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 Crocus City Hall concert hall following the shooting incident outside Moscow, Russia, on March 22, 2024. (Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) has said a deadly shooting on a concert hall in Moscow on March 22 is a "deliberate provocation by Putin's special services."
The attack – ongoing at the time of writing – saw several gunmen opening fire at the Crocus City Hall ahead of a concert.
Images posted to social media showed them walking unchallenged through the venue and firing indiscriminately at those inside.
According to Russia's Investigative Committee and the Russian Health Ministry, over 60 people were killed and more than 140 wounded following the attack.
"This is a deliberate provocation by Putin's special services, about which the international community warned," Andrii Yusov, a spokesperson of Ukraine's military Intelligence, told Ukrainska Pravda.
In a post on its Telegram channel, HUR claimed the shooting is intended to justify "even tougher" attacks on Ukraine and total mobilization in Russia.
"The public execution of people in Moscow should be understood as Putin's threat of an even greater escalation and expansion of the war," HUR wrote.
The terrorist group Islamic State (IS)later claimed responsibility for the attack in a Telegram post, and U.S. intelligence officials confirmed the claim.
On March 7, the U.S. Embassy in Russia issued a warning that "extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow" and urged American citizens to stay away from concentrations of people over the next 48 hours.
"The unimpeded movement of a group of militants with assault rifles through the center of Moscow, as well as a lot of other indisputable evidence, indicate that the shooting in Crocus City Hall was organized by the Russian special services," HUR wrote.
"International embassies also warned about the preparation of a terrorist attack."
In 1999 shortly after Vladimir Putin become president, a series of apartment bombings rocked Russia which were blamed on Chechen separatists, lighting the fuse for the second Chechen war.
Since then, speculation has continued that Putin and Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) orchestrated the bombings to boost his popularity and legitimize the war.
Just hours after the attacks began, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, warned of retaliation against Ukraine if “terrorists of the Kyiv regime” were found to be behind them.
“If it is established that these are terrorists of the Kyiv regime, it is impossible to deal with them and their ideological inspirers differently,” he wrote in a post on Telegram.
“All of them must be found and mercilessly destroyed as terrorists. Including officials of the state that committed such atrocity. Death for death.”
Kateryna Denisova
