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.
Former President Petro Poroshenko talks with journalists in front of the Procecutor General's Office in downtown Kyiv on June 10, 2020. (Mikhail Palinchak)
Kyiv’s Pechersk Court issued a ruling on Jan. 6 to seize ex-President Petro Poroshenko’s assets.
Poroshenko was charged with treason on Dec. 20. He is accused of being involved in supplying coal to Ukrainian state-owned enterprises from Russian-occupied areas in the Donbas in 2014-2015. Poroshenko has denied wrongdoing and called the case a political vendetta.
Poroshenko, who is currently abroad, said on Jan. 6 that he was planning to return to Ukraine on Jan. 17 and use his right as a member of parliament to have an official meeting with Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, as cited by the ex-president's European Solidarity party.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, the court ruled to seize Poroshenko's real estate, corporate rights and other assets.
In December several media outlets reported, citing the Prosecutor General’s Office, that prosecutors were seeking to arrest Poroshenko in the treason case and ask for Hr 1 billion ($37 million) bail.
Ukrinform, Ukrainska Pravda and other Ukrainian media also reported, citing anonymous sources, that Kyiv’s Pechersk District Court had approved prosecutors’ motion to detain Poroshenko and bring him to a court for an arrest hearing.
Iryna Gerashchenko, head of the European Solidarity's faction in parliament, said on Facebook on Jan. 6 that the seizure of Poroshenko’s assets would make it more difficult for him to collect the money to pay the bail.
“(President Volodymyr) Zelensky is obsessed with arresting the leader of the opposition,” Gerashchenko said. “This is his idée fixe… The time of (ex-President Viktor) Yanukovych is back. But this lawlessness will also end badly for the (incumbent) authorities.”
The President's Office did not respond to requests for comment.
From September through November, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the State Investigation Bureau leveled charges of treason and aiding terrorists against businessman Serhiy Kuzyara, pro-Kremlin lawmaker Viktor Medvedchuk and Volodymyr Demchyshyn, who was energy minister in 2014-2016 under Poroshenko, as part of the same coal supply case.
Medvedchuk allegedly negotiated the coal supplies with Russia and its proxies, as well as with Poroshenko’s administration, according to the investigators. Medvedchuk denied wrongdoing.
Ex-lawmaker Oleksandr Onyshchenko, a former ally of Poroshenko, claimed in 2016 that the former president’s top associate and lawmaker Ihor Kononenko had been getting $20 per ton from coal supplies coming from the Russian-occupied Donbas. Kononenko denied the accusations.
Dozens of investigations have been opened against Poroshenko since his successor, Zelensky came to power in 2019. However, he has so far been charged in only two of them.
Apart from the treason case, Poroshenko was charged in June 2020 with abusing his power by appointing Serhiy Semochko as a deputy head of the Foreign Intelligence Service in violation of procedure. Since then, the case has seen no progress. Poroshenko denied the allegations.
Oleg Sukhov is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. He is a former editor and reporter at the Moscow Times. He has a master's degree in history from the Moscow State University. He moved to Ukraine in 2014 due to the crackdown on independent media in Russia and covered war, corruption, reforms and law enforcement for the Kyiv Post.
