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.
Illustrative image: Ukraine's new long-range drone, nicknamed "Backfire," which debuted on Nov. 20, 2023. (Mykhailo Fedorov / Telegram)
A Ukrainian drone struck an oil refinery in the city of Ufa in Russia's Bashkortostan Republic, the head of the republic, Radiy Khabirov, said on Oct. 31.
According to Khabirov, three Ukrainian drones fell within the facility of the oil refinery, with one falling on the refinery itself. The drone caused minimal damage with no casualties reported, Khabirov claimed.
The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the claims of the official and Ukraine has not yet commented on the alleged attack.
The incident appears to be just the second time since the start of the full-scale invasion that Ukrainian drones attacked facilities in Bashkortostan, which lies some 1,500 kilometers from the country's border.
On May 9, a Ukrainian State Security Service (SBU) source told the Kyiv Independent that a long-range drone operated by the SBU attacked the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat oil refinery.
It was not immediately clear to which refinery the drone allegedly fell on during the most recent attack.
The alleged strikes comes as Ukraine and Russia are reportedly holding preliminary discussions about stopping attacks on each other's energy infrastructure, the Financial Times reported on Oct. 29 — although Russia has denied being involved in the talks.
In a show of strength, Kyiv has regularly attempted to strike long-distance targets since the start of the war. In April, Ukraine hit production facilities in Russia's Tatarstan Republic, 1,300 kilometers away from the state border, while in September, Russian officials claimed that Ukrainian drones attacked targets in Murmansk Oblast, located behind the Arctic Circle.
Ukraine's Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said in April that the country has domestically-produced attack drones capable of flying over 1,000 kilometers, as Kyiv intensifies its efforts to ramp up domestic production of drones.
Fossil fuels are the primary drivers of the Russian economy and the main source of revenue for the Kremlin's war machine. Despite Western sanctions, Russia still provides oil and gas to other countries around the world, primarily India and China.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Chris York
