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 holiday home belonging to Viktor Medvedchuk in Zakarpattia Region, western Ukraine, on March 25, 2014. (Serhii Hudak/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Multiple properties belonging to pro-Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk and his wife Oksana Marchenko have not yet been seized by the Ukrainian state, investigative outlet Bihus.info reported on Nov. 2.
Medvedchuk, who was long thought to be Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s right-hand man in Ukraine, was charged with high treason and placed under house arrest in 2021, only to flee as Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
The oligarch was subsequently re-arrested in April 2022. In September, he was handed over to Russia as part of a prisoner exchange. Marchenko is sanctioned by the U.K. government and is on a Ukrainian wanted list.
The couple no longer live in Ukraine, but their real estate portfolio includes a spa hotel in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, a holiday home in the Carpathian mountains, and property in Kyiv, Bihus reported.
While Marchenko's Kyiv property has been seized, she is still the official owner. The property has therefore not yet officially been handed over to the state, and security guards are still employed.
The investigative journalists pointed out that despite the "blocking all assets of Medvedchuk and Marchenko, they apparently manage to pay for the services of the security guards."
Similar security arrangements were found to be documented at the other properties belonging to Medvedchuk and Marchenko that have been seized, but not yet fully confiscated.
Some of their land has been confiscated, however. A Kyiv court ruled in May in favor of confiscating the land on the Dnipro River bank owned by Marchenko.
According to the prosecution, the land was privatized illegally and will now be returned to the state. The Kyiv Regional Prosecutor's Office claimed the state's right for the 9.5 hectares of forest land, worth over Hr 204 million ($5.6 million).
