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.
A view of the 57th Motor Rifle Brigade as it fires artillery on the Bakhmut front in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast, on June 28, 2023. (Photo by Ercin Erturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian forces face worsening counter-battery capabilities due to growing equipment shortages, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on July 17.
According to the report, the survivability of Russian ground troops relies on detecting Ukrainian artillery and striking against it. However, the British intelligence analysis said that Russia is dealing with a worsening shortage of ZOOPARK-1M counter-battery radars.
Few of the ZOOPARK radars deployed in Ukraine are likely to remain operational, the U.K. Defense Ministry estimated, pointing out the recent destruction of one such radar in early July.
The report said that the lack of counter-battery provisions was one of the main complaints of the recently sacked Major General Ivan Popov, until recently the commander of Russia's 58th Combined Arms Army (58th CAA).
As the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote on July 16, Popov is among several Russian commanders who were allegedly removed from their posts not long ago.
Other sacked officers may include Major General Vladimir Seliverstov and Major General Alexander Kornev from the Russian airborne forces, though the ISW acknowledges the information has not been officially confirmed.
The units of these generals belong to the more successful ones on the battlefield. For example, the 58th CAA carried out relatively successful counteroffensives in Zaporizhzhia Oblast while Seliverstov troops defend Bakhmut against Ukrainian forces, the British analysts wrote.
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
