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.
Security personnel walks in front of the entrance of the penalty colony IK-2 in the town of Yavas in Mordovia, central Russia, on Nov. 19, 2022. (Photo credit: ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)
A military court in Moscow has sentenced a citizen of Ukraine to 12 years imprisonment for allegedly planning to detonate an explosive device in Russia's Bryansk Oblast, the court's press service announced on Aug. 30.
Russian officials claim that Oleksandr Bobrovitskyi was a member of a saboteur group organized by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The man was reportedly asked to detonate an explosive device "at one of the transport or industrial infrastructure facilities" in the region with the goal of undermining Russia's war against Ukraine, the court claimed.
According to the court's statement, Bobrovitskyi arrived in Russia and settled in Bryansk Oblast, but was eventually arrested by Russian law enforcement while extracting a cache containing components of the explosive device.
Bobrovitskyi was convicted on the charges of terrorism and illegal possession and manufacturing of an explosive device and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and a fine of 550,000 rubles.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the veracity of the charges as Russia regularly uses trumped-up accusations and lengthy prison sentences to oppress both domestic opposition and Ukrainian citizens in occupied territories or those who otherwise end up in the hands of Russian authorities.
Bryansk Oblast lies at Russia's western border with Belarus and with Ukraine's Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts. Local officials regularly report on drone strikes and shelling from across the Ukrainian border.
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.
Elsa Court
