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.
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.
European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano speaks during a conference in Brussels, Belgium, on March 5, 2020. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russia using an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) against Ukraine would be a "clear escalation" by Moscow, EU foreign affairs spokesperson Peter Stano told reporters on Nov. 21 after Kyiv said Russian forces deployed the weapon.
"While we're assessing the full facts, it's obvious that such (an) attack would mark yet another clear escalation from the side of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin," Stano said, according to AFP.
The Ukrainian Air Force said that Russia launched nine missiles, including a conventional ICBM, against the central-eastern city of Dnipro on the morning of Nov. 21, injuring at least two people and damaging several buildings.
President Volodymyr Zelensky later clarified that the investigation is ongoing but that the missile's "speed and altitude suggest intercontinental ballistic capabilities."
If confirmed, it would mark the first occasion of Russia deploying an ICBM in the war against Ukraine, coming shortly after the U.S. permitted Ukraine to carry out strikes in Russia with Western long-range missiles and after Russia updated its nuclear deterrence policy.
While an undisclosed Ukrainian official told ABC News that Ukraine was "95%" certain Russia deployed an ICBM, a Western official quoted by the news outlet disputed the claim, saying it resembled a regular ballistic missile.
It remains unclear what type of ICBM was reportedly deployed. The missile was launched from Astrakhan Oblast in southern Russia, over 700 kilometers (435 miles) east of Dnipro.
Russia has not immediately commented. In a video clip widely shared in the media, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova received a phone call during a press conference apparently asking her not to comment on reports about "ballistic missile strikes."
Zakharova later claimed she was merely asking "experts whether this was our topic," and the "answer came during the briefing: the Foreign Ministry does not comment. There is no conspiracy."
If the use of such a weapon is confirmed, it would mark "quantitative and qualitative change" in the war, according to Stano.
According to the spokesperson, Russia is "playing a nuclear gamble. Whether they really mean it, it's very hard to foresee."
"We only know that this is irresponsible and this constitutes a global threat," he added.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Chris York
