The sanctioned oil tankers have transported over $24 billion in cargo since 2024, according to Downing Street. The U.K. has now sanctioned more shadow fleet vessels than any other country.
Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Moscow and Washington discuss the potential resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, among other issues related to the peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to the Russian state-run Interfax news agency.
"This is a historic decision, as weapons for Ukraine will be purchased at the expense of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets through the European Peace Fund," Denys Shmyhal said.
Illustrative purposes only: Blackout in Kharkiv, Ukraine on May 3, 2024. (Yakiv Liashenko / The Kyiv Independent)
Ukraine will introduce hourly energy shutdowns for industrial and household consumers in all oblasts from 6:00 p.m. local time on May 20 until midnight.
The restrictions will not affect critical infrastructure facilities, said Ukraine's state-owned energy operator, Ukrenergo, on May 19.
A recent uptick in Russian strikes put a heavy strain on Ukraine's power grid, with several power plants being destroyed or disabled.
Due to resulting power deficits, Ukraine began implementing rolling shutdowns on May 15.
These restrictions may last until August, said Yurii Boiko, an advisor to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
"If we talk about the (power supply) restrictions that started a day ago, we will have to live in these conditions, according to my estimates, until August," Boiko said during a press conference on May 16.
Ukraine previously experienced blackouts during the autumn and winter of 2022 and 2023, when a massive Russian missile campaign destroyed half of the country's power grid.
Kateryna Denisova
