The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell sits down with retired U.S. Army officer and former Nebraska State Senator Tom Brewer in the front-line city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, to discuss U.S.-Ukraine relations under the Trump administration, why Nebraska is interested in Ukraine's post-war recovery and why it's important for U.S. politicians to visit Ukraine to counter myths by Russian propaganda.
Chornobyl disaster occurred in the early hours of April 26, 1986, in Soviet Ukraine. Nearly 39 years after the worst nuclear disaster in history, Russia’s brazen attack on the $2 billion New Safe Confinement (the sarcophagus enclosing the destroyed reactor) in February 2025 poses a new potential radioactive danger as engineers race to repair the damage. The Kyiv Independent’s Kollen Post dives into why the restoration is not as simple as it may seem.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s negotiation strategy in Afghanistan resulted in a capitulation to the Taliban and abandoning U.S. allies. As the world awaits a potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, what could a deal brokered by Trump actually look like? The Kyiv Independent’s Masha Lavrova dives into the last time Trump sought to end a war and what it could mean for Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell sits down with the former commander of Ukraine's Azov Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Krotevych, to discuss the situation on the front line after three years of Russia's full-scale war, why he thinks Ukraine should change its culture of military leadership, why the U.S. army doctrine wouldn't work for Russia's war against Ukraine, and shares his takes on Russia's next steps after a potential ceasefire.
The Kyiv Independent's Alisa Yurchenko went undercover as a representative of a Russian defense manufacturer to try buying American chips through Russian suppliers. Our investigation reveals how China helps Russia obtain the Western weapon components through gray import schemes.
The Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur covers the top stories impacting Ukraine this week. First in everyone’s concerns is the ongoing ceasefire negotiations and the latest developments in Ukraine’s Kursk operation.
The Kyiv Independent's Chris York sits down with Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia and political scientist, to discuss the Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations, U.S. President Donald Trump's approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the ideological parallels between Putinism and MAGA.
In the wake of the Feb. 28 clash between U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, the Kyiv Independent went to the streets of Kyiv to ask Ukrainians what they think of the now infamous meeting.
In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur breaks down the shocking argument that took place in the Oval Office on Friday, in which U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a perceived lack of gratitude for American assistance to Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sits down with Rob Lee, former U.S. marine infantry officer and senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia Program. They discuss the evolving battlefield realities as Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its 4th year and why peace negotiations are unlikely to bring results any time soon.
The Kyiv Independent analyzed leaked emails of a Russian defense company revealing Russia’s arms trade after the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The letters confirm that Russia continued to fulfill a huge contract signed shortly before the attack on Ukraine to supply its air defense systems and missiles to Saudi Arabia.
Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump promised to end the Ukraine-Russia war during his campaign. As inauguration approaches on Jan. 20, the Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell lays out the four scenarios that could see an end to the war in Ukraine — for better or worse.
Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean soldiers as prisoners of war (POWs) in Russia's Kursk Oblast on Jan. 9. The Kyiv Independent's Anna Belokur breaks down everything we learned from the POWs' interrogation video released by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This Sunday, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur covers the trending news of the week from developments on the front lines to the Ramstein meeting with top officials. And what happened with the new brigade trained in France?
In this year-end wrap up of Ukraine This Week, host Anna Belokur covers the 2024 events in Ukraine and what they meant.
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sat down with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze to look back at 2024 and discuss the country’s support for Ukraine amid political uncertainty before the inauguration of Donald Trump in the U.S. and Russia’s gains on the frontline.
While the diamond industry markets itself as a beacon of luxury, the complex web of global trade hides dark, brutal reality. Despite sanctions and growing scrutiny, Russian diamonds continue to enter the global market, funding Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, host Anna Belokur dives into Russia’s withdrawal from Syria after the dictator Bashar al-Assad’s downfall, as well as a front line update from Ukraine and the controversy surrounding mobilizing younger men.
The Kyiv Independent’s Natalia Yermak sat down with Neil Quilliam, a Middle East expert at Chatham House, to talk about what it means for Russia’s war in Ukraine and how it might put Kyiv and the West in a more favorable position in the potential peace negotiations with Moscow.
For the 30th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum, The Kyiv Independent’s Daria Shulzhenko visits a former Soviet-era nuclear missile silo in south Ukraine.
In an exclusive interview with the Kyiv Independent, Kaja Kallas, the newly appointed vice-president of the European Commission and top EU diplomat, discusses Ukraine support and recent EU sanctions against Russia. Kallas visited Kyiv on Dec. 1, the first day in her new role.
In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur reports on Russia’s recent missile strike using a new ballistic weapon. Meanwhile, Twitter owner and Donald Trump ally Elon Musk throws an online jab at President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Kyiv Independent sat down with the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, John Herbst, to discuss the future of the U.S. policy towards Ukraine as it continues its defense against Russia’s aggression.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has already announced the first appointments for his cabinet, who will advise him on everything from foreign policy to national security. We break down how these individuals may influence Trump's policies on Ukraine and Russia.
With Donald Trump's U.S. presidential win set to shape the future of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent examines the current situation on the battlefield, where Russia is making its fastest gains since the early days of the full-scale invasion.
A few hours after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Donald Trump on winning the 2024 U.S. presidential election, we asked Ukrainians on the streets of Kyiv what they thought about Trump's victory and his most controversial quotes about Ukraine and Russia's war.
Ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. election, the Kyiv Independent sat down with U.S. academic and former ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul to discuss what the future of U.S. politics for Ukraine looks like with both presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris
The Kyiv Independent joined one such unit that refers to themselves as the Witches of Bucha, after a suburb in Kyiv Oblast where they are based. Since all of them are volunteers, these women combine their combat duties with civilian lives.
Can Ukraine actually lower the mobilization age? There’s a complication many don’t know about.
The Kyiv Independent fills in the gaps in the story of Sergey Korolev, Vladimir Putin’s second-main spy chief, stripping him of a significant portion of his long-lived anonymity.
The Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur explains the top stories of the week, from updates on the Kursk incursion to Washington's potential shift in long-range missiles policy. And who is that bust of in the background of our videos?
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell spoke with Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow for airpower and technology at RUSI, about the evolving dynamics of airspace in Russia's war against Ukraine.
