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.
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.
Metropolitan Luka (Andrii Kovalenko), the metropolitan bishop of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). (UOC-MP in Zaporizhzhia Oblast)
Editor's note: The article was updated after the SBU announced charges against Andrii Kovalenko.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) charged Metropolitan Luka (Andrii Kovalenko) of the Moscow-linked Ukrainian church with inciting religious hatred, the SBU's press service said on May 1.
Earlier the same day, sources in law enforcement agencies told the Kyiv Independent that SBU is carrying out searches at Kovalenko, without specifying the reason.
Kovalenko is the metropolitan bishop of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP).
The SBU press service said that Kovalenko had expressed contempt for followers of other religious denominations during church services and insulted other religions on his Telegram channel.
Chesno, a public transparency-focused Ukrainian NGO, accused Kovalenko of spreading pro-Russian propaganda and justifying Moscow's aggression against Ukraine.
In 2023, Kovalenko said that the Soviet persecution against the church in the era of Josef Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev was insignificant compared to "what is happening now in Ukraine," Chesno wrote.
Ukrainian authorities have stepped in against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate after widespread evidence of collusion of some of its members with Russian invading forces.
Other religious groups, such as the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and other Christian and non-Christian organizations, operate freely in Ukraine, except for territories occupied by Russia, where they face heavy persecution.
Kovalenko also reportedly said in 2022 that Ukrainians deserved Russian strikes and shelling because they tolerated gay parades in Kyiv.
Ukrainian authorities sanctioned Kovalenko and six other members of the UOC-MP in December 2022.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Martin Fornusek
