from a politician in an EU member state.
Bulgaria has provided Ukraine with a variety of aid since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, but pro-Russian sentiment has remained strong in the country.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Martin Fornusek
