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.
The shooting occurred around 3:22 p.m. local time in Sofiivska Borshchahivka, a residential area in Bucha district, according to the Kyiv regional police.
An Orlan drone displayed during an open-air exhibition of destroyed Russian military equipment and tactical gear on Mykhailivska Square on June 15, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Zinchenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
A Russian manufacturer of Orlan drones and other military-use equipment dodges sanctions to obtain foreign-made components, successfully increasing production, the Ukrainian volunteer group InformNapalm said in its Jan. 12 analysis of the company's data leaked by hackers.
Apart from Orlan-10 drones, widely used by Russian forces for reconnaissance and guiding artillery fire, the St. Petersburg-based Special Technology Center (STC) also produces electronic warfare systems and other equipment for the Russian military.
In its analysis, InformNapalm cited data provided to the international intelligence community by the Ukrainian hacker group CyberResistence last November.
InformNapalm illustrated how reliant the STC is on foreign components in an example of a simple cargo hexacopter drone.
The drone in question allegedly uses an engine produced by the Chinese company T-Motor, while the flight controller and GPS module are manufactured by the Chinese Radiolink Electronic Limited. Laptops are manufactured by Lenovo, and the camera is manufactured by Sony, InformNapalm said.
The company also allegedly imports parts and equipment made in the U.S., Germany, Spain, Austria, the U.K., and Switzerland, even though Western countries have imposed extensive sanctions to prevent Russia from obtaining high-tech dual-use goods.
An analysis of procurement documents revealed that the STC uses a simple scheme to access these products. "Dummy companies" based in China, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, or Turkey buy products from suppliers in the country of origin.
Goods are then bought by a Russian supplier and sent to STC plants for drone production, the analysis shows.
According to InformNapalm, the STC also established stable partnerships with Chinese companies for electronic components supplies. While not providing direct military aid to Russia, China has provided Moscow with extensive supplies of dual-use goods and supports the country against Western sanctions.
Ukraine's military intelligence agency HUR said earlier this week that it had seized 100 gigabytes of classified data from the STC, without specifying how was it obtained.
The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAZK) identified around 2,500 foreign components in Russian weaponry, mostly from U.S. producers who do not sell their products to Russia directly.
Western sanctions nevertheless appear to have some tangible impact. Military Intelligence (HUR) spokesperson Andrii Yusov saidearlier on Jan. 12 that Russia faces problems in obtaining some weapon components like modern optics and electronics as a result of international trade restrictions.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Martin Fornusek
