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.
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.
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.
Former presidential advisor Oleksii Arestovych at a forum in Kyiv on Dec. 11, 2020. (Evgen Kotenko/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Ukraine's National Police allegedly opened an investigation against controversial former presidential advisor Oleksii Arestovych, Ukrainian MP Nataliia Pipa said on Nov. 16.
Although Pipa did not add any further details, Ukraine's National Police reported soon after that it had started an investigation into an alleged charge of "knowingly filing a false criminal report." The report did not mention Arestovych or Pipa by name, it did say that the police had been notified of the case by a group of MPs.
The news agency Unian and others said that the police had confirmed the case involved Arestovych and Pipa.
Earlier, Pipa had publicly reprimanded a teenage street performer in Lviv for singing a song in Russian by the Soviet-era band Kino, who insulted her in response. The boy was later charged with an administrative offense and issued a video apology to Pipa.
Arestovych, who typically writes to his hundreds of thousands of followers in Russian, accused Pipa of "inciting ethnic hatred" and filed a complaint with Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation, understood to be the "false criminal report" referred to by the National Police.
At the time of this publication, it is unknown if the alleged investigation refers to this accusation.
A popular voice in the early days of the full-scale invasion, Arestovych resigned from his position as presidential advisor in January 2023 after he falsely claimed that a deadly strike against an apartment building in Dnipro that killed 46 people could have been caused by a Ukrainian anti-air missile.
He has remained vocal since his departure and has floated the idea that he might run for president, among other criticisms of President Volodymyr Zelensky and the current Ukrainian government.
The Carnegie Endowment for Global Peace said on Nov. 1 that Arestovych and his political associates are "targeting Russophone voters with an inclusive vision of the nation that could also be described as Russophone patriotism."
During his tenure as presidential advisor, Arestovych made many claims that were false or misleading, as well as controversial statements about Ukrainian culture, LGBT people, Ukrainian servicewomen, and other topics before and after the invasion, quickly damaging his reputation among the Ukrainian public.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
