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.
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.
Maksim Kuzminov, the Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine, in Kyiv on Sept. 5, 2023. (Photo: Ukrinform)
Sources familiar with the investigation confirmed to the Spanish news agency EFE on Feb. 19 that Maksim Kuzminov, a Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine, was killed in Spain on Feb. 13.
Kuzminov's death in Spain was first reported on Feb. 19 by Ukrainska Pravda and other Ukrainian media outlets, citing the press service of Ukraine's military intelligence.
Kuzminov made headlines in August 2023 after he landed a fully intact Mi-8 helicopter in Ukraine and gave himself up to authorities. Andrii Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's military intelligence, later said that Kuzminov would receive the hryvnia equivalent of $500,000 (approximately Hr 18.48 million) as a reward for defecting with the helicopter.
Kuzminov said that he contacted the Ukrainian side himself, and was told he would receive security for himself and his family, payments, and new documents from Ukraine if he defected.
Kuzminov said his parents supported his plans to defect and joined him in Ukraine.
Ukrainska Pravda said on Feb. 19, citing sources from Ukraine's military intelligence, that Kuzminov had moved to Spain.
Local Spanish media originally reported that an unnamed 33-year-old Ukrainian man was killed in the city of Villajoyosa on Feb. 14.
EFE reported that there was some initial confusion over Kuzminov's identity, as the documentation associated with the dead body found on Feb. 13 did not correspond with Kuzminov's age or country of origin. Spanish authorities later told the BBC that Kuzminov may have been living under a false identity.
Sources close to the investigation later confirmed to EFE that the man, shot six times in a garage in Villajoyosa, was Kuzminov.
The Spanish government has yet to publicly speak about Kuzminov's death.
Sergey Naryshkin, the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, commented on Kuzminov's death on Feb. 20, saying that "traitor and criminal was a moral corpse," the Russian state-run media outlet TASS reported.
Rachel Amran
