The Council of Europe on May 14 approved the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva reported.
Viktoria Roshchyna, 27, disappeared in August 2023 while reporting from Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories. Moscow admitted she was in Russian detention the following year.
European foreign ministers approved the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine during a meeting in Lviv on May 9. The tribunal, which will operate under the auspices of the Council of Europe, aims to prosecute Russia's top political and military leadership, including President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine expects the tribunal to start work in 2026. The Kyiv Independent’s Kateryna Hodunova spoke with Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel about the future tribunal and its role in bringing justice for Ukraine.
Turkish officials told Bloomberg that while they don't expect Trump to visit Istanbul, they are not ruling it out, and preparations for any scenario are underway.
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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant on July 1, 2023. (Photo: President's Office)
President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant on July 1 and discussed regional safety measures, the President's Office reported.
During his visit, Zelensky received updates from Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, and Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, about the operational situation on the Belarusian border and any possible threats to the nuclear plant.
Zelensky also received reports from Petro Kotin, the head of Energoatom, as well as the head of the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant.
According to the President's Office, measures to enhance safety along Ukraine's northern border was a key topic covered in the meetings.
Ongoing concerns regarding Ukraine's nuclear safety have persisted since the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion, when Russian forces gained control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which happens to be the largest in Europe.
Russian forces have repeatedly used the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as a military base to launch attacks against Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Citing intelligence reports, Zelensky announced on June 20 that Moscow is considering a terrorist attack at the plant to cause a radiation leak.
Budanov also told New Statesman on June 23 that Russia had completed preparations for a potential terror attack at the plant.
On July 1, Zelensky told Spanish journalists that another possibility was that Russian forces could return control of the plant back to Ukraine after having mined it, only to blow it up remotely.
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Alexander Khrebet
