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 EU plans to significantly increase tariffs on Ukrainian goods after the current duty-free deal lapses on June 6, the Financial Times reported on May 14, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
The blockade ended at 10:30 p.m. local time. Truck traffic in both directions is now moving as usual, according to Ukraine's State Border Guard's statement.
Russia seems to be preparing a significant offensive in Ukraine as it is moving troops toward key positions on the front, the Financial Times reported on May 13, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officials.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
The flag of Latvia (Gints Ivuskans/AFP via Getty Images)
Latvia is considering expelling more than 1,000 Russians for failing to comply with the necessary steps to extend their temporary residence permit, Latvian news outlet Delfi reported on Dec. 18, citing comments made on television by Maira Roze, the head of the country's Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.
The Latvian parliament passed an amendment in 2022 tightening residency rules for Russian citizens in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russians living in Latvia are now required to apply for permanent residence and pass a basic-level Latvian language test.
Around 24% of Latvia's population are ethnic Russians, some of whom have Latvian citizenship, and some Russian citizens. Latvia also has a considerable population (9.3%) of non-citizens, the majority of whom are Russian. They can obtain Latvian citizenship through a naturalization process.
Latvian authorities sent letters to over 3,000 Russian citizens, telling them that they would have to leave Latvia as they failed to register for the residency and the language test.
The Baltic country, which has lived under Soviet dominion for a large part of the 20th century, has also recently intensified its policy of de-Sovietization and de-Russification of the public sphere.
A law passed in September aims to phase out Russian and other minority languages as a language of instruction in schools by 2025.
Russia has labeled such policies in Latvia and other Baltic countries as "Russophobia."
Latvian authorities have defended the language policy, saying that it simply asks residents to achieve a low level of knowledge of the national language and that there was ample time offered for residents to learn it.
Krijn Schramade
