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.
"Trump needs to believe that Putin actually lies," Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv. "And we should do our part. Sensibly approach this issue, to show that it’s not us that is slowing down the process."
Voronezh M radar system. (Russian Defense Ministry)
Editor's note: The article was edited to correctly indicate the Washington Post as the source.
The U.S. government is concerned about Ukraine striking radar stations on Russian territory as it could "dangerously unsettle Moscow," the Washington Post (WP) reported on May 29, citing an undisclosed U.S. official.
A long-range droneoperated by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) attacked an early-warning Voronezh M radar in Russia's Orsk city in Orenburg Oblast on May 26, reportedly traveling a record-breaking 1,800 kilometers (around 1,200 miles) from the launch site.
Ukraine's military intelligence also struck another Voronezh radar in the village of Glubokii, 12 kilometers (around 8 miles) from the town of Armavir, in Krasnodar Krai on May 23, causing a fire at the facility, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.
Washington expressed its concerns to Kyiv about the two attacks against radar stations that provide conventional air defense as well as warning of nuclear launches by the West, the article read.
At least one strike against the town of Armavir in southeastern Krasnodar Krai has caused some damage, according to the WP.
The U.S. official claimed that the facilities that were targeted had not been involved in the support of Russia's war against Ukraine.
"But they are sensitive locations because Russia could perceive that its strategic deterrent capabilities are being targeted, which could undermine Russia's ability to maintain nuclear deterrence against the United States," the source told the WP.
"It should be obvious to everyone that there is no intention whatsoever (by the United States) of using nuclear weapons against Russia. But there is certainly concern about how Russia could perceive its deterrent capabilities being targeted and early-warning systems being attacked. "
A Ukrainian official familiar with the matter, in contrast, said Russia has used the radar sites to track the Ukrainian military's activities, particularly the usage of aerial weaponry, including drones and missiles.
The Ukrainian official said that Kyiv strikes radar stations to diminish Russia's ability to monitor the Ukrainian military's activities in southern Ukraine.
Russia "switched all of its capabilities for war against Ukraine," the source added.
In early May, another Ukrainian long-range drone hit an oil refinery, Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat, in Russia's Republic of Bashkortostan.
The drone, operated by the State Security Service (SBU), covered 1,500 kilometers (around 930 miles) to strike the target, a record-breaking distance for Ukraine at the time.
In April, Ukraine hit production facilities in Russia's Tatarstan Republic, 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from the state border.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
