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.
"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.
A teacher conducts a lesson with children in an underground school on Dec. 14, 2024 in Zaporizhzhia. The first underground secondary school in Zaporizhzhia Oblast was launched on Dec. 14. (Elena Tita/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukraine plans to open over 150 underground educational facilities by September of 2025, Deputy Education Minister Nadiia Kuzmychova said at a briefing on Dec. 27.
Ukraine's underground schools are a response to Russian aerial attacks, which regularly target civilian infrastructure, including education facilities.
Ukraine has initiated plans to build 139 underground schools and several dozen underground vocational education institutions, Kuzmychova said at a Dec. 27 briefing, as reported by the news outlet Suspilne.
There are currently 79 underground education facilities under active construction, she said. Construction is ongoing in front-line regions and areas most affected by Russian shelling.
"We expect the construction of absolutely all facilities to be completed by September 1, 2025," Kuzmychova said.
Kharkiv was the first Ukrainian city to open schools underground to protect students from shelling and aerial attacks, while still offering in-person learning. The city operates schools in its metro stations.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has damaged one in every seven Ukrainian schools and completely destroyed over 400 educational institutions, the Education Ministry reported in February 2024.
When the school year began in September 2024, Russian strikes damaged at least 12 education facilities in just three days, leading to dozens of casualties.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.
Dinara Khalilova
