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 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.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
In an interview with French broadcaster TF1 on May 13, Macron discussed new Russia sanctions and stationing French nuclear weapons in other European countries as a deterrent against Russia.
Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for the grand final on May 17.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
Illustrative purposes only: The YouTube app seen on an Android portable device on Feb. 5, 2018. (Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Russian government plans to block YouTube in September, the Russian pro-state outlet Gazeta.ru reported on July 12, citing a source close to the Presidential Administration and a source in a company that collects data for law enforcement agencies.
The news comes as Rostelecom, the country's leading telecommunications provider, said there are "technical problems with Google's equipment" which may "affect the download speed and quality of YouTube videos."
"Things will get worse in July and August, meaning that YouTube functionality will worsen in some regions," Gazeta.ru's source close to the Presidential Administration reportedly said.
"And in September, the blocking (of YouTube) will start." Gazeta.ru's second source also confirmed that there are plans to block the website in the fall.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied the supposed plans to restrict the website, saying that according to "official statements from relevant companies," the equipment in question has "not been updated for over two years."
An undisclosed source told the independent outlet Meduza that Rostelecom's explanation is merely an "attempt to shift responsibility" and that the government has been deliberately slowing down the site since July 11.
Meduza's source added that Roskomnadzor, the country's censorship agency, has tools to "throttle traffic" on its own.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
With 93 million Russian users, YouTube has been dubbed the country's "last bastion of free expression and information" amid a sweeping government crackdown on the information space.
As the Kremlin intensified its pressure against the site to block "undesirable" content like anti-war videos, observers said that the site's complete ban is only a "matter of time."
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.
Daryna Shevchenko
