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.
Ukrainian troops cover their ears while firing an M777 howitzer near Bakhmut on May 17, 2023, in the Donetsk Oblast. (Serhii Mykhalchuk / Getty Images).
Russian forces in the Lyman sector of the Donetsk Oblast sometimes outnumber Ukrainian troops by 10 to 1, Ukrainian military spokesperson Anastasia Blyshchyk said on April 8.
"Sometimes there are 10 Russian occupiers for one of our infantrymen," said Blyshchyk, who represents Ukraine's 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade.
"The Russians are pressing with an incredible amount of infantry, which they simply have a lot of."
Blyshchyk said Russian troops are deploying in both large and small groups, exploiting weather conditions to gain ground. Despite suffering major losses, she added, Russian units quickly replenish their ranks.
The Lyman sector, situated in northern Donetsk Oblast, remains one of the most contested front-line regions. Russia has repeatedly targeted the area due to its proximity to key transport routes and logistical hubs.
Over the past month, fighters from the 66th Brigade alone inflicted heavy losses on Russian troops, reportedly destroying two battalion-sized units, Blyshchyk said.
According to the General Staff's report on April 5, Ukrainian forces faced 152 combat engagements that day, with the heaviest fighting recorded in the Pokrovsk, Lyman, Toretsk, and Kursk directions.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in January that Ukraine fields 880,000 service members across the country.
Russia, by contrast, has concentrated roughly 600,000 troops inside Ukraine, with plans to add another 150,000 in 2025, according to Presidential Office Deputy Head Pavlo Palisa.
Although the pace of Russian advances has slowed in recent months, particularly due to winter conditions, drone strikes, and fatigue among assault units, pressure remains high across Donetsk Oblast.
The battlefield monitoring group DeepState reported that Russian forces captured only 133 square kilometers in March, their lowest total since June 2024.
Despite that slowdown, Russian attacks have intensified again, especially around Pokrovsk, where fighting surged in late March.
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.
Francis Farrell
