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.
A view of the enterence to Kupiansk, Ukraine on Oct. 16, 2024. (Fermin Torrano/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The key northeastern Ukrainian town of Kupiansk now lies only 2 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the front line as Russian troops sustain their attacks, Andrii Besedin, head of the Kupiansk town military administration, said on national television on Jan. 9.
Russian troops ramped up their efforts near Kupiansk last September and approached its industrial outskirts in the northeast. Ukrainian forces repelled several Russian attempts at entering the town throughout December.
"The situation is very difficult; the front line is 2 kilometers from the town's outskirts. Russia is constantly attempting to attack," Besedin said.
The Russian army also conducted 12 attacks on Jan. 8 in the direction of the settlements of Holubivka and Petropavlika, located nearly 6 kilometers (3 miles) from Kupiansk, according to Besedin.
The estimated Russian advance near Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, as of Jan. 8, 2025, according to DeepState. (DeepState/OpenStreetMaps)
Russian troops are trying to reach the main Svatove-Kupiansk highway to enter the eastern part of the town, Besedin added.
"The situation is very difficult and threatens the Kupiansk and Vovchansk sectors (of the front line). Russia is trying to gain a foothold in the town of Dvorichna, on the western bank of the Oskil (River). If they manage to transfer equipment to the western bank, there will be a threat of a rear attack in the Vovchansk sector and Kupiansk," he said.
Besedin added that residents of the Kupiansk community, despite the poor infrastructure, are not in a hurry to evacuate. On average, only five people leave the community's 12 settlements per day.
Some 900 people, primarily elderly, remain in the eastern part of the community and firmly refuse to be evacuated, according to the local military administration.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
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