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.
Ukrainian servicemen carry a coffin of a Ukrainian poet and serviceman Maksym Kryvtsov who was killed fighting Russian troops, at the Saint Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, on January 11, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey /AFP via Getty Images)
Through open-source research, Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, together with BBC Russia, confirmed the names of 77,143 Russian soldiers who had been killed since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Since Mediazona's last update at the end of October, the names of 1,761 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.
The U.K.'s defense minister said in an interview published Nov. 8 that Russian forces suffered their deadliest month in October since the start of the full-scale invasion, averaging 1,354 casualties every day.
British defense intelligence estimates Russia has likely suffered more than 696,000 losses since the start of the full-scale invasion, a figure in line with Ukraine's current total figure of 707,540 reported on Nov. 9.
According to some experts, the surge in losses in recent months may be one of the factors behind the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 7 that North Korean troops fighting against Ukrainian forces are taking casualties in Russia's Kursk Oblast, although he did not share the number of estimated casualties.
Since Russia began its all-out war against Ukraine over 4,300 officers have been killed in combat in Ukraine. The analysts also note that at least 14,204 Russian convicts have been killed on Ukraine's eastern front.
According to the journalist, Russian soldiers killed in action in 2024 tend to be increasingly older in age as the average age for volunteer recruits continues to soar. The plurality of volunteer recruits killed in the war fall most prominently between the ages of 48 and 50 years old.
The bloodiest day for Moscow's forces was on May 13, when they suffered a reported 1,740 casualties.
According to undisclosed sources and Western intelligence estimates, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sept. 17 that roughly 1 million Ukrainians and Russians have been killed or wounded since February 2022, including civillians.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
