Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
The approval marks a key step in international efforts to hold Moscow accountable for what is considered the gravest violation of international law committed against Ukraine.
Although Moscow declared on April 28 that it would halt all military actions from May 8 to midnight on May 11 to mark Victory Day, strikes on civilian areas have continued.
Under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's rule, millions of Ukrainians died during the Holodomor, a man-made famine in 1932–1933. The dictator also oversaw mass deportations, purges of Ukrainian intellectuals and leaders, and the suppression of the Ukrainian language and culture.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A train runs on the Transbaikal Railway Railway in Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia, on Aug. 11, 2019. (Illustrative purposes only) (Andrew Surma/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A Russian man has been found guilty of sabotage and treason and jailed for 10 years after allegedly setting fire to a railway relay cabinet in Transbaikal, in far eastern Russia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported on April 23.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, what were previously treated as acts of hooliganism have often been tried as acts of sabotage aimed at disrupting the Kremlin's war effort, and those found guilty now face far harsher punishments.
Some have been accused of working under Ukraine's orders.
The court said the man set fire to the relay cabinet "with the aim of undermining the economic security and defense capability of Russia, thereby providing other assistance to a foreign state or its representatives."
According to the Telegram channel Babr Mash, the man admitted his guilt and said that he carried out the crime on "ideological grounds" in order to assist a "foreign state." The Kyiv Independent could not verify the veracity of the charges, as Russia often uses trumped-up accusations and torture to repress real or imagined opposition.
Acts of sabotage against Russia's railways have been relatively frequent.
Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) announced in November 2023 that it carried out a joint operation with local partisans to disrupt trains around Moscow by setting fire to two relay boxes.
"Fire, chaos, and paralysis on the Russian railway is another consequence of the Russian criminal war against Ukraine," the agency said.
In January, Ukraine's military intelligence reported that railway tracks in Russia's Saratov, Yaroslavl, and Nizhny Novgorod oblasts were targeted in sabotage attacks.
"Unknown opponents of (Vladimir) Putin's regime once again burned several relay cabinets on the railway," military intelligence said.
The agency did not say whether it was involved in the sabotage attacks but said the actions would disrupt Russian military logistics.
Kateryna Denisova
