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.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, walks with U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, left, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, right, to a meeting with senators at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 21, 2023. (Photo by Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
U.S. senators have expressed bipartisan support for a yearlong $50-100 billion aid package, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Oct. 9.
Senators from both sides have spoken in favor of a “one-and-done” Ukraine aid package, a strategy U.S. President Joe Biden has reportedly been considering amid political chaos surrounding budget negotiations in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The package, if agreed upon, could be passed before the expiration of the current spending bill on November 17.
The proposed package ranges from $50-100 billion and represents a significant increase from the $24 billion in funding that Biden proposed in August.
Senators told the Wall Street Journal that one large funding package would "give Ukraine a sense of confidence" and was more advantageous "from a political point of view."
Funding for Ukraine was dropped from the spending bill passed on Sept. 30 to avert a U.S. government shutdown, leading to doubts over American support.
While there is still strong bipartisan support in the House of Representatives for Ukraine funding, the topic continues to be a major point of debate.
When Representative Matt Gaetz proposed ending all military aid to Ukraine, 93 Republicans voted in favor of the measure while 126 Republicans and 213 Democrats voted against, NBC News reported.
The United States has been the largest provider of military assistance since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to a Council on Foreign Relations report.
As the Ukrainian military prepares for winter and international support declines, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took part in the European Political Community Summit to shore up support from European leaders.
"Ukraine's key priority, particularly as winter approaches, is to strengthen air defense,” Zelensky said at the conference last week. “We have already laid the groundwork for new agreements with partners and look forward to their approval and implementation.”
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
