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 portrait of the writer Victoria Amelina stands on her grave among flowers during a burial ceremony at the Lychakiv cemetery on July 5, 2023, in Lviv, Ukraine. (Oleksandr Hryvul/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina was posthumously honored with the Prix Voltaire Special Award at the 34th International Publishers Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, PEN Ukraine reported on Dec. 6.
The International Publishers Association presents the Prix Voltaire Special Award to honor the laureate's efforts in defending freedom of expression and to underscore how their voice was silenced.
Amelina, who documented war crimes and authored several notable works, was killed in 2023 following a Russian missile strike on Kramatorsk.
She was in Kramatorsk with a delegation of Colombian writers and journalists on June 27 when Russian forces fired two Iskander missiles at the city, hitting a popular restaurant downtown. 13 people were killed and 60 were injured following the strike.
Amelina was one of Ukraine's most popular young writers. Her work has been translated into numerous languages, including English, Polish, Italian, Spanish, German, Croatian, Dutch, Czech, and Hungarian.
Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, accepted the award on Amelina's behalf.
"I am once again amazed at how much she did - traveled and spoke, volunteered, documented war crimes, wrote a book. And of course, I am very sad that Vika cannot receive her award herself, Matviichuk said of Amelina. “But the bridges she built between Ukraine and the world are still functioning, and this is very palpable at this international congress of authors and publishers.”
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Sonya Bandouil
