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.
Footage that purports to show the Smolensk Aviation Plant in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, burning after a Ukrainian drone attack overnight on Jan. 21, 2025. (Andrii Kovalenko/Telegram)
A Ukrainian drone attack targeted the Smolensk Aviation Plant in western Russia overnight on Jan. 21, starting a fire at the facility, the independent news channel Astra reported.
Russian authorities confirmed a drone attack against Smolensk Oblast but made no mention of the plant. According to Russia's Defense Ministry, Russian air defenses intercepted 55 drones overnight, including 10 in Smolensk Oblast.
"Fallen drone debris caused fires on the ground and on the roofs. Windows of residential buildings were also damaged," Governor Vasily Anokhin said on his Telegram channel. The governor also warned against alleged "fake information and videos" appearing on social media regarding the drone attack.
At least two high-rise residential buildings were damaged as a result of the attack, the Russian Telegram channel Shot claimed. No casualties were reported.
The Ukrainian military did not comment on the claims, which could not be independently verified.
Smolensk lies less than 60 kilometers (around 35 miles) east of the Russia-Belarus border and some 270 kilometers (170 miles) north of Ukraine. The city's aviation plant is involved in the production and modernization of the Su-25 military aircraft, said Andrii Kovalenko, the counter-disinformation chief at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
The same night, an oil depot in the village of Lisky in Voronezh Oblast caught fire due to fallen drone debris, Governor Alexander Gusev said. Ukrainian drones previously attacked the facility on Jan. 16.
Ukrainian long-range drones regularly target Russian military and industrial facilities to undermine Moscow's ability to wage its full-scale war in Ukraine.
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.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
