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.
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.
The shooting occurred around 3:22 p.m. local time in Sofiivska Borshchahivka, a residential area in Bucha district, according to the Kyiv regional police.
Lawmakers urged the EU and its member states to step up efforts to hold Moscow accountable through international courts and support for Ukraine’s campaign to bring its children home.
The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sat down with author, historian, and Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9, which mark the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, are one of the country’s biggest public events of the year. President of the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland Andrej Lushnycky who sheds some light on the things Putin would rather you didn’t know about World War II.
Washington’s involvement may also help mitigate political opposition in Europe, while giving the U.S. strategic visibility over future Russian energy flows, sources told Reuters.
A view of the site after a private jet, allegedly carrying Wagner mercenary group head Yevgeny Prigozhin and other passengers, that crashed in Russia's northwestern Tver Oblast on Aug. 23, 2023. (Photo by Wagner Telegram Account/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The reported death of Yevgeny Prigozhin and other senior members of the Wagner Group will "almost certainly" have a destabilizing effect on the mercenary company, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its latest intelligence report on Aug. 25.
"The demise of Prigozhin would almost certainly have a deeply destabilizing effect on the Wagner Group," the ministry said.
"His personal attributes of hyper-activity, exceptional audacity, a drive for results and extreme brutality permeated Wagner and are unlikely to be matched by any successor."
The update noted that the list of passengers who presumably died in the crash also included other top figures of the Wagner Group, including its co-founder and field commander Dmitry Utkin and logistics chief Valery Chekalov.
The intelligence report stressed, however, that there is no definitive proof that Prigozhin is indeed dead, although it remains highly likely.
On Aug. 23, a private Embraer Legacy aircraft presumably carrying Prigozhin and other senior members of the Wagner Group crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino in Tver Oblast while flying from Moscow to St. Petersburg. All 10 people on board died in the crash.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that the presumed death of the group's leadership will likely prevent it from resisting efforts by the Kremlin and Russian Ministry of Defense to "weaken, subsume, and destroy the organization."
In an act of "almost certain assassination," the Russian government has removed "any remaining means Wagner had to operate independently of the Russian Ministry of Defense," the ISW experts commented.
Prigozhin often came into conflict with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and military leadership over the ministry's efforts to curb the group's independence.
The cause of the crash remains unclear. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Aug. 24 that Ukraine did not orchestrate the crash, but said that "everyone understands" who is behind it, presumably implying Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
The likely cause was a bomb onboard or "some other form of sabotage," according to unnamed U.S. officials cited by the Wall Street Journal on Aug. 24.
Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed Prigozhin's reported demise on Aug. 24, wishing condolences to the family and saying that the warlord "made mistakes" but "got the results he wanted both for himself and for the common cause."
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
