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."
Workers demolish a bombarded block of flats amid reconstruction efforts in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, on May 13, 2023. Irpin was targeted by indiscriminate Russian bombardments at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion. (Photo by Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The financing of the reconstruction of Irpin is "opaque", according to the DOZORRO project team of Transparency International Ukraine. In April 2022, the total costs of reconstruction was estimated at $1 billion dollars.
The report notes that out of 547 contracts awarded by the Irpin City Council, the Specialized Regional Department, and the Reconstruction Service for Kyiv Region, only 28 were concluded using ProZorro.
ProZorro is Ukraine’s electronic public procurement system, designed to increase transparency and competition in the bidding process.
Launched in 2016, it is designed to streamline the process for companies to participate in bids and tracks the entire procurement process electronically, helping to reduce corruption and improve efficiency.
So far, the researchers conclude that the total worth of contracts for rebuilding the city are worth Hr 933 million ($25 million) in total. However, six companies with "a suspicious background" have been granted contracts worth Hr 434 million ($11.7 million), or almost half of the total amount.
These companies range from having connections to pro-Russian parties, to having already been "caught by law enforcement more than once."
This includes I.B.K. Development, which won contracts worth Hr 135 million ($3.7 million). Over the last few years, it has been investigated for various types of fraud, including overestimating the amount of work performed for a project.
The researchers also visited the residents of five buildings in Irpin that the contracts claimed had already been repaired, but heard from the inhabitants "that in these houses the contractors mainly replaced the windows and did almost nothing else."
The research was conducted by investigative journalist Daryna Synytska and public procurement analyst Yaroslav Pylypenko.
They noted that some costs have already been covered by international organizations like UNICEF, UNDP, Open Door Ukraine, and Terre des Hommes Italy.
Irpin, a city just outside Kyiv, became one of the symbolic sites of Russian terror in Ukraine. It was liberated by Ukrainian forces on March 28, 2022.
Oleg Sukhov
