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.
Illustrative image: Fresh graves are seen at a cemetery in the city of Mariupol on June 2, 2022, amid Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)
Through open-source research, Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, together with BBC Russia, confirmed the names of 61,831 Russian soldiers who had been killed since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Since Mediazona's last update in early July, the names of 2,106 Russian soldiers have been addedto the list of casualties.
The journalists note that the actual figures are likely significantly higher, as their verified information comes from public sources such as obituaries, posts by relatives, regional media reports, and statements from local authorities.
Since the start of Russia's renewed offensive into Khariv Oblast, the country's Armed Forces have experienced some of its heaviest losses since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Due to the "growth of losses in the last several months," the journalists note that "several thousand obituaries" are not yet accounted for due to processing delays - with the total casualties expected to rise significantly in subsequent reports.
On July 5, Russian media outlets Meduza and Mediazona published an estimated report indicating that approximately 120,000 Russian troops have been killed since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent is unable to independently confirm the figure.
Since Russia began its all-out war against Ukraine, over 3,800 officers have been killed in action. The analysts note that at least 12,339 Russian inmates have been also killed on Ukraine's eastern front - or 20 per cent of the total confirmed casualties.
According to Mediazona's estimates, a majority of those killed in action come from Rostov, Sverdlovsk, Bashkiria, and Chelyabinsk oblasts, as well as the Buryatia republic.
As of August 12, 2024, the Ukrainian military estimates Russian combat losses at 598,000 troops.
Asami Terajima
