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."
Ukrainian soldier of the assault battalion walks on the empty street of town on August 16, 2024 in Sudzha, Russia. (Photo by Taras Ibragimov/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC "UA:PBC"/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
The Russian military is striking Sumy Oblast because of Ukraine's successes in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Vadym Mysnyk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Operational Tactical Group Siversk, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Sept. 17.
The statement came after Russia launched a heavy drone attack on the northeastern Ukrainian region, disrupting electricity and water supplies.
Russian attacks against Sumy Oblast have escalated since Kyiv launched a cross-border incursion into the neighboring Kursk Oblast in early August.
Mysnyk nevertheless said that Russian strikes on Sumy Oblast would have continued even if Ukraine had not successfully advanced in the Kursk sector. While Russia has ramped up attacks against the region since August, Sumy Oblast has been shelled on a daily basis since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
"It's just a matter of time before they dump all this (all the weapons) on us. Either here (in Sumy Oblast) or in another city. But they will strike at Ukraine with everything they have, using the entire arsenal," the spokesperson said.
"They (Russia) see our successes in the Kursk operation – and we are close to them – so there is probably some fear that we will somehow operate in other cities on the border," he added.
Mysnyk also noted that the Russian military had reduced the number of mortar attacks on the border of Sumy Oblast and stopped attacking Kharkiv Oblast with aerial guided bombs. This may indicate that Russia's resources are "not unlimited," he added.
Russia recently launched a counterattack in Kursk Oblast, seeking to dislodge Ukrainian troops from its soil. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "everything was going according to our plan" and that the Russian "rapid" offensive had not yet achieved "serious" success in the area.
Ukrainian soldiers also have reportedly taken over 600 Russian captives and inflicted 6,000 casualties in Kursk Oblast as of early September.
Dinara Khalilova
