Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
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.
Illustrative purposes only: The V750 VU surface-to-air missile rocket launcher displayed at the museum on Aug. 27, 2020. The Zánka Military Museum is an outdoor display containing a variety of armory used by the Hungarian defense forces. Zánka is a village in Veszprém County situated on the shores of Lake Balaton, 150 km southwest of the capital, Budapest, Hungary. (Paul Lakatos/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Russia gave the U.S. a brief advance warning of the intermediate-range ballistic missile strike on Dnipro before the attack, according to comments a U.S. administration official made at a briefing on Nov. 21.
“The United States was pre-notified briefly before the launch, through nuclear risk reduction channels,” Defense Department Deputy Spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.
The warning, sent 30 minutes before the launch, was also confirmed by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
The U.S. had previously alerted Ukraine and its allies that Russia might test such an experimental missile.
In the early hours of Nov. 21, a country-wide air raid alert sounded due to the threat of ballistic missiles, and later, the launch of several Russian Tu-95MS bomber aircraft.
According to Ukraine's Air Force, the attack targeted the city of Dnipro using a number of different missile types.
Late on Nov. 21, Putin said in a televised address that the attack was a test of Russia's "newest missile," an IRBM called "Oreshnik."
Russia regularly uses close, and short range ballistic missiles in aerial attacks against Ukraine, but IRBMs and ICBMs are far larger, can be equipped with nuclear payloads, and are designed to hit targets at far longer ranges.
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.
Alisa Yurchenko
