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."
Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak (R), Chief of the Defense Intelligence Major-General Kyrylo Budanov (C), and Head of the Security Service Vasyl Maliuk (L) attend a press briefing on the release of Ukrainian defenders from Russian captivity in Kyiv on Sept. 22, 2022. (Photo by Gian Marco Benedetto/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The danger of a possible Russian terrorist attack at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is diminishing, Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov told The Times on July 6.
"We are doing certain actions in this area, both public and not public, and I think now that the danger of an artificial technogenic catastrophe is quietly going down," Budanov said.
Ukraine's officials have been warning for the past weeks that Russia is planning an attack against the occupied nuclear power station to cause radiation leakage. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces warned on July 4 that the terrorist attack could happen "in the near future."
According to the General Staff, Russian forces have possibly planted explosive devices on the roofs of the third and the fourth reactors.
Petro Kotin, the director of the state-owned nuclear energy company Energoatom, said on television that there are around 700 Russian forces at the station.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspected parts of the station and said they have not yet found any explosives. However, on July 5 the IAEA's chief Rafael Grossi said that the experts are yet to be granted access to the reactors' rooftops.
The U.S. government is also closely monitoring the situation at the plant, White House spokesperson Karin Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing.
While admitting that the situation at the plant under Russian occupation is dangerous, Jean-Pierre did not provide information on any new developments. She added that U.S. President Joe Biden did not recently discuss the issue with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky toldSpanish reporters on July 1 that one possibility Ukrainian officials had prepared for was that Russian troops could return the station to Ukrainian control after having mined it and then detonate it remotely.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear power station in Europe, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. Since then, Russian forces have been using Europe's largest nuclear power plant as a military base to launch attacks against Ukrainian-controlled territory.
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.
Francis Farrell
