US announces over $440 million in economic aid for Ukraine
The economic aid package is comprised of four key parts, including $223 million to rebuild transportation, infrastructure, and logistics.
Ukraine
Russian guided bomb attacks fall sharply after ATACMS, Storm Shadow strikes, analysts say
Russian attacks against Ukraine with guided aerial bombs have reportedly fallen by over 50% since Western partners allowed Kyiv to target Russia with long-range missiles.
Ukraine's largest steelmaker suspends operations at Pokrovsk coal mine
The closure comes amid an increasingly dangerous Russian advance towards Pokrovsk, where Ukraine has lost key positions in recent days.
White House announces new $500 million weapons package for Kyiv
"This additional assistance, provided under previous drawdowns from Department of Defense stocks, is valued at $500 million," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Dec. 12.
Can You Hear Me? The invisible battles of Ukrainian military medics | Documentary
The Kyiv Independent's journalists Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko followed a group of Ukrainian military medics as they journeyed from the heat of battle in war-torn Ukraine to the serene forests of Sweden for a short mental health retreat.
Russian occupation court sentences Ukrainian to 11 years for alleged espionage
A Russian-controlled court in occupied Donetsk Oblast sentenced 20-year-old Mikhail Karimov, a resident of Mariupol, to 11 years in a strict regime penal colony, Mariupol City Council reported on Dec. 12.
301 Ukrainian women held in Russian captivity, rights group reports
As of December 2024, 301 Ukrainian civilian women are in Russian captivity, with 25 detained before Russia's full-scale invasion and 276 taken since, according to Olha Skrypnyk, head of the Crimean Human Rights Group (CHRG), speaking on Dec. 11.
Xi Jinping reaffirms China's stance on Ukraine war settlement
Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated China's position on resolving the war in Ukraine during a meeting with Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, on Dec. 12, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
NATO chief warns alliance 'unprepared' for Russian threats, calls for increased defense spending
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on Dec. 12 that the alliance is not ready for the threats it will face from Russia in the coming years, urging a shift to a wartime mindset with significantly higher defense spending.
Ukraine sentences Russian Duma chairman Volodin to 15 years in absentia
Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia’s State Duma, has been sentenced in absentia to 15 years by a Ukrainian court, Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU) reported on Dec. 12.
French ambassador to Ukraine assures continued support for Kyiv under new government
French Ambassador to Ukraine Gael Veyssiere expressed confidence that France's policy of assistance to Ukraine would remain unchanged following the appointment of a new prime minister, Interfax-Ukraine reported on Dec. 12.
EBRD co-launches $116 million guarantee for Ukraine war-risk insurance
The EBRD's new Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Guarantee Facility will initially help reinsurance companies cover risks connected to land-based transport, focusing on small and medium businesses.
Poland 'dismisses speculation' on peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, PM says
During a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron on Dec. 12, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed speculation about a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, emphasizing that no such actions are currently planned.
Hungary did not discuss any Christmas truce, prisoner swap with Ukraine, Presidential Office says
The Hungarian side "did not discuss anything" with Ukraine and "did not warn about its contacts with Moscow," said Dmytro Lytvyn, the presidential communications adviser, referring to Viktor Orban’s recent phone call with Vladimir Putin.
Spend With Ukraine wants to ‘build a better brand’ for the country
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series of profiles highlighting successful Ukrainian startups and businesses. The series is funded by the regional investment fund Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund (UMAEF) and created in partnership with Spend With Ukraine, a non-profit organization that launched a platform to showcase businesses
Trump hints he won't 'abandon' Kyiv but opposes Ukraine launching US missiles inside Russia
"I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that?" Donald Trump told Time.
Ukraine's intelligence kills senior Russian missile scientist near Moscow, source claims
Mikhail Shatsky, a Russian expert involved in modernizing missiles launched against Ukraine, was shot dead near Moscow, a Defense Forces source told the Kyiv Independent on Dec. 12.
Macron, Tusk to discuss deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine after ceasefire, Bloomberg reports
French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Warsaw on Dec. 12 to brief the Polish prime minister on his meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump last week and to discuss Europe's support for Ukraine and ways to end Russia's war.
Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 1, injure 11 over past day
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least one civilian and injured at least 11 over the past day, regional authorities reported early on Dec. 12.
US lawmakers ask for intelligence report on impact of cutting Ukraine aid
Lawmakers from both chambers of the U.S. legislature requested the director of national intelligence, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to compile a report on different policy impacts on Ukraine and U.S. security, according to The Hill.
US House passes 2025 defense spending bill without Ukraine lend-lease extension
The $895 billion U.S. defense budget passed by the House of Representatives did not include a provision to extend the lend-lease act for Ukraine despite the efforts of Ukrainian diplomats, Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, said on Dec. 12.
General Staff: Russia has lost 758,730 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022
This number includes 1,390 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
Tough battles, lost positions in Pokrovsk demand 'non-standard decisions,' Syrskyi says
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that "non-standard decisions" are needed near the embattled city of Pokrovsk, after the military reported that Russia had destroyed two Ukrainian positions in the area.
Tsikhanouskaya says Ukraine maintains relations with Belarusian opposition leaders
Svitlana Tsikhanouskaya, the most prominent Belarusian opposition leader, discussed efforts to maintain relations with Ukrainian authorities in a European Pravda interview on Dec. 10.
'We hope that at least he won't call Assad' — Zelensky slams Orban for phone call with Putin
President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Dec. 11 following his hour-long call to Russian President Vladimir Putin during which the two discussed the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine war latest: Russia continues to suffer record losses in December, Zelensky says
Key developments on Dec. 11: * Russia continues to suffer record losses in December, Zelensky says * Ukraine has arms to resist at least until mid-2025 if US cuts aid, finance minister says * Russian proxies sentence 9 Azovstal defenders to 24 years, life in prison * Russia may launch new Oreshnik missile against
Russia may launch new Oreshnik missile against Ukraine in 'coming days,' US intelligence says
Washington still sees the experimental Oreshnik missile more as "an attempt at intimidation than a game-changer on the battlefield in Ukraine," a U.S. official said.
Ukrainian airline SkyUp launches flights from Moldova in April 2025
SkyUp chose the Chisinau Airport in Moldova as it is the closest international hub to Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent’s picks for best Ukraine-related books of 2024
The year 2024 proved to be another landmark for books about Ukraine and Ukrainian literature in translation, with a continued trend in publishing in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Unsurprisingly, Russia’s ongoing full-scale war against Ukraine was the most common topic among these works. Whether through incisive on-the-ground reportage that
Ukraine's tax hike, G7 loan enough for planned defense expenses in 2025, Finance Ministry says
For the next year, Ukraine allocated 26.3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense and security expenditures, including Hr 740 billion ($17.7 billion) for arms purchases and Hr 50 billion ($1.2 billion) on the production and purchase of drones.
YouTuber Johnny Harris’ lens on Eastern Europe is distorted and irresponsible
Something is wrong with YouTuber Johnny Harris’ lens — not the one he uses to film himself, but his view of Eastern European history. Known for his unquenchable thirst for maps and archival documents, Harris has become a prominent voice on geopolitics and history. If you're unfamiliar with him, Harris developed
Russian proxies sentence 9 Azovstal defenders to 24 years, life in prison
Russian occupation authorities in Donetsk jailed nine Ukrainian soldiers captured after defending Mariupol to between 24 years and a life sentence, the city's exiled authorities reported on Dec. 11.
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