The president of the European Parliament has referred Luxembourg's only MEP, Fernand Kartheiser, to its conduct committee over his attendance at a Kremlin forum and a declaration urging restored ties with Russia.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, more than 1,100 Ukrainians have been arrested for collaborating with Russian handlers — one in five of them minors. Ukrainian authorities cite a 15-year-old named Vitalii, paid only $23 of a promised $200 to set fire to a railway signalling cabinet outside Chernihiv. RTL reported the figures on 9 May 2026.
A Trump-brokered three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine took effect on 9 May 2026 for May 9 to 11, paired with a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap. Within hours of the start, Ukraine's General Staff reported 51 Russian violations while Moscow accused Kyiv of drone attacks.
A 72-hour ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine took effect on 9 May 2026, paired with a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange. US President Donald Trump said the pause should run through Russia's Victory Day commemorations and serve as the springboard for talks on ending the war that began in February 2022.
Luxembourg MEP Fernand Kartheiser has written to fellow MEPs inviting them to St Petersburg on 3 June 2026 to meet Russian State Duma deputies on the margins of Vladimir Putin's flagship forum, Politico reported on 7 May. The non-attached lawmaker, expelled from ECR in June 2025, says the trip is privately funded and aims at ministerial-level dialogue. Lithuanian Renew MEP Petras Auštrevičius called it "an open attempt to recruit" MEPs for Russia.
Moscow announced an 8-9 May truce for the WWII anniversary; Kyiv responded with its own 5-6 May ceasefire and rejected Russia's terms, in a choreography that says more about politics than peace.
Moscow has reaffirmed its commitment to backing Mali's military rulers despite the loss of Kidal and the killing of Defence Minister Sadio Camara, in a confrontation that is reshaping the Sahel.
Underground guides circulating among Russian troops detail medical, legal and unofficial routes to exit service, in a war that is now visibly straining the personnel system that sustains it.
Russian forces ceded roughly 120 square kilometres in Ukraine between March and April 2026, the first monthly net loss since the Ukrainian counter-offensive of summer 2023.
On 30 April 2026, the international jury of the Venice Biennale resigned amid tensions over Russia's continued participation and the panel's decision to bar prizes for countries accused of crimes against humanity.
From 4 p.m. on 11 April through midnight on 12 April 2026, Russia and Ukraine paused fire for Orthodox Easter. Both sides accused each other of hundreds of breaches; US-mediated peace talks have effectively stalled.
The Bank of Russia has filed a claim at the EU's General Court in Luxembourg against the European Council's December 2025 freeze regulation, while the country's tally of frozen Russian assets reaches €4.72 billion.