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."
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.
A search by Ukraine's Security Service of the office of Uzhhorod Mayor Bohdan Andriiv on Nov. 1, 2023. (Security Service of Ukraine / Telegram)
Law enforcement officers searched Uzhhorod city council offices as part of an investigation into suspected vacations by city council officials during wartime, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) confirmed on Nov. 1.
Media reports emerged earlier in the day that the office of Uzhhorod Mayor Bohdan Andriiv was being searched in connection to cases of illegal border crossings by local deputies and civil servants.
Officials have been banned from leaving the country since January 2023. The ban applies for the duration of the war, and travel is allowed in case of official business or medical care, among other exceptions.
Investigators believe that Uzhhorod city council officials forged documents about business trips in order to travel outside Ukraine on vacation.
The suspects are thought to have made fake invitations from foreign organizations as proof that the trip abroad was for official purposes.
These letters were not registered in the city council's electronic records system "in order to mask criminal activity," the SBU said.
The crime of illegally crossing the state border can be punished with up to nine years in prison.
Andriiv was elected to the city council of Zakarpattia Oblast's regional center in 2010 for the pro-Russian Party of Regions.
He later ran unsuccessfully for a parliamentary seat in 2019 for the Opposition Bloc, another pro-Russian party formed largely by former members of the Party of Regions.
Andriiv was elected Uzhhorod's mayor with the support of the Revival party in 2015 and was later re-elected in 2020.
A similar investigation is ongoing after independent lawmaker Oleksandr Dubinsky was declared a suspect in August of falsifying official documents in a case related to his travel abroad.
The authorities believe Dubinsky traveled under the pretext of accompanying his father for medical treatment outside of Ukraine. However, Dubinsky's father went abroad without him and returned to Ukraine before the lawmaker.
He was elected as an MP for President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party, but was expelled in 2021 for "violating the statute and disobeying the party's governing bodies."
Olga Aivazovska
