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.
Ukrainian duo Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil, representing Ukraine with the song "Teresa & Maria," perform on stage during the first semi-final of the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) at the Malmo Arena, in Malmo, Sweden, on May 7, 2024. (JESSICA GOW/TT/TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Images)
With their song "Teresa & Maria," Ukraine's Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil qualified for the Eurovision finals in Sweden's Malmo, successfully passing the semi-finals on May 7.
The two Ukrainian artists said their song is dedicated to strong women who persevere in the face of adversity.
"We are talking about the importance of unity," they told the Ukrainian outlet Rubryka.
"Even though, as Ukrainian women, we wrote this song about Ukraine, everyone in the world can see themselves in the lyrics."
The names Teresa and Maria refer to the Roman Catholic saint Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary. The artists said the song does not revolve around the two figures but uses them as symbols of "charity, love, (and) unification."
Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil, whose real names are Aliona Savranenko and Yana Shemaieva, respectively, have become popular artists in Ukraine in recent years.
Shemaieva is a known singer, songwriter, and YouTuber, while Savranenko has been described as "the new rap start of Ukraine." They began performing together after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
Ukraine has participated in Eurovision 18 times since its first entry in 2003, becoming the first country outside of the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Spain, the U.K., and Italy) to qualify for the finals each time.
The latter of the three had already won the contest during the full-scale war. As a result, Eurovision 2023 was hosted by the runner-up U.K. instead of the victorious country, as is tradition.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Martin Fornusek
