Melkonyants was arrested in August 2023 in connection with the activities of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), which was co-founded by Golos's legal predecessor, the Golos association.
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.
The largely destroyed city of Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, on Feb. 15, 2024. The city was captured by Russian forces on Feb. 17, 2024. (Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)
Ultranationalist Russian military blogger Andrey Morozov reportedly died by suicide days after posting claims that Russia suffered massive personnel losses in Avdiivka.
Morozov, who wrote under the pseudonym "Murz" on Telegram, was a pro-Kremlin commentator who participated in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian state-run media and other military bloggers said he died by suicide on Feb. 20.
Morozov sparked outrage among pro-Russian outlets when he claimed on Feb. 18 that the Russian military lost 16,000 soldiers and 300 armored vehicles in its assault on Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast.
Ukrainian troops withdrew from the embattled industrial city on Feb. 17 after months of heavy fighting. Russian forces launched an offensive aimed at capturing Avdiivka in October 2023.
Morozov's reports of heavy losses drew intense criticism in pro-Russian circles, and he deleted the post. He claimed he was ordered to take the post down by someone known as "Comrade Colonel."
In his final posts, he wrote about his intention to take his own life and asked to be buried in Russian-occupied Luhansk Oblast.
Moscow has begun cracking down on right-wing commentators who criticize Russian leaders' handling of the war against Ukraine. Following the brief Wagner Group uprising led by Yevgeny Prigozhin in June 2023, Russian authorities arrested former warlord Igor Girkin for inciting extremism online.
Girkin was sentenced on Jan. 25 to four years in prison.
The Kremlin hides the true number of casualties incurred by its invasion of Ukraine.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Oleg Sukhov
