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."
Ukrainian border guards patrol on the closed check point of Slavutych on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border in the Chernihiv region (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
A Russian sabotage unit tried unsuccessfully to cross the Ukrainian border into Chernihiv Oblast, Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev said on Aug. 1.
"Last night in the northern direction of Chernihiv Oblast, (Ukrainian forces) prevented an attempt by an enemy sabotage group to cross Ukraine's state border," Naiev wrote on his Telegram channel.
"Four armed people were spotted by border guards of the second border outpost using thermal vision."
According to Naiev, Ukrainian troops opened fire on the Russian unit and forced it to retreat. Following an alarm, reinforcements from border guards and the military arrived, he added.
"Thanks to the skillful actions of the Defense Forces, the enemy once again suffered losses and did not achieve its goal," Naiev commented.
Chernihiv Oblast lies at Ukraine's northern border with Russia and Belarus. It has been partially occupied during Russia's initial onslaught in February 2022, but the invading forces withdrew in April after the Kremlin's failure to take Kyiv.
Since then, settlements near the border in the oblast come under regular Russian strikes. Naiev previously reported an unsuccessful attempt by Russian sabotage groups to cross the border of Chernihiv Oblast on July 21.
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.
Asami Terajima
