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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.
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Friday, May 9
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.
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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.
(Updated: )Victory Day
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.
Friday, May 9
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.
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Security Service: Leaders of Moscow Orthodox Church in Chernivtsi have Russian passports
• 2 min read
The Security Service of Ukraine said on Nov. 25 it had conducted searches on the territory of the Chernivtsi and Bukovyna Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and found documents confirming that its leaders have Russian citizenship.
Law enforcement also found Moscow's manuals on conducting services after the start of the full-scale invasion.
Representatives of the church were instructed to misinform parishioners about the socio-political situation in Ukraine and the situation at the front, according to the report.
Chernivtsi is a regional capital in the west of Ukraine.
On Nov. 23, the Security Service conducted a raid at a historic Kyiv monastery, Kyiv's Pechersk Lavra. The searches were carried out to search for sabotage groups, foreign citizens, or illegal weapons, as well as to prevent the use of facilities as "centers of the Russian world," according to the SBU.
Raids were also conducted at the Korets Monastery in Rivne Oblast and other facilities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in the region.
On May 27, three months after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Moscow-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church said it would have "full independence" from the Russian Orthodox Church.
However, skeptics said it was just a ploy to appease critics since the Ukrainian branch effectively remained part of the Russian church and did not declare "autocephaly" – the Orthodox term for genuine independence.
The Ukrainian branch also said it "condemns the war" and "disagrees with the position of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow on the war in Ukraine."
Patriarch Kirill, the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church, has been vocal in his support for Russia's war against Ukraine. During a sermon in September, he said that sacrificing life in the war against Ukraine ‘washes away sins.’
Destruction, isolation, and controversy in frontline monastery of Sviatohirsk
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