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."
The head of military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov at his office on Jan. 20, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Serhiy Morgunov for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced by Defense Ministry's Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov, lawmaker David Arakhamia said on Feb. 5.
"War dictates personnel policy. Time and circumstances call for strengthening and regrouping," Arakhamia, head of the governing Servant of the People faction and Ukraine's chief negotiator with Russia, said in a Telegram post.
Arakhamia said that Reznikov would remain in the government as the Minister for Strategic Industries, overseeing Ukraine's defense sector, which the lawmaker described as a "logical" decision given his participation in Ramstein meetings and expertise.
Arakhamia did not mention who would be replacing Budanov as military intelligence head.
Neither Reznikov nor Budanov had reacted to the report by the publication time.
Lawmaker Mariana Bezuhla, deputy head of the parliament's national security committee, said on Feb. 5 that the issues are to be discussed this week.
Earlier in the day, Reznikov, who took his position in November 2021, said he was ready to resign if President Volodymyr Zelensky made such a decision.
Kyiv’s reshuffling comes after a major corruption scandal rocked the Defense Ministry.
Ukrainian newspaper ZN.UA released a report on Jan. 21 that the Defense Ministry was purchasing some food for the military two to three times higher than those at Kyiv grocery stores, citing the ministry’s food procurement contract.
Ukraine's parliamentary committee on national security, defense, and intelligence has summoned top ministry officials to address the allegations.
Reznikov called the report false and asked the Security Service to look into the people involved in spreading the information.
However, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine opened an investigation into the alleged scheme.
Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov was later dismissed. A court arrested Shapovalov for 60 days on Feb. 2.
Asami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering Ukrainian military issues, front-line developments, and politics. She is the co-author of the weekly War Notes newsletter. She previously worked as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post focusing on international trade, infrastructure, investment, and energy. Originally from Japan, Terajima moved to Ukraine during childhood and completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in the U.S. She is the winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism 2023 (Local Reporter category) and the George Weidenfeld Prize, awarded as part of Germany's Axel Springer Prize 2023. She was also featured in the Media Development Foundation’s “25 under 25: Young and Bold” 2023 list of emerging media makers in Ukraine.
