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.
Screenshot from a video allegedly showing fire following a Ukrainian drone strike on Russia’s Kavkazskaya oil pumping station overnight of March 19, 2025. (Screenshot / ASTRA).
A Russian oil pumping station Krasnodar Krai is still on fire after reportedly being struck by Ukrainian drones on March 19, with further explosions reported overnight.
"During the extinguishing process, due to depressurisation of the burning tank, there was an explosion of oil products and release of burning oil," regional officials said in a post on Telegram on March 21.
Ukrainian drones attacked the Kavkazskaya oil pumping station, damaging infrastructure and causing a fire, pro-Kremlin news outlet Shot and regional authorities previously claimed.
The attack reportedly damaged a pipeline connecting storage tanks, initially sparking a fire that covered an area of about 20 square meters.
The fire now covers an area of 10,000 square meters and two firefighters have been injured while tackling the blaze.
The regional operational headquarters said on March 19 that 30 on-duty personnel were evacuated and that the facility had suspended operations.
The Kavkazskaya oil transshipment point is crucial in Russia's energy exports, connecting a railroad oil terminal and the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station. It is part of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium system, which pumps up to 6 million metric tons of oil annually.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims. The Ukrainian military has not commented on the reported attacks.Russia has attempted to use the attack as evidence that Ukraine has already broken a partial ceasefire of attacks on energy infrastructure agreed upon by Russian President Vladimit Putin in a call with U.S. President Donald Trump on March 18.
"We believe that the Kyiv regime has already broken the ceasefire proposed by the U.S. president," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on March 20, in comments reported by Reuters.
"Now the question is — you will forgive me — how is Washington going to handle this terrorist scum gone mad? How are they going to put them in their place and get them on to something like the right track?" she added.
Despite Zakharova's comments, Russia has not relented in its attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, and continues to launch hundreds of kamikaze drones at cities across the country each night.
The strike on the Kavkazskaya oil pumping station follows Ukraine's Feb. 17 drone attack on the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station, also in Krasnodar Krai, where seven drones reportedly hit key infrastructure.
Kyiv has intensified its campaign against Russia's energy and military infrastructure to disrupt Moscow's war effort. On March 17, Ukrainian drones struck a fuel and energy facility in Russia's Astrakhan Oblast, igniting a fire, regional Governor Igor Babushkin claimed.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
