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."
Vadim Shishimarin, 21, the first Russian soldier, on trial for a war crime in Ukraine since Russia began its all-out war on Feb. 24. in Kyiv court on May 20, 2022. (Anna Myroniuk)
A Kyiv court sentenced Russian soldier Vadim Shishimarin, 21, to life in prison for killing a civilian in Sumy Oblast during the Russian troops’ retreat on Feb. 28.
Shishimarin pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his victim, adding that he didn’t want to kill him. While the defense asked for the soldier’s acquittal, the judges on May 23 ruled that he is guilty of a war crime and deserves the harshest available punishment.
“Even though the defendant said he did not intend to kill, the court does not trust these claims and believes there was an intent,” said judge Serhiy Ahafonov.
Shishimarin is the first Russian soldier convicted of a war crime in Ukraine.
Vadim Shishimarin, 21, the first Russian soldier, on trial for a war crime in Ukraine since Russia began its all-out war on Feb. 24. in Kyiv court on May 23, 2022. (Anna Myroniuk)
As of May 23, the Prosecutor General’s Office said it was investigating 12,909 alleged Russian war crimes.
Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said on May 23 that 4,600 civilians, including 232 children, have been killed in Ukraine since Russia began its all-out-war on Feb. 24. According to the United Nations, at least 2,345 civilians have been killed in Ukraine.
Shishimarin shot 62-year-old Oleksandr Shelipov in the head in the village of Chupakhivka. He said he was following a fellow soldier’s order.
The order constitutes a war crime, as it violates the Geneva Conventions, which protect the civilian population during war, Ahafonov said. Moreover, the order came from a soldier who was not Shishimarin’s commanding officer and whom he did not know.
“He was not obligated to carry out that order,” Ahafonov said.
An interpreter translates the judgment for Vadim Shishimarin from Ukrainian to the Russian language during the trial in Kyiv court on May 23, 2022. Shishimarin was changed with a war crime for killing a civilian in Ukraine a few days after Russia had begun its all-out war on Feb. 24. (Anna Myroniuk)
Shishimarin’s lawyer, Viktor Ovsyannikov, who asked the court to acquit his defendant despite him pleading guilty, said he would appeal.
“The actions of my defendant have been judged incorrectly,” Ovsyannikov said. The lawyer believes Shishimarin did not commit a war crime but didn't say what kind of crime he believes the soldier committed.
The court said that it also chose the harshest punishment for Shishimarin because he breached the territorial integrity of Ukraine by participating in the Russian invasion and killed a noncombatant senior citizen.
Anna Myroniuk is the head of investigations at the Kyiv Independent. Anna has run investigative projects on human rights, healthcare and illicit trade. She also investigated political and corporate misconduct and alleged wrongdoings in the Ukraine army's leadership. Anna holds a Masters in Investigative Journalism from the City University of London. She is a Chevening Scholar, the European Press Prize 2023 winner, the winner of the #AllForJan Award 2023, an honoree of the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe Media & Marketing list, the runner-up in the investigative reporting category of the 2022 European Press Prize, and a finalist of the 2022 Ukraine's National Investigative Journalism Award and the 2020 Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award.
