Although Moscow declared on April 28 that it would halt all military actions from May 8 to midnight on May 11 to mark Victory Day, strikes on civilian areas have continued.
Under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's rule, millions of Ukrainians died during the Holodomor, a man-made famine in 1932–1933. The dictator also oversaw mass deportations, purges of Ukrainian intellectuals and leaders, and the suppression of the Ukrainian language and culture.
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.
Flooding in Kherson Oblast after the Kakhovka dam was blown up by Russian forces on June 6, 2023. (Photo: Vladyslav Kupreev/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC "UA:PBC"/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
World leaders and international organizations are reacting to the growing humanitarian and environmental disaster caused by Russia blowing up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, with many calling it a war crime.
"The destruction of civilian infrastructure clearly qualifies as a war crime - and we will hold Russia and its proxies accountable," European Council President Charles Michel wrote.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called it "an outrageous act which demonstrates once again the brutality of Russia's war in Ukraine."
Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna wrote that the destruction of the dam "will result in ecocide, enormous economic damage, and displacement of thousands of people," adding that Russia needed to face a special tribunal for its war crimes.
Moldova's President Maia Sandu said that her country was "ready to provide assistance in response to the floods and support efforts to mitigate the impact."
"Terrorists don't stop unless they are stopped. They don't negotiate with anything except force. They cause huge catastrophes without regret. I'll say it again: Lasting peace in Europe requires a Ukrainian victory both on the battlefield and in court. Nothing else will work," Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis added.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reiterated that civilian infrastructure should not be a target during wartime.
"The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam puts thousands of civilians in danger, leaving many with no homes and in dire humanitarian need," the UN wrote.
Russian forces destroyed the Kakhova Hydroelectric Power Plant’s dam across the Dnipro River on the morning of June 6, sparking a large-scale humanitarian and environmental disaster across southern Ukraine.
Built in 1956, the power plant is a crucial component of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. According to Ukraine’s state hydroelectric power company, the damage caused by the breach is “impossible to repair.”
Around 16,000 people’s homes in Kherson Oblast are reportedly located in “critical risk” zones for flooding. Eight hundred and eighty-five people have been evacuated from Kherson Oblast as of 11:00 a.m. local time, according to the Interior Ministry.
Ukraine is calling for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to be convened, according to the Foreign Ministry, along with "raising the issue of the Russian terrorist act at the meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as well as engaging the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union."
"The sabotage of the Kakhovka dam is an act of technogenic and ecological terrorism, the largest technogenic disaster in Europe in recent decades, and another manifestation of Russia's genocide against Ukrainians. It is a response by the Kremlin to countries calling for peaceful negotiations with Russia," the Foreign Ministry wrote.
Kate Tsurkan is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent who writes mostly about culture-related topics in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Her newsletter Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan, which focuses specifically on Ukrainian culture, is published weekly by the Kyiv Independent. The U.S. publisher Deep Vellum published her co-translation of Ukrainian author Oleh Sentsov’s Diary of a Hunger Striker in 2024. Some of her other writing and translations have appeared in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Harpers, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and elsewhere. She is the co-founder of Apofenie Magazine.
Olena Goncharova
