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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.
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Friday, May 9
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.
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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.
(Updated: )Victory Day
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.
Friday, May 9
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.
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General Staff: Russia forces doctors in Berdiansk to register for military service
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Russian forces in occupied Bediansk in Zaporizhzhia Oblast are forcing local doctors who have received Russian passports to register for military service, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on April 24.
According to the General Staff, Russian forces are facing a “catastrophic lack of medical personnel on the battlefield.”
“In order to replenish the shortage of military doctors, locals who work at medical institutions in Berdiansk, who have received civilian passports of the Russian Federation, have begun to be forced to register for military service,” the General Staff’s update said.
The General Staff noted that, should the doctors refuse to participate, Russian troops have threatened them with the loss of their jobs.
Berdiansk has been under Russian occupation since February 2022. As early as March 2022, reports surfaced of Russian troops handing out Russian passports to the city’s residents, and in May the same year Putin signed a decree opening doors to handing Russian passports to residents of Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.
On March 19, a Zaporizhzhia court sentenced in absentia the head of Russia’s illegal occupation administration in Berdiansk, Oleksandr Saulenko, to 15 years in jail.
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, Saulenko joined the pro-Russian Union of Left Forces party, which has never been represented in Ukraine’s parliament. The party was banned by a court on June 17, 2022.
‘They’ll kill me if I come back’: Abduction, torture become routine in Russian-occupied Melitopol
In a rare glimpse, the Kyiv Independent talked to some who escaped Russian-occupied Melitopol and learned what’s happening behind the curtain of Russia’s occupation. Since Melitopol fell to Russian forces in March 2022, the city’s residents constantly fear being kidnapped, sometimes in broad dayligh…
Alexander Query
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