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.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin talks to the media at the seventh gathering of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein air base in Germany on March 19, 2024. (Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images)
Editor's note: The article was changed to correctly reflect U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's statement that North Korea has suffered 1,000 casualties overall rather than 1,000 fatalities.
Russia has endured over 700,000 casualties since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022—more than in all of Moscow’s conflicts since World War II combined, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Jan. 9.
In November 2024 alone, Russia lost nearly 1,500 troops daily, a pace that has stretched its military resources to the breaking point. "Volunteers cannot make up for these stunning losses," Austin added. "The Kremlin has been reduced to scouring Russia’s jails and coercing contract soldiers."
In a desperate bid to sustain its offensive, "Moscow has even rushed troops from North Korea into a war that they don’t belong in," Austin noted, calling it a clear sign of Putin’s growing desperation.
Since joining the war in December, North Korean soldiers have suffered over 1,000 casualties, according to Austin. President Volodymyr Zelensky placed the figure at 4,000 North Korean troops, which included both wounded and killed.
The U.S. defense secretary also highlighted the economic impact of the war, which has been equally devastating for ordinary Russians. With the Kremlin allocating 40 percent of its 2025 budget to sustain the war effort—a 25 percent increase from the previous year—the ruble has continued its downward spiral, according to Austin.
The Kremlin’s increasing reliance on authoritarian allies like North Korea has further isolated Moscow on the world stage. "Russia’s global stature and strategic position have continued to decay."
Despite the heavy cost, Putin has little to show for his efforts. "Russia has paid an appalling price for this indefensible war," Austin concluded. "Yet Putin has not achieved a single one of his strategic objectives. Not one."
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Sonya Bandouil
