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.
Russian soldiers patrol a street on April 11, 2022, in Volnovakha in Donetsk Oblast. The picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian commanders in the Kupiansk sector are ordering their soldiers to retake positions from which they retreated under Ukrainian fire, threatening them with execution if they refuse, Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces claimed on Feb. 4, citing intelligence reports.
Ukrainian soldiers forced Russian troops to abandon forward positions near a settlement in the Kupiansk sector following intensive assaults, the unit said.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
Russian forces intensified their assault on Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast in September 2024, pushing toward the city's industrial outskirts in the northeast. Ukrainian forces repelled several attempts to enter the town throughout December.
The estimated Russian advance in the Kupiansk district, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, as of Feb. 4, 2025. A white symbol marks the city of Kupiansk. (DeepState / OpenStreetMaps)
For months, Russia has sought to establish a foothold along the eastern bank of the Oskil River, attempting to outflank Ukrainian defenses and open the way for a rear attack on Kupiansk. The front line now lies just 2 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the town.
President Volodymyr Zelensky recently appointed Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, the commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces, to lead the Khortytsia group as Ukraine works to counter Russian advances in the sector.
Western and Ukrainian officials have pointed to poor morale among Russian troops since the outbreak of the full-scale war. Moscow employs the infamous "human wave" tactics in which its troops overwhelm Ukrainian defenders through sheer numbers despite suffering heavy losses.
Reports of Russian commanders executing their soldiers have also surfaced amid some of the heaviest battles of the war, for example, during Russia's siege of the stronghold town of Avdiivka in late 2023.
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.
Martin Fornusek
