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.
People exit a subway station in Kyiv. (Oleg Petrasiuk)
Ukraine is likely to face a new wave of Covid-19 cases starting mid-January and running through February, due to the new highly transmissible strain Omicron, Deputy Minister of Health Ihor Kuzin told the public Ukrainian Radio (Suspilne) on Jan. 1.
He said the wave will likely peak in mid-February.
Kyiv detected its first cases of Omicron on Dec. 28, while the strain was detected on Dec. 18 for the first time in Ukraine.
Only six cases of Omicron have been detected in the country as of Dec. 30, but the new strain spreads faster than the previous ones, the official said.
“The Omicron strain is transmitted faster, more people can be infected, and the incubation period of the disease is shortened,” Kuzin said.
The number of new cases of Covid-19 in Ukraine has been decreasing lately: It went from over 10,000 a day in early December to about 5,000 a day in late December.
The Health Ministry reported 1,863 new cases of Covid-19 on Jan. 2, while Ukraine has fully vaccinated over 13.8 million people, or 32% of its population, according to official statistics.
Kuzin also said that a booster could help build up defense systems against the new strain. The concern is Omicron is now so different from the original that vaccines may not be as effective. According to Kuzin, the vaccines are approximately 30% less effective against Omicron than the earlier strains.
Though Omicron appears to be less susceptible to vaccines than the earlier variants, boosters can help build stronger defenses against the virus. Unvaccinated individuals are at the greatest risk of severe illness and death from the new variant, according to health experts.
Ukraine isn't yet offering booster doses to the general population. Earlier, the government said they would be available in early 2022.
Right now, booster shots of Moderna or Comirnaty/Pfizer mRNA vaccines are available to healthcare workers, orphanage employees, and people at high risk from the virus in Ukraine.
All adult Ukrainians and foreigners with residence permits can get vaccinated for free at one of the mass vaccination centers or a local clinic. See the list here.
Since it was first identified in South Africa and Botswana in November, Omicron has spread across 80 countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) named Omicron a new “variant of concern.”
The new strain has a combination of more than 50 mutations, which, early studies show, might increase transmissibility and partially escape infection- or vaccine-induced immunity.
Some studies suggested that Omicron may be the fastest transmissible Covid-19 strain to date.
According to researchers from the University of Hong Kong, Omicron multiplies around 70 times faster than Delta, previously known as the most contagious variant, in the human bronchial tubes. Omicron, however, multiplies less efficiently (more than 10 times lower) in the human lung tissue, the researchers discovered.
A Dec. 10 report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also suggests that the new variant may be less susceptible to vaccines. Out of the first 43 patients infected with Omicron in the U.S., the majority – 34 people – were fully vaccinated.
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.
