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.
A view shows the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft's Moscow oil refinery on the south-eastern outskirts of Moscow, Russia on April 28, 2022. (Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine will not extend the transit agreement for Russian gas through its territory, set to expire on Dec. 31, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Dec. 19 during a press conference in Brussels.
The decision previously prompted concerns from Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, and Austria, whose state-owned energy companies called for the continuation of gas transit through Ukraine in a joint declaration.
Zelensky said that Ukraine would not allow Moscow to “earn additional billions” while continuing its aggression against Ukraine.
“We will not engage in extending the transit of Russian gas. We will not give (Russia) the opportunity to earn additional billions on our blood,” Zelensky said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, addressing the issue during his annual press conference on the same day, confirmed the end of the contract, expressing confidence in the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom's ability to endure the loss.
“This contract will no longer exist. Everything is clear. We will survive, Gazprom will survive,” Putin said.
While the European Union has made efforts to reduce dependency on Russian fossil fuels following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many countries, including Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria, remain reliant on Russian gas.
The EU only introduced its first sanctions targeting the Russian gas industry, specifically liquefied natural gas (LNG), earlier this year.
Following discussions with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine is open to negotiating gas transit agreements for non-Russian sources.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
