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.
Protesters gathered outside parliament building to stage a demonstration against bill on foreign influence transparency in Tbilisi, Georgia on March 07, 2023. (David Mdzinarishvili/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Georgian police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of protesters who rallied after a Russian-inspired “foreign agents” draft law was passed in its first reading in Georgia's parliament on March 7.
To become law, the bill has to pass second and third readings. Given the results of the initial vote and the backing by the ruling Georgian Dream party, the legislation is expected to pass the parliament.
The law on “transparency of foreign influence” would require organizations that receive over 20% of funding from overseas to register as “foreign agents.”
The Russian “foreign agent” law obliges organizations funded from abroad or—as expanded in July 2022—anyone perceived by the Kremlin to have fallen “under foreign influence” to register as a “foreign agent.” The law subjects them to strict financial audits and requires to publish all content under a disclaimer that it’s being distributed by a “foreign agent,” but is often used as a way to target groups and individuals critical of the government.
Many non-governmental organizations have criticized the legislation saying that it violates international human rights law.
“The ‘foreign agents’ bills seek to marginalize and discredit independent, foreign-funded groups and media that serve the wider public interest in Georgia,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“They clearly aim to restrict critical groups and crucial media, violate Georgia’s international obligations, and would have a serious chilling effect on groups and individuals working to protect human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.”
The U.S Embassy in Georgia said that the legislation “is incompatible with the people of Georgia’s clear desire for European integration and its democratic development” and called March 7 “a dark day for Georgia’s democracy.”
In a video address from the U.S., Georgia’s President, Salome Zourabichvili, said she supports the protesters and promised to veto the controversial law on “foreign agents,” reports Mtavari.
Earlier, the Georgian parliament overruled a presidential veto on the wiretapping law, which was criticized by human rights activists.
Anastasiya Gordiychuk is a news reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She has previously worked as an associate business and labor editor at The Varsity, where she focused on business and finances. She holds a BA in journalism from the University of Toronto. Her work has also been published in Maclean’s, Global Summitry Project, and the Toronto Observer.
