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.
A Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB) officer in assault gear at an unspecified location and date. (Grigorenko/Getty Images)
The Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB) claimed it prevented a so-called "terrorist attack" by a Russian anti-Kremlin militia member in Russia's Samara Oblast on March 26.
According to the FSB, the man, a Russian citizen, was a member of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), one of three anti-Kremlin militias that launched raids into Russia from Ukraine in mid-March.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the FSB's claim.
In a press conference last week, representatives of the groups said their goal was to "open a second front" and ease pressure on Ukrainian troops on the Kupiansk axis, with fighters "stabilizing the front" and "easing the pressure of Russian troops in certain areas."
The FSB claimed the man, who it claimed was "operating under the patronage of the Ukrainian special services," had made a bomb and was planning to detonate it at a "humanitarian aid reception point."
The man was allegedly killed by his own bomb while being arrested.
After the deadly terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall in Moscow last week, the Kremlin has made a concerted effort to tie the atrocity to Ukraine despite Islamic State (IS) taking responsibility and releasing bodycam footage.
During a speech on March 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the terrorist attack in the concert hall in a Moscow suburb on March 22 "was committed by radical Islamists," but still alleged that Ukraine was to blame, without providing evidence.
"The U.S., through various channels, is trying to convince everyone that there is supposedly no trace of Kyiv in the bloody terrorist attack at Crocus (concert venue), that it is the banned Islamic State," Putin claimed.
"It is necessary to get answers to a number of questions whether radical Islamists really decided to strike Russia," Putin alleged, insinuating that the attack was carried out on behalf of another "client."
Hours after the attack, Putin attempted to connect the attack to Kyiv, claiming that the detained suspects planned to flee to Ukraine.
The White House said there was no indication that Ukraine was behind the Moscow attack.
Omar Ashour
