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 image of a fishing rod harvesting user data in cyberspace. (Sarayut Thaneerat/Getty Images)
A sophisticated Russian spear phishing campaign has been targeting the Kremlin's critics in Russia and the West, according to a report from digital rights groups Citizen Labs and Access Now published Aug. 14.
Phishing is a type of social engineering in which attackers seek access to victims' online accounts by leveraging personalized deceptive tactics.
The hacker group Coldriver, which has ties to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), is responsible for the phishing scheme, according to the report. The campaign targeted Russian opposition figures, NGOs, and Western diplomats, including former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Steven Pifer.
Hackers typically initiated email exchanges with targets by impersonating someone they already knew, such as a colleage, funder, or government employee, researchers said. Messages contained work-related requests, such as viewing a proposal or article.
Targets would then click on the attached PDF, which contained a phishing link that would transmit data from the victim's system to the attacker's server when clicked.
Researchers described the email ruse as credible and effective, with many targets believing they were exchanging messages with a real person. In the case of Pifer, the phishing email impersonated another former U.S. ambassador.
The campaign also targeted Polina Machold, publisher of the Russian independent investigative outlet Proekt Media, and multiple officials and academics at U.S. think tanks.
"Importantly, we suspect that the total pool of targets is likely much larger than the civil society groups whose cases we have analyzed," researchers wrote.
"We have observed U.S. government personnel impersonated as part of this campaign, and ... we expect the U.S. government remains a target."
Russian hacker groups have engaged in various forms of cyber warfare throughout the full-scale war, including cyberattacks against Ukraine, hacks of civilian infrastructure in Europe, and interference in foreign elections.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Oleksandr Tartachnyi
