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."
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.
A Ukrainian artilleryman fires a 2A36 Giatsint-B field gun toward Russian positions near Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast on June 23, 2023. (Photo: Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
After three weeks, the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive remains in “some kind of preparatory operation,” Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in an interview with the U.S.-based TV channel Fox News on June 25.
The first estimations of Ukraine’s counteroffensive were "overestimated,” according to him.
When the main assault takes place, in which Ukraine plans to use Western-supplied weapons such as Bradley fighting vehicles and German Leopard tanks, it will be successful and “one step closer to victory,” the minister said.
At the moment, the Ukrainian command is aiming to save as many of its servicemen's as much as possible, unlike Russia, which sends its troops as a "meat grinder.”.
"We try to save their lives," Reznikov said, who believes that this year will be a “game changer” in Russia's war against Ukraine.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, also confirmed that Ukraine's main force had not engaged on a larger scale in the counteroffensive yet. Currently, the army detects weak points in the defense of the Russians.
As of June 25, Ukraine has liberated eight settlements in the south since the launch of the counteroffensive on June 8.
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Francis Farrell
