The Council of Europe on May 14 approved the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva reported.
Viktoria Roshchyna, 27, disappeared in August 2023 while reporting from Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories. Moscow admitted she was in Russian detention the following year.
European foreign ministers approved the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine during a meeting in Lviv on May 9. The tribunal, which will operate under the auspices of the Council of Europe, aims to prosecute Russia's top political and military leadership, including President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine expects the tribunal to start work in 2026. The Kyiv Independent’s Kateryna Hodunova spoke with Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel about the future tribunal and its role in bringing justice for Ukraine.
Turkish officials told Bloomberg that while they don't expect Trump to visit Istanbul, they are not ruling it out, and preparations for any scenario are underway.
Melkonyants was arrested in August 2023 in connection with the activities of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), which was co-founded by Golos's legal predecessor, the Golos association.
Ukraine's underground storage facilities are currently using 19.4% of their capacity. Almost 32%, or 2.79 bcm, less gas is available in the storages than in the previous year, according to the estimates.
The majority of Ukrainians, 71%, do not support holding elections before a full peace deal, even in the case of a ceasefire and security guarantees, according to a poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on May 14.
"He'd like me to be there, and that's a possibility. ... I don't know that he would be there if I'm not there. We're going to find out," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Qatar, Reuters reported.
Trump has long demanded that NATO allies increase their military spending, previously calling for the alliance to raise its benchmark from 2% to 5% of GDP.
More than 1,000 Russian government entities and 1,200 private companies are involved in the economy of occupied Mariupol, a major southeastern city occupied by Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, according to a research paper published on May 14.
Ukrainian Jewish community leader Yosyf Zissels (L) and former lawmaker Andrii Levus posted these photos with the #UkrainiansWillResist hashtag to show their readiness to fight against a potential Russian invasion. (Yosyf Zissels, Andrii Levus / Facebook)
Thousands of Ukrainians, especially former military service members, have posted under the hashtag #UkrainiansWillResist on social media to show that they will fight the Russian military if it invades and will not accept ultimatums of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The messages appeared in response to Russia's buildup of 100,000 troops close to Ukrainian borders and in anticipation of the Dec. 7 talk between Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss Russia’s actions.
The social media campaign was launched by Andrii Levus, a former lawmaker and co-organizer of the Capitulation Resistance Movement that opposes what they see as President Volodymyr Zelensky’s concessions to Russia. Levus first posted the hashtag on Dec. 4 with the following message shared by thousands:
“Nobody can force Ukrainians to accept Putin’s ultimatum," Levus wrote. "There will not be any ‘peace’ on Russia’s conditions. Even if the West will make a deal with Putin over Ukraine and Zelensky will capitulate, #UkrainiansWillResist the Russian occupiers. Welcome to hell, Mr. Putin!”
Like Levus, many people using the hashtag also posted pictures of themselves giving a rude forearm gesture directed at Putin and Russian troops.
Some showed their fists, like Andriy Antonenko, musician, former serviceman and defendant in the murder case of journalist Pavel Sheremet. Others posted pictures of them holding a firearm, like Yosyf Zissels, a Ukrainian Soviet dissident and a leader of the Ukrainian Jewish community. Levus also seems to hold a gun in his photo.
On Twitter, the hashtag was trending on Dec. 6, the Ukrainian Armed Forces Day.
Over 2,000 people have used the hashtag on Facebook, including lawmaker Sofia Fedyna, former lawmaker and serviceman Ihor Lapin, former officials Volodymyr Omelyan and Zorian Shkiryak.
Volodymyr Balukh, a Ukrainian activist from Crimea who was politically imprisoned by Russia, said that Ukrainians will not just resist as if they are "victims," they will “overcome the resistance” of their enemies.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story mistakenly indicated that the talks between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin were held on Nov. 7. In fact, they were held on Dec. 7. We thank our readers who pointed out the error.
Artur Korniienko is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, currently on a leave to serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He previously reported on Ukrainian literature, art, music, film and social issues for the Kyiv Post, including the controversial Babyn Yar memorial and other development projects opposed by the community. In 2021, he ran a podcast about Ukrainian migrant workers for RFE/RL on the Vaclav Havel Fellowship in Prague. With a Master's in Journalism from the Ukrainian Catholic University, Korniienko had also worked as a freelance journalist and a TV correspondent.
