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.
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.
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.
Despite the Kremlin’s announcement of a May 8–11 truce, heavy fighting continued in multiple regions throughout the day.
VINNYTSIA – Andrii Artymovych felt that he needed a lazy start to his day. The 34-year-old IT specialist spent the day working from home in bed with his laptop.
That decision nearly cost him his life.
An hour into his slow morning, Artymovych heard a loud noise. The sound of warplanes overhead had become a regular component of his work day.
“Military (planes) fly here all the time, but this was something unusual,” he told the Kyiv Independent.
Seconds later, three missiles hit the city square just steps away from his home.
“The glass shattered and I rolled out of bed. There was glass everywhere,” Artymovych recounted, standing in his practically ravaged bedroom.
Artymovych escaped with a couple of bumps on his head and several cuts on his back and temple. The doctors told him he would be fine.
“They have people to take care of and that’s not me,” he said.
The Russian missile strike on Vinnytsia hit civilian infrastructure in the city’s center, killing at least 23 people and injuring 117. The number of casualties has yet to stabilize.
The first attack of that magnitude on Vinnytsia, it brought to a horrifying end the city’s perception as a relatively safe haven from Russian aggression in Ukraine. Many Ukrainians have sought refuge in the city after having fled from more dangerous regions.
Saving lives
Hospitals around Vinnytsia have admitted 66 patients injured in the morning attack thus far, five of whom are in critical condition.
“There is a young woman, a 20-year-old who was brought to us today. Her injuries are incompatible with life,” Vasyl Nahaichuk, the deputy chief of the Vinnytsia Oblast Hospital’s burn unit, told the Kyiv Independent.
“Her burns cover 98% of her body and they are deep burns,” he continued. According to Nahaichuk, deep burns covering 30% of the body are usually a death sentence.
The young woman is not the only patient admitted with severe burns, he says.
“We also admitted a 60-year-old woman. Her burns cover 80% of her body, but they are not as deep as those of that young woman. Their age differs, however, and it matters,” Nahaichuk said.
He says his colleagues had been working nonstop from 11 a.m. until late on July 14. Their ward alone admitted nine people injured in the Russian missile attack on the city.
Russian culpability
As of late afternoon on July 14, around 250 emergency responders and hundreds of law enforcement officers have been working at the scene of the attack in downtown Vinnytsia.
“We have opened a case into the violation of the rules and customs of war because this missile attack targeted a civilian site,” Kostiantyn Gozdyp, a prosecutor with Vinnytsia Oblast’s Prosecutor’s Office, said in an interview with the Kyiv Independent.
Forensic experts have managed to identify only 13 of the 23 people that have been killed thus far. Many of the victims’ bodies were severely burned in the attack, making identification difficult.
“Some of the bodies can’t be identified in any manner but through a genetic examination,” Gozdyp said. “Many of them are like this. There are children burned alive, adults burned alive.”
