The ruling marks a significant victory for RFE/RL amid growing concerns about U.S. funding cuts to independent media countering Russian disinformation.
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Friday, May 9
(Updated: )
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.
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.
(Updated: )Victory Day
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.
Friday, May 9
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.
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UK intelligence: Russia’s relocation of long-range aviation further east to complicate aircraft maintenance.
• 1 min read
Russia’s use of long-range aviation from distant airfields “will add additional maintenance stress and will further deplete the limited flying hours available on these aging aircraft,” the U.K. Defense Ministry reported in its latest intelligence update on Jan. 5.
Russia has redeployed its bombers to the country’s far east after recent drone attacks on the Engels air base in Russia's Saratov Oblast, according to Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
Despite the move, Russia’s long-range aviation “will still be able to fire air-launched cruise missiles into Ukraine because the weapons have a 5,000 kilometer range, in addition to the flight range of the bombers,” the ministry said.
Russia has used the Engels air base, which is located around 730 kilometers southeast of Moscow and hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine, to attack Ukraine with bombers carrying cruise missiles.
On Dec. 26, a Ukrainian drone attacked the Engels air base, killing three soldiers, according to the Russian Ministry of Defence.
Ukraine has not explicitly admitted having organized the attack.
Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat called it “the consequences of Russian aggression” against Ukraine.
Russian officials have also blamed Ukraine for the explosions at the Engels Air Base and the Dyagilyaevo airfield near Ryazan on Dec. 5, which killed three people and damaged two Tu-95 heavy bombers. Ukraine neither confirmed nor denied its responsibility for the incidents.
The U.K. Defense Ministry said on Dec. 6 that the explosions at the air bases might be some of Russia's most strategically significant failures.
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