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.
Trucks stand in a queue to cross the border in Medyka as Polish farmers start a strike and block truck transport in Medyka, a border crossing between Poland and Ukraine, on Nov. 23, 2023. (Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The blockade on the Polish border is complicating the import of goods, which may lead to higher prices for some products like imported food, a survey published by Interfax-Ukraine on Nov. 27 shows.
Even though some retail chains say they prioritize Ukrainian-made products, certain foodstuffs like cocoa, coffee, oranges, and salt are primarily imported, according to the Director General of the Ukrainian KOLO retail chain, Marina Serhienko.
"Today, the assessment of our risks is Hr 25-30 million ($690,000-$830,000) per month, in particular, in the categories of confectionery, alcohol, cheeses, citrus fruits," Serhienko told Interfax-Ukraine.
"It is important to understand that this may also affect Ukrainian-made products due to the lack of components for their manufacture or packaging materials," she added.
The press service of the ATB-Market retail chain said that the blockade complicates delivery of not only Polish goods but also goods from the Baltic countries, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium that were to be transported via the now-blocked crossings.
According to Serhienko, using open checkpoints does not solve the issue, since the accumulation of vehicles on available crossings also leads to delays and, therefore, higher costs.
"For example, crossing the Ukrainian-Romanian border can increase the delivery time by two to three days, leading to an increase in delivery costs of 600-1,000 euros ($657-$1,095) per trip," she noted.
Natalia Krasnikova, the deputy general director for logistics of the EKO-Market chain, said that these factors are unlikely to have a strong impact on end buyers in the short term.
If the situation drags on, prices of imported goods will begin to rise, she added. Krasnikova also believes such situation could create favorable conditions for domestic companies with production facilities primarily in Ukraine.
Polish truckers started blocking several border crossing points on Nov. 6 in protest of the liberalization of EU transport rules for Ukrainian trucks, causing huge lines on both sides of the border.
Four crossings have been blocked so far, leaving 2,100 trucks stuck at the border as of Nov. 26. Slovak haulers also launched a similar blockade at the Vysne Nemecke-Uzhhorod checkpoint on Nov. 21.
Food is not the only category that may be affected by the blockade. Fuel supplies also became problematic as a result of the protests, according to the Agriculture Ministry.
Ukrainian officials complained that the blockade hinders deliveries of humanitarian supplies and threatens Ukraine's economy amid Russia's full-scale invasion.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Dominic Culverwell
