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.
Serhii Kuzminykh, a member of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People parliamentary faction, was reportedly caught while accepting a bribe on Jan. 28, 2022. (Serhiy Kuzminykh/ Facebook)
Serhii Kuzminykh, a member of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People parliamentary faction, was caught while allegedly accepting an Hr 558,000 ($20,000) bribe on Jan. 28, according to law enforcement sources of Ukrainian news websites Ukrainska Pravda and Censor.Net.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said that they caught a lawmaker of Servant of the People faction “red-handed” when receiving a bribe, but did not name him.
According to the NABU, “the official accepted a bribe for helping private companies get contracts with a state hospital in Zhytomyr Oblast.”
In parliament, Kuzminykh heads a subcommittee on pharmacy and pharmaceutical activity.
Kuzminykh came to prominence as the brother of Oleg Kuzminykh, one of the high-profile Ukrainian soldiers that were defending the Donetsk Airport before it fell to Russian-backed militants in 2015.
The brothers launched a rehabilitation center for war veterans in the city of Zhytomyr.
A person with a blurred face, reportedly lawmaker Serhiy Kuzminykh, talks to a detective of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. (NABU/Telegram)
Kuzminykh couldn’t be reached for comment. The Kyiv Independent called the brothers' charity organization, the Oleh and Sergiy Kuzminykh Fund, to verify the news of the arrest. The person who picked up the phone said they “don’t give comments,” hung up and didn’t respond to further calls.
Neither Servant of the People party nor faction has yet issued statements into the alleged bribery probe against Kuzminykh.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, the lawmaker has not been detained, and the NABU will now ask Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova to sign the charges. According to the law, prosecutor general has to personally authorize charges against lawmakers.
It’s not the first time lawmakers of the ruling Servant of the People faction, which has the 242-seat majority in the parliament, are exposed taking bribes.
In September 2020, the NABU caught lawmaker Oleksandr Yurchenko extorting a bribe amounting $13,000.
A few days after, Servant of the People expelled him from the faction. The Prosecutor General signed a notice of suspicion for Yurchenko. The investigation is ongoing.
In October 2020, journalists of Schemes, an investigative project of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, exposed Pavlo Khalimon, a lawmaker with the Servant of the People faction, allegedly extorting a bribe.
According to journalists, Khalimon, the deputy chairman of the agrarian committee, asked farmers in Chernihiv Oblast to pay him Hr 40 million ($1.4 million) to ensure a favorable business climate.
Khalimon called the investigation “a hunt for 'servants of the people'.”
Anna Myroniuk is the head of investigations at the Kyiv Independent. Anna has run investigative projects on human rights, healthcare and illicit trade. She also investigated political and corporate misconduct and alleged wrongdoings in the Ukraine army's leadership. Anna holds a Masters in Investigative Journalism from the City University of London. She is a Chevening Scholar, the European Press Prize 2023 winner, the winner of the #AllForJan Award 2023, an honoree of the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe Media & Marketing list, the runner-up in the investigative reporting category of the 2022 European Press Prize, and a finalist of the 2022 Ukraine's National Investigative Journalism Award and the 2020 Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award.
