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.
The First Kyiv Machine-Building Plant, also known as Bilshovyk, was sold on Oct. 27, 2021 for just $52 million, less than half of its original estimated value. (State Property Fund)
The State Investigation Bureau seized 100% of the shares of Kyiv’s Bilshovyk machine-building plant on Jan. 11 over suspicions that it may have been knowingly undersold at its privatization auction, according to a post on the bureau's website on Jan. 13.
The shares, which are owned by tycoon Vasyl Khmelnytsky, were frozen as part of the bureau's investigation into potential wrongdoing by officials from the State Property Fund, the body responsible for managing and privatizing state-owned assets.
Production of machine parts at Bilshovyk, established in 1882, massively declined since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, with the plant becoming a loss-maker and running up $17.5 million of debt.
The factory was sold at a privatization auction organized by the fund on Oct. 27 for just $52 million, a suspiciously low sum that was only slightly larger than the original starting price.
The plant was bought by Cyprus-registered General Commerce LLC, an investment company connected to Khmelnytsky. The tycoon, whose net worth was estimated at $310 million in 2020, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a Facebook post following the sale, State Property Fund Head Dmytro Sennychenko stated that the auction had “provided equal conditions for all investors” and that the fund had worked for “the protection of state interests.”
However, suspicions were immediately raised about the legitimacy of the auction, which concluded after just six minutes and three bidders. The final sale price was less than half the anticipated price of $100-120 million.
Shortly after the cut-price sale, Sennychenko submitted his resignation, which is currently awaiting approval by parliament.
According to the State Investigation Bureau's press statement, officials from the State Property Fund are now under investigation for abuses committed during privatization.
“Currently, (the bureau's) investigators are establishing all the circumstances behind the illegal alienation of the plant from state ownership at a reduced cost,” the statement reads. ”This caused economic damage to state interests.”
Following the sale of the plant, Ukrainian publication NV alleged that Khmelnytsky was able to buy the plant for a low price due to concerns over a long-running conflict with Agromil Distribution, who possessed lease agreements for several buildings on the site until 2036.
If the investigation shows that State Property Fund officials facilitated a cut-rate sale of the factory, officials could face up to six years in prison and the privatization of the asset could be jeopardized.
The plant has been described by Sennychenko as “a hole in the center of Kyiv…entangled in various schemes for decades.”
Dylan Carter is a staff writer at the Kyiv Independent. He studied modern languages at the University College of London and Paris Sorbonne IV. He worked as an assistant lecturer at the Kyiv School of Economics and at Ukrinform before joining the Kyiv Post in June 2021.
