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.
Gazprom PJSC Slavyanskaya compressior station, the starting point of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, in Ust-Luga, Russia, Jan. 28, 2021. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Russia will increase taxes on its national energy giant Gazprom despite the company suffering record losses, the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) wrote in its daily update on May 12.
Gazprom’s revenue fell by 30% last year with a net loss of $6.9 billion, the largest in 25 years. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine led to worsening relations with Europe, limiting the operations of the company.
The energy giant relied on European markets and failed to find alternatives after the EU moved away from Russian gas. While Gazprom found some success in other foreign markets, this only accounts for five to 10 percent of its European sales.
Moscow has heavily taxed Gazprom’s revenues over the last two years and the company paid $28 billion to the government in 2023, accounting for nine percent of the government’s revenue last year.
The decision to further increase taxation means Gazprom has cut investment this year by 15 percent, the British MoD said. The company’s profits will be restricted until 2030, the MoD believes.
In seeking new markets, Russia has been forced to export natural gas at reduced prices. The Russian Economy Ministry published a report setting gas exports' price to China at $257 per 1,000 cubic meters compared with $320.30 for Western markets.
In September 2023, the company announced that its gas production dropped by 25%. Gazprom blamed the fall on "the adoption in a number of countries of politically motivated decisions aimed at refusing to import Russian gas" in particular.
In May 2023, the EU and G7 agreed to ban Russian gas imports on routes where Moscow has cut supplies before, in order to prevent the restart of Russian pipeline gas exports on routes to countries such as Poland and Germany.
EU countries are still importing Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) but the European Parliament voted on April 11 to pass rules allowing member states to ban the imports. The policy aims to create a legal route for blocking gas deliveries by preventing Russian and Belarusian companies from booking gas infrastructure capacity.
Francis Farrell
