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.
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.
Despite the Kremlin’s announcement of a May 8–11 truce, heavy fighting continued in multiple regions throughout the day.
According to a joint investigation by the BBC Russian service, Mediazona, and a team of volunteer researchers, Russian casualties have been five times higher than usual in the past two weeks.
Throughout 2022, Russian troops' typical proven casualty rate was around 250-300 per week. However, these figures began to double in January 2023. The investigators were able to confirm 1,679 Russian troop casualties since the start of February.
According to the report, this is the largest increase in casualties since the start of the full-scale invasion in March 2022. It can likely be attributed to Russia's latest offensive in eastern Ukraine.
The investigators were able to confirm the names of a total of 14,709 Russian troops killed since the start of the full-scale invasion using open sources and added that the total number of Russian troops casualties might be twice as high as what they were able to verify.
Moreover, they confirmed the deaths of 50 mobilized troops at military units and collection points on Russian territory, the cause of which was most often health problems and delayed medical treatment. Eight deaths were caused by suicide, and six during training or traffic accidents.
One of the highest levels of casualties is recorded for soldiers from Krasnodar Krai. Forty percent of the deaths were not reported in media or on social networks. Instead, this information came from local volunteers who photographed new graves at local cemeteries.
Many troops from economically-disadvantaged regions such as Dagestan, Buryatia, and Bashkortostan had the highest casualties. Conversely, only 98 deaths of soldiers from Moscow are known, despite the city comprising nine percent of Russia's total population.
According to the report, casualties increase significantly if the losses of soldiers mobilized by Russia's proxies in occupied Donetsk (at least 5,000 soldiers) and Luhansk (more than 1,500) Oblasts are included. The BBC reports that it found more than 4,600 messages from people in the occupied territories searching for information on their loved ones' whereabouts.
