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.
Delegations from 35 countries and the Council of Europe gathered in Lviv as EU officials prepare to approve both new defense aid and steps toward establishing a tribunal for Russian leadership.
The ruling marks a significant victory for RFE/RL amid growing concerns about U.S. funding cuts to independent media countering Russian disinformation.
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.
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.
A British military serviceman instructs his Ukrainian colleagues in operating NLAW anti-tank grenade launchers at the Yavoriv training range in Lviv Oblast on Jan. 25, 2022 (Army Inform)
Ukrainian military service members have started mastering NLAW anti-tank grenade launchers provided recently as defense assistance to Kyiv by the United Kingdom amid the looming threat of all-out assault by Russia.
The studies began on Jan. 25 at the Ukrainian Armed Forces' 184th Training Center in Lviv Oblast, under the guidance of British personnel, part of the U.K.'s training mission in Ukraine, Operation ORBITAL, according to the military.
"Very soon, the first several dozens of Ukrainian military service members will be able to effectively employ these anti-tank missile systems and also train other Ukrainian soldiers," said Lieutenant General Pavlo Tkachuk, the Ground Forces Academy principal in charge of the training center.
The U.K.'s Secretary for Defense Ben Wallace announced the decision to provide Ukraine with NLAW anti-tank systems was announced by the in an address to the House of Commons on Jan. 18.
Lieutenant General Pavlo Tkachuk, the Ground Forces Academy principal (ArmyInform)
Shortly following the announcement, nearly 2,000 grenade launchers were transferred to Kyiv by Royal Air Force transport aircraft, with minimal public awareness.
The defensive weapons were sent as part of the U.K.'s additional assistance package for Ukraine. The U.K. also sent a small number of military instructors to provide appropriate training for Ukrainian troops.
Afterwards, Wallace also said London was considering sending even more assistance to Kyiv as Russia had failed to de-escalate despite intense Western diplomatic efforts.
As of January, Russia is reported to have massed over 120,000 troops in and around Ukraine, raising fears of a large-scale invasion and occupation.
The NLAW is known as a type of man-portable, short-range, fire-and-forget missile system operated by the U.K. and a number of other militaries across the world.
It is a Swedish-British project designed by Saab Bofors Dynamics in the early 2000s and manufactured by Thales Air Defence in Britain.
According to the arms developer, those are easy-to-use, disposable tank killers most suitable for the infantry. Launchers weighing 12.5 kilograms have a combat range between 20 and 800 meters, and they require just 5 seconds to detect and engage a target.
Similar to American-made FGM-148 Javelin systems, the NLAWs supplement Ukraine's arsenal of highly-mobile tank killers at the right time for repelling Russian attacks in restrictive terrain, especially in intense urban warfare.
A NLAW grenade launcher demonstrated at the Ukrainian Armed Forces' 184th Training Center in Lviv Oblast (Army Inform)
Illia Ponomarenko was a defense and security reporter at the Kyiv Independent in 2021-2023. He has reported about the war in eastern Ukraine since the conflict’s earliest days. He covers national security issues, as well as military technologies, production, and defense reforms in Ukraine. Besides, he gets deployed to the war zone of Donbas with Ukrainian combat formations. He has also had deployments to Palestine and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as an embedded reporter with UN peacekeeping forces. Illia won the Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellowship and was selected to work as USA Today's guest reporter at the U.S. Department of Defense.
