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.
People’s deputies stand during a moment of silence in Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sep. 4, 2024. (Andrii Nesterenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
The Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, supported a draft law on the elimination of the system of medical examination commissions (MSEC) for determining the severity of disabilities in the first reading on Nov. 20.
President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree in October to liquidate the commissions in the wake of accusations of Ukrainian officials using corrupt schemes to acquire falsified disability certifications.
A total of 260 members of parliament voted in favor of the bill, said Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a member of the Holos party.
Obtaining disability status through medical examination commissions allows one to avoid military service and receive a higher pension, among other social benefits.
The draft law's authors proposed replacing the system of medical examination commissions with "an assessment of a person's daily functioning."
"The system of medical and social expertise that currently exists in Ukraine was formed before Ukraine gained independence. It does not meet the current challenges that our country faces during the armed aggression by the Russian Federation, nor the current approaches to establishing disability adopted in the world," the explanatory note to the draft law read.
The draft law's authors expect that the new system will help create a transparent procedure for assessing the needs of the applicants. The replacement of commissions is expected to reduce the administrative burden and help reduce appeals against their decisions.
Following the National Security and Defense Council meeting on Oct. 22, Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) head Vasyl Maliuk said that the SBU had exposed corruption schemes at medical examination commissions in 2024, resulting in the cancellation of 4,106 fake disability status certificates.
Maliuk added that 64 officials at medical examination commissions have been charged with committing crimes, while another nine suspects have been convicted.
According to Zelensky's October decree, all commissions in Ukraine are to be eliminated by Dec. 31, 2024. Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin submitted his resignation on Oct. 22 following the reports of prosecutors illegally obtaining disability status.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Anna Belokur
