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 purposes: Demonstrators prostest Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's pro-Russian policies on Freedom Square in Bratislava, Slovakia, on December 23, 2024. (Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Thousands of people gathered in the streets of Bratislava on Jan. 3 to protest Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's pro-Russian policies, the Slovak news outlet Aktuality reported.
The demonstrations began less than two weeks after Fico visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and just days after Ukraine stopped the flow of Russian gas to Europe via its territory. Fico lambasted Kyiv for halting gas transit, threatening to cut off energy supplies to Ukraine and end aid to Ukrainian refugees amid the ongoing full-scale war.
Approximately 4,000 people assembled in Bratislava to protest Fico's Kremlin-friendly stance, Aktuality reported. Demonstrators waved the flags of Slovakia and the European Union, chanting "We are not Russia."
Protesters played the EU anthem and carried posters labeled "We are Europe."
"Fico, go to Moscow, leave Slovakia in peace," one banner reportedly read.
The Slovak artist Rudolf Sikora, one of the lead speakers at the protest, called on opposition parties to unite with activists and civil associations against the threat of Russian influence.
"I beg you, opposition politicians, come together sensibly," he said.
Fico, a pro-Russian populist, won Slovakia's parliamentary elections in September 2023. It is his fourth time at the helm of the Slovak government.
Before Fico's return to power, Slovakia had been a staunch supporter of Ukraine. It was the first country to send Kyiv fighter jets after the full-scale invasion and a reliable supplier of military aid.
Fico's government initiated a stark policy reversal, halting weapons deliveriesto Ukraine and adopting rhetoric blaming the West for Russia's war. Fico also has close ties to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, another Central European populist leader with friendly attitudes toward Putin.
Tensions between Bratislava and Kyiv have escalated due to President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to allow a pre-war agreement on Russian gas transit via Ukraine to expire without renewal on Dec. 31, 2024.
Ukraine terminated the transit deal on Jan. 1, after repeatedly warningit would not renew gas transit in order to avoid financing Russia's war machine.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Francis Farrell
