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 military vehicle pictured in front of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar, on March 29, 2023. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The Ukrainian nuclear agency Energoatom reported on Aug. 10 that the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lost power from the main 750 kilovolt (kV) power line overnight.
The plant was then connected to the 330 kV backup line instead. The risk of this backup power line failing puts the largest nuclear plant in Europe on the verge of a blackout.
The main danger of losing external power is that the 4th reactor would go into "hot shutdown" as a result of the cooling pumps being switched off, Energoatom explained.
Without sufficient cooling, the equipment within the reactor can fail, heightening the risk of a nuclear accident.
Energoatom emphasized that the continued occupation of the plant by "illegitimate and untrained" management is bringing it "closer to disaster."
Russian forces have occupied the Zaporizhzhia plant since March 2022. Throughout the all-out war, the plant has been repeatedly disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid due to Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.
For four months between March and July 2023, the plant was disconnected from the 330 kV backup power line due to damage on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River.
In October 2022, the plant was forced to rely on diesel generators to provide power to the cooling systems due to Russian shelling.
Before Russia's full-scale war, the nuclear plant had six backup lines and four main lines of 750 kV.
After nearly a year and a half of Russian occupation, uncertainty about what Russia could do next at the plant remains.
Ukraine raised fresh concerns of a potential accident at the plant in June, with top officials warning that Russia had rigged the plant with explosives and could launch a terrorist attack.
Since occupying the plant, Russia has used the nuclear plant as a military base, placing troops and equipment there.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has staff based at the plant on rotation since September 2022 to monitor the situation.
Daria Shulzhenko
