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 branch of Nova Poshta in Hungary. (Press Service of Nova Poshta / The Kyiv Independent)
Ukraine's largest private delivery company Nova Poshta invested Hr 1.8 billion ($43 million) to expand its Ukrainian network in 2024, a 35% increase from 2023, the company said on social media.
The company opened 1,747 new branches across Ukraine and installed 8,410 self-service delivery package lockers in 2024, bringing the total number of its service points across the country to 37,210.
Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s domestic version of FedEx or DHL, is by far the country’s most popular parcel delivery service, operating in more than 10,000 cities and towns across Ukraine. It is widely used by soldiers and volunteers ordering and sending goods and cargo to the front lines.
As Ukrainians fled abroad at the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion the company followed them, expanding rapidly across Europe since late 2022. It has since opened branches in 16 European countries.
The company said it expanded its network near the front lines, despite the risks. It opened 1,214 service points primarily in the eastern Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
As part of last year’s investments, Nova Poshta allocated Hr 32 million ($764,838) to open the company’s first barrier-free branch in Kyiv.
Russia’s war, which has caused life-altering injuries to both soldiers and civilians, has pushed the government and businesses to consider investments in accessibility.
The 709-square-meter barrier-free branch has an accessible design including a digital assistant, adapted furniture, and automated doors with sound beacons.
Nova Poshta also delivered a record 480 million packages in 2024, including 19 million international parcels — an 86% increase from the year before, the company said.
Ukrainians most often ordered goods from China, the U.S., Poland, the U.K., and other countries, according to company data.
Nova Poshta, known abroad as Nova Post, now operates in France, the U.K., Spain, Poland, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Romania, Germany, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Moldova.
In 2025, Nova Poshta plans to invest Hr 1.2 billion ($28 million) in opening 11,000 more service points and improving older ones.
Nina Mishchenko
