The renewal of Ukraine’s Independence on Aug. 24, 1991, was clearly one of the most defining moments in the history of the 20th century. Why? Ukraine’s independence allowed the Ukrainian people to finally emerge from colonialism and enter the circle of free peoples of the world. Ukraine's independence also forced the dissolution of the Soviet Union thereby ensuring the liberation of many other enslaved peoples of the former Soviet Union. In other words, Ukraine’s Independence caused the coll

According to the European Commission, Ukraine accounted for 10% of the world wheat market, 13% of the barley market, and 15% of the corn market before Russia launched its all‑out war against Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Soon thereafter, Russia’s ships blocked grain exports from Ukraine’s port cities, including Odesa, to world markets. On July 22, 2022, in Istanbul, Ukraine and Russia each agreed to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Türkiye’s Pres

Not everybody is fortunate enough to get a second chance. However, during the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 11-12 July, NATO will have another chance to correct the monumental geopolitical blunder it committed 15 years ago at the 2008 NATO Summit in Bucharest, Romania. During the NATO Summit in Bucharest, Ukraine and Georgia requested a Membership Action Plan from NATO but instead received a noncommittal declaration that they may become members at some undetermined future time, wi

Disinformation is an instrument for deliberately propagating false information with the intent to mislead. Therefore, disinformation and its sources should not be treated in the same way as fact-based news reporting. Disinformation is not one of the sides of a story. It is a falsehood that must not be accorded equal standing in a news narrative based on widely accepted standards of journalism, namely: truth, accuracy, and objectivity. On Dec. 13, 2016, Garry Kasparov, a former world chess champ

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. With effective and timely support from the international community, particularly NATO member countries, in 2023 Ukraine will win the all-out war launched by Russia against Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Is such an outcome truly possible? While some political pundits sneeringly argue that it is not, many of them also believed that the Kremlin was right

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. On April 1, 2023, for the whole month of April, Russia assumed the Presidency of the UN Security Council. Unfortunately, this is not a bad April Fools' joke, but quite an eye-opener of Western complacency as Russia mocks our fundamental values and respected institutions. Article 24 (1) of the Charter of the United Nations stipulates that its Secu

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in our op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. This month marks both the ninth year of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, which started on Feb. 20, 2014, when Russia’s “little green men” invaded Crimea, as well as the first year of Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine that began on Feb. 24, 2022, and – according to the Kremlin and several Western pseudo experts – was supposed to last

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in our op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. Russia is a state supporter of terrorism as it both supports individuals and entities that have carried out terrorist activities and engages in such activities itself. Indeed, Russia's military and mercenaries, supported by the state, are resorting to summary executions, torture, sexual violence, starvation, nuclear saber-rattling, and targeted mi

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in our op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. Over the last year, numerous political pundits have opined on various aspects of Russia’s genocidal war against Ukraine, including on the critical question of when it will end. Russia’s war against Ukraine has already caused an enormous humanitarian crisis, disrupted the global economy, and constitutes today's most serious threat to international

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in our op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. NATO member countries and Israel have the weapons to enable Ukraine to impose a no-fly zone and stop a genocide, which would create a substantially better and safer world. So why have they still not delivered those weapons to Ukraine? Why is Germany willing to send its Patriot missile defense system to Poland but not to Ukraine, even though Polis

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. In the words of U.S. President Joe Biden, on Feb. 24, 2022, Russia launched a genocidal war against Ukraine “to wipe out even the idea of being Ukrainian.” Since then, Russia has fired over 3,500 missiles at Ukraine’s cities and towns as of early October, and the world has witnessed with consternation devastation in Ukraine unseen in Europe since

The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions of the Kyiv Independent. There was some speculation as to what the letter “Z” meant for the Kremlin, and why it became the symbol of Russia’s genocidal war against Ukraine. Now, this “Z” clearly stands for the zero gained by Russia from its war against Ukraine. Prior to Russia’s full-scale military attack against Ukraine, the Kremlin’s disinformation propaganda forecasted that Ukr

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions of the Kyiv Independent. After suffering five months of the worst devastation in Europe since the Second World War and defending their homeland with a determination that has gained admiration the world over, many Ukrainians are surely asking themselves the following disturbing questions and wondering when Western leaders will finally decide unequivocally that enough i

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions of the Kyiv Independent. As part of Russia's all-out war against Ukraine, the Russian navy’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports prevented some 20 million tons of Ukraine’s grain to be exported to needy countries, despite the fact that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Food Programme issued the following alarming warning: “an

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions of the Kyiv Independent. Bullied by Russia, Germany intensely negotiated with Canada a sanctions exemption pertaining to Nord  Stream 1 gas turbines included in Canada’s sanctions regime that is governed by its Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations adopted in response to Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine.  Nord Stream 1 is a gas pipeline from Russia to Ger