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.
Unfinished shells wait to be prepared for painting at a plant near Scranton, U.S., on April 12, 2023. (Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Prague is preparing to launch a new initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine in 2025, Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said in an interview with the Deník N newspaper on July 24.
Czechia unveiled the international ammunition initiative earlier this year amid Ukraine's shell shortages, largely caused by delays in U.S. assistance. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky noted that sufficient funds have been secured to provide Ukraine with 500,000 shells by the end of 2024.
"This is a natural extension of the mechanism that is already working... The sooner donors allocate funds, the sooner our companies will sign long-term contracts," Cernochova said.
Five Czech companies — Czechoslovak Group, STV Group, Omnipol, Colt CZ Group SE і DSS — will participate in another project called "Initiative 2025," the media outlet reported.
Prague will act as a mediator between arms manufacturers purchasing artillery ammunition for Kyiv and European countries providing funds for it, the minister explained.
Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands support the initiative, according to Tomas Kopecny, the Czech envoy for Ukraine's reconstruction, according to Radio Prague International. Negotiations on financing the project may begin at the end of this summer.
Lipavský also mentioned that Prague plans to send another 100,000 rounds to Ukraine in July and August, in addition to the roughly 45,000 shells shipped in June.
Eighteen countries have pledged support to the initial initiative, with 15 having fulfilled their promises and provided the funds, according to the minister.
Kateryna Denisova
