Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on May 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked the idea of a demilitarized zone in the war and emphasized the importance of first securing a ceasefire.
"We agreed that a full and unconditional ceasefire must begin on Monday, May 12, for at least 30 days. We jointly demand this from Russia, and we know we are supported in this by the United States," Zelensky said.
Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
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."
Illustrative purposes only: A Russian Air Force Mi-28 on Aug. 6, 2012. (Artem Katranzhi/Wikimedia Commons)
A Ukrainian first-person-view (FPV) drone hit a Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter over Russia's Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent on Aug. 7.
The drone, operated by the Special Operations Center "A" of the SBU, managed to hit the helicopter's tail rotor, the source said, calling it "a unique special operation in military history."
Footage of the FPV drone ramming into the helicopter began circulating social media on Aug. 6. A day later, the full video was published by Ukrainian activist Serhii Sternenko.
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While the source said that the helicopter was shot down, it is not immediately clear from the video what happened to the aircraft after the attack.
Russian military blogger Alexei Zemtsov, who runs the channel Voevoda Veshchaet, wrote on the evening of Aug. 6 that a Russian helicopter was hit and was forced to land. Zemtsov claimed that the crew survived and the aircraft was sent to repairs, but he did not specify its model.
According to Sternenko and several other observers, this is the first case of a successful hit by an FPV drone against a helicopter mid-air.
"The SBU once again demonstrated a high level of professionalism, creativity, and innovation in destroying the enemy. We still have many unexpected surprises for Russia," the source said.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify all the claims.
At least one similar but unconfirmed claim appeared on July 31. Forbes wrote at the time that, according to Russian military bloggers, a Ukrainian drone successfully destroyed Russia's Mi-8 transport helicopter in the sky near occupied Donetsk.
The outlet linked to a photo of what it presented as the burning Mi-8 wreckage but provided no visual evidence of the aircraft being hit by the drone.
Moscow claimed that Ukrainian forces crossed the border into Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6, resulting in clashes on Russian soil.
Though Kyiv has largely refused to comment on the fighting in the area, the crowd-sourced monitoring website DeepState said that one Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter and at least two tanks were destroyed in the battle.
The source's comments are another indication that Ukrainian forces are active in Kursk Oblast.
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.
Francis Farrell
