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.
Members of the Wagner Group sit atop a tank in a street in the city of Rostov-on-Don on June 24, 2023. (Photo: Roman Romokhov/AFP via Getty Images)
The U.K. government has officially declared the Wagner Group a terrorist organization, which gives the group the same status as the Islamic State and al-Qaeda have.
Going forward, belonging to, actively supporting, engaging with, or carrying the logo of the Wagner Group in public is a criminal offense in the U.K. Offenders could face a maximum of 14 years in prison or a fine at or under 5,000 pounds ($6,200).
Under the U.K. legislation, the Home Secretary may deem a group a terrorist organization if it commits or takes part in acts of terrorism, prepares terrorist acts, promotes or encourages terrorism, or is involved in terrorism in other ways. The Wagner Group is now the 79th organization on the list.
Designating the Russian mercenary group a terrorist organization comes after calls from President Volodymyr Zelensky to treat the group as terrorists and "careful consideration of the nature and scale of the organization's activities," according to the U.K. home office.
The U.K. included the group and its former leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a wave of sanctions against Russia after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Prigozhin was reportedly killed in an Aug. 23 private jet crash.
On July 30, the Times reported that the U.K. government's plan to declare the Wagner Group a terrorist organization had been impacted by the fallout from Prigozhin's brief armed rebellion against the Russian leadership.
Following the uprising, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that the private military company had been fully financed by the state, with the U.K. then facing the issue that blacklisting Wagner would amount to blacklisting an official arm of the Russian government.
This move would "involve a range of diplomatic and legal complications," reported the Times, citing government sources. However, senior ministers were still determined to find a way to continue this process, the article said.
For years, the Kremlin had attempted to distance itself from the mercenary group accused of committing war crimes in a number of countries worldwide, including Ukraine. However, Putin claimed on June 27 that Wagner had received over 86 billion rubles ($1 billion) from the state's budget between May 2022 and May 2023.
Alexander Khrebet
