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.
The meeting of G7 Ambassadors to Ukraine meeting with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Aug. 2. (Photo: Twitter account of the Japanese Presidency of the G7 Ambassadors’ Support Group in Kyiv @G7AmbReformUA / Twitter)
Ambassadors to Ukraine from the Group of Seven (G7) met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Aug. 2 to discuss the reforms needed for their country's private sectors to be involved in Ukraine's reconstruction.
The meeting was described as a follow-up on the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which took place in London in June. The G7 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.
"To involve the private sector in the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, transparency and accountability are crucial," the group stated.
On Aug. 1, Transparency International Ukraine reported on the "opaque" financing of the reconstruction of Irpin, a city outside Kyiv that suffered major damage under Russian occupation.
So far, the researchers conclude that the total worth of contracts for rebuilding the city are worth Hr 933 million ($25 million) in total. However, six companies with "a suspicious background" have been granted contracts worth Hr 434 million ($11.7 million), or almost half of the total amount.
The G7 ambassadors "stressed the importance of the timely selection of the new head" of Ukraine's National Agency for Corruption Prevention, as well as the restoration of the asset declaration system and political party financing reporting.
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, the Ukrainian authorities passed a law to allow officials not to file electronic asset declarations and shut down public access to all previous declarations. Officials will only have to resume submitting asset declarations within three months after the end of the war.
Since September 2022, the Ukrainian authorities have promised to restore the asset declaration system. The issue is crucial for Ukraine’s talks on joining the European Union and borrowing money from the International Monetary Fund.
They also called for the strengthening of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) and Ukraine’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA).
The ambassadors "encouraged the adoption of laws to ensure a strong and independent Anti-Monopoly Committee," and to improve the corporate governance of state owned enterprises in line with OECD guidelines.
The next Ukraine reconstruction conference will be held in Germany in 2024.
Elsa Court is the audience development manager at the Kyiv Independence. She previously worked as a news editor at the Kyiv Independent and was previously an intern at the Kyiv Post. She has a Master’s in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. Elsa is originally from the UK.
