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.
The measures target almost 200 ships of Russia's "shadow fleet," 30 companies involved in sanctions evasion, 75 sanctions on entities and individuals linked to the Russian military-industrial complex, and more.
The government has approved "reform roadmaps in the rule of law, public administration, and democratic institutions, as well as Ukraine’s negotiation position," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
The statement did not name the ex-official by name, but details of the case indicate it relates to Oleh Hladkovsky, a former deputy secretary of Ukraine's top security body who has been wanted since mid-April.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
"Trump needs to believe that Putin actually lies," Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv. "And we should do our part. Sensibly approach this issue, to show that it’s not us that is slowing down the process."
A Ukrainian flag flies atop a grain elevator owned by Nibulon, a Ukrainian agricultural, shipbuilding and transportation company in Mykolaiv on Oct. 21, 2023.(Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images)
More than 20% of grain exported over the past nine months went through black market or risky informal channels, Ukraine's Bureau of Economic Security said on Nov. 16.
The total export value of that grain is Hr 144 billion ($3.9 billion).
One of the primary forms of these high-risk channels involves grain that is sold for cash to recently created shell companies, often with falsified documents, which is then resold several times through different buyers. Through this method, grain can be sold without customs documents and also without paying tax to the Ukrainian government.
Grain has also been sold to foreign companies, which then purchase other goods to import back to Ukraine that are then sold for cash. As a result, the foreign companies can earn valuable tax credits.
The bureau said that significant amounts of money that should go towards the Ukrainian government's budget are being lost in the process.
The body's investigative team has been looking into these illicit export schemes, which have resulted in 22 referrals for criminal proceedings and eight court indictments.
The bureau also recommended a number of reforms that would help strengthen regulations and crackdown on the black market export of grain.
Grain exports are one of the key sectors of Ukraine's economy, but haму suffered as a result of Russia's full-scale invasion and subsequent blockade of the Black Sea.
After Russia unilaterally withdrew from the Black Sea Grain initiative in July 2023, which allowed ships to transport grain out of Ukrainian ports, the transit of grain has significantly slowed. Ukraine opened a humanitarian corridor in August to allow some traffic to continue, but it is a fraction of the pre-war total.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Dominic Culverwell
