The Council of Europe on May 14 approved the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva reported.
Viktoria Roshchyna, 27, disappeared in August 2023 while reporting from Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories. Moscow admitted she was in Russian detention the following year.
European foreign ministers approved the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine during a meeting in Lviv on May 9. The tribunal, which will operate under the auspices of the Council of Europe, aims to prosecute Russia's top political and military leadership, including President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine expects the tribunal to start work in 2026. The Kyiv Independent’s Kateryna Hodunova spoke with Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel about the future tribunal and its role in bringing justice for Ukraine.
Turkish officials told Bloomberg that while they don't expect Trump to visit Istanbul, they are not ruling it out, and preparations for any scenario are underway.
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.
Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov prior to Russian-UAE talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 6, 2023. (Contributor/Getty Images)
Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov claimed on Nov. 2 that he had revoked the order to his troops not to capture Ukrainian soldiers.
After the first drone strike against Russia's North Caucasus republic that targeted the Russian Special Forces University of Vladimir Putin in the Chechen city of Gudermes on Oct. 29, Kadyrov said he ordered all of his commanders fighting against Ukraine "not to take prisoners," and instead kill all surrendering Ukrainian soldiers as retribution.
In his recent Telegram post, Kadyrov claimed that received "more than 2,000 letters from Ukrainians" asking to cancel his order. He did not provide any proof to back his allegations.
Kadyrov had earlier claimed there were casualties among the captives after a drone strike on Chechnya that Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) were killed as a result of the drone strike on the military university.
Kyiv did not claim responsibility for the attack, also declining to comment on Kadyrov's claims.
A Ukrainian intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 29 that the drone strike was possibly launched from the neighboring republics of Dagestan or Ingushetia and may have been connected to a feud between Kadyrov and officials from the two regions.
Ukraine has documented over 100 cases of Russia summarily executing Ukrainian POWs since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets clarified that the actual number is likely much higher since it is difficult to document Russian war crimes without supporting evidence, such as videos of the executions.
Katie Marie Davies
