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.
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."
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill during the Easter Mass at the Christ The Saviour Cathedral on April 24, 2022, in Moscow, Russia. (Contributor/Getty Images)
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has placed Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow on its wanted list, according to the Interior Ministry's wanted persons database on Dec. 15.
Patriarch Kirill, born Vladimir Gundyayev, is the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a staunch supporter of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Russia's war against Ukraine.
According to the Soviet archives, the bishop was a KGB agent and spied on Switzerland in the 1970s, using his role as an official representative at the World Council of Churches.
The database describes him as a person "hiding from pre-judicial investigation authorities,"
Kirill is accused of violating Article 110 of Ukraine's criminal code, which concerns actions that infringe on Ukraine's territorial integrity, resulting in "the death of people or other serious consequences." The charge carries a punishment of life imprisonment.
He is also charged with article 437, the "planning preparation, unleashing, and waging an aggressive war," which carries a punishment of up to 15 years imprisonment.
The SBU announced the charges in November due to the fact he is a "member of the inner circle of Russia's top military and political leadership and was one of the first to publicly support the full-scale war against Ukraine."
The Security Service pointed out that Krill uses his Orthodox subordinates in Russia, as well as members of the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church, to spread pro-Russian propaganda.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate is subordinate to the Russian church and is not to be confused with the autocephalous (autonomous) Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
Ukraine has long accused the Moscow Patriarchate's representatives in Ukraine of serving as the Kremlin's propaganda arm in the war.
Kirill included pro-war narratives in his sermons and other religious services, the SBU noted, drawing attention to his blessing to Russian invasion troops in March last year and other cases seen as justification of Russia's invasion.
The U.K. sanctioned him in June 2022 for backing the war. However, he has evaded EU sanctions due to Hungary's protests.
