According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), this marks the first time Ukrainian authorities have exposed a Hungarian military intelligence network conducting activities harmful to Ukraine.
George Simion, leader of Romania's far-right AUR party, who won the first round of the presidential election with nearly 40% of the vote, reiterated that if elected, he would oppose any further assistance to Ukraine and shift Romania’s focus inward.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed their countries' relationship on May 8, vowing to increase cooperation in all areas, including military ties.
"There is Turkey, which maintains channels of communication. And then, above all, there is the People's Republic of China, which, more than anyone else, has the means to make (Russian President Vladimir) Putin come to the negotiating table and soften his demands," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on May 8.
The United States will be ready to "walk away" from the negotiating table if it does not see Russia making progress in negotiation to end the war, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on May 8.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Moscow on May 9 to celebrate Victory Day, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
US President Donald Trump on May 8 called for a "30-day unconditional ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia. Writing on Truth Social, Trump expressed his hope for "an acceptable ceasefire," with both countries "held accountable for respecting the sanctity of... direct negotiations."
President Volodymyr Zelensky had a "constructive" phone call with United States President Donald Trump on May 8, discussing the war, continued pressure on Russia, and a potential ceasefire.
The survey, conducted between April 24 and May 4, shows that 56.9% of respondents would not be willing to compromise on either territorial integrity or Ukraine’s pro-Western direction in any potential talks with Moscow.
U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced on May 8 to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, according to Vatican News.
The State Investigation Bureau searched on Feb. 1 the house of Andriy Kobolyev, former head of state-owned gas operator Naftogaz. (Naftogaz press service)
The State Investigation Bureau searched the house of Andriy Kobolyev, former head of the state-owned oil and gas monopolist Naftogaz, on Feb. 1.
According to the Bureau, the searches were part of a case set to investigate the legality of an agreement signed by Kobolyev in 2020 to transfer 305 million cubic meters of gas from state ownership to private companies.
Kobolyev, who was sacked from Naftogaz in April 2021 for closing the previous year with $684 million in losses, said on Facebook that he acted in the interests of the state-owned company.
"In the process of resolving the problem that arose more than 20 years ago, the teams of Naftogaz and Ukrtransgaz were guided by the interests of these companies and were able to prevent illegal write-offs of about Hr 2 billion ($70 million),” he wrote.
The office of Naftogaz's subsidiary Ukrtransgaz and private companies involved in a decade-long legal hurdle were also searched by authorities.
The dispute began in 1999, when Ukrenergozbut, a relatively small private gas distribution company, transferred 418 million cubic meters of gas to Ukrtransgaz, the national gas transmission system operator, to be redistributed to the company's consumers.
However, Ukrtransgaz failed to redistribute most of it and kept 305 million cubic meters in its network, for which Ukrenergozbut fought since then through legal means.
In 2019, the debt was bought by Fin-Invest, a company reportedly linked to businessman Kostyantyn Zhevago, charged with embezzlement. Soon, a court ordered Uktransgaz to pay the debt to Fin-Invest.
Zhevago for alleged embezzlement of $113 million through Finance and Credit, a bank he used to own, and through which he bought Ukrenergozbut’s debt. Since then, the oligarch has been on the run.
In mid-2020, Ukrtransgaz’s debts passed to Profi-Gas, a company linked to Ukrainian businessman Igor Voronov, who also owns Ukraine-based insurance company Uniqa.
In late 2020, Ukrtransgaz asked Naftogaz to reach an amicable agreement to settle the conflict, which led to Profi-Gas receiving gas worth $77 million (Hr 2.2 billion), the amount of the contentious debt.
However, in late 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that Profi-Gas illegally bought the company's debt.
Now, Ukrtransgaz is demanding that Naftogaz pays for the damages caused by the transfer of 305 million cubic meters of natural gas to Profi-Gas.
The Investigation Bureau argued that Kobolyev signed the transfer without the consent of the Naftogaz supervisory board which deprived the state of the $77 million.
Kobolyev alleged that the investigation was an unsuccessful attempt to intimidate him.
“There is no point in scaring me or sending me threats,” he said.
Alexander Query is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. He is the former business editor at the Kyiv Post. He worked as a TV correspondent and an anchorman at UATV in Ukraine, and received a BA in modern literature from La Sorbonne, in Paris.
