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.
An Airbus A321-211 aircraft of Russian airline Aeroflot in long-term parking in Geneva, Switzerland, in March 2022. Swiss sanctions banned Aeroflot from using Swiss airspace. (Fabrice/Coffini/ AFP)
A plane operated by the Russian airline Utair carrying 104 passengers and allegedly radioactive material as cargo was forced to make an emergency landing in Moscow, Deutsche Welles reported on Dec. 11, citing Russian Telegram channels.
The plane was flying from Khanty-Mansiysk in western Siberia to Moscow and reportedly experienced a malfunction with its landing gear.
The independent Russian media outlet The Moscow Times said on Dec. 8 that 11 incidents involving civilian aircraft were recorded in Russia over the first eight days of December, including two on one day on several occasions.
The incidents highlighted the increasingly apparent impact of Western sanctions on Russia's airlines, which have prohibited the export of aviation-related technology and spare parts and banned the ability of Russian airlines or Russian-owned airplanes to use EU airspace.
Sanctions have radically transformed the nature of Russian airlines, forcing the majority of routes to be domestic-only.
Russian state-controlled media Kommersant reported in May 2023 that 2,000 flights had been recorded by planes using expired parts, according to comments by Viktor Basargin, the head of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Transport (Rostransnadzor).
Some Russian planes have begun to be serviced in Iran, one of Russia's few remaining allies, and a country also under Western sanctions, according to the state-run Russian media outlet TASS.
Russia's Foreign Ministry officially filed a complaint with the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on Oct. 11, saying that the sanctions "jeopardized the safety of international civil aviation."
Olga Rudenko
