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."
Members of the neo-Nazi paramilitary unit Rusich walk by the Lenin Mausoleum. (Photo by STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ukraine is preparing to extradite a leader of the Russian far-right paramilitary group Rusich, the Prosecutor General's Office announced on Aug. 25.
Yan Petrovsky, a Russian-Norwegian nationalist and Rusich co-leader, was arrested in Finland on Aug. 23. He had been wanted for terrorism by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU).
The SBU's investigation found that Petrovsky collaborated with members of the Luhansk People's Republic (LNR), the Russian-installed proxy government in occupied Luhansk Oblast, and the Rusich "sabotage assault reconnaissance group" to aid the Russian invasion of Ukraine starting in 2014.
In 2016, Ukraine served Petrovsky a notice that he was suspected of participating in a terrorist organization.
In August, Finland's Migration Service informed the Prosecutor General's Office that Petrovsky had been detained in Helsinki.
"In order to prevent the suspect's return to the Russian Federation, which would make it impossible to extradite him to Ukraine...prosecutors sent a request to the relevant Finnish authorities for the detention and temporary arrest of the person," the Prosecutor General's Office said.
The Prosecutor General's Office is currently preparing necessary extradition materials in cooperation with the Luhansk Regional Prosecutor's Office.
Rusich is a far-right, neo-Nazi paramilitary unit affiliated with the Wagner Group. Their insignia is a Slavic swastika, the kolovrat, which members have carved into the bodies of killed and captured Ukrainian soldiers.
The Rusich group prides itself on atrocities, publishing photos and videos of the torture and murder of Ukrainian citizens.
In 2022, the U.S. sanctioned Petrovsky and Rusich founder Alexey Milchakov for "special cruelty" in Kharkiv Oblast. Petrovsky assumed command of Rusich that same year after Milchakov was injured.
Milchakov first gained notoriety for publishing images of himself killing a puppy on social media.
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.
The Kyiv Independent
