At least six planes belonging to top Russian officials and businessmen have left Moscow amid the rebellion launched by Wagner mercenaries, Russia's Vazhnye Isorii investigative journalism project reported on June 24, citing data from the Flightradar24 flight tracking site.
Key developments on June 21: * Ukrainian forces report further advance in the south * Germany delivers Patriot missile system to Ukraine * Russia fortifies defense lines in Crimea, creates branch of Black Sea Fleet in occupied Mariupol * Russian forces attack 10 regions, kill 4 people on June 20 * US to send more
Russia's air force struck the village of Kozatske, Kherson Oblast, on June 17, killing one person and wounding three, including a 35-year-old woman, an 88-year-old man, and a 17-year-old boy, the regional administration reported.
An investigation published by the New York Times on June 17 indicated that an explosive charge in a passageway running through the dam's concrete base detonated and destroyed the structure on June 6.
Editor’s note: As per the regulations of the unit, soldiers interviewed for this article, many of whom have relatives remaining in Russian-occupied territory, are identified by first name and/or callsign only. SOUTHEASTERN UKRAINE – After months of seeing Russia’s war against Ukraine through the drab gray-brown landscapes of
Key developments on May 17: * Patriot still operational, radar not damaged * Defense Ministry: Ukraine advances 500 meters near Bakhmut over past day * US House Foreign Affairs Committee supports resolution on special tribunal for Russia U.S. officials do not believe the Patriot air defense system must be removed from the
Khmelnytskyi Oblast Administration reported on May 13 that 21 people were wounded in Russia's overnight drone attack on the region.
ZAPORIZHZHIA – Stuck between a worksite frozen in time and a highway facing the Dnipro River, the volunteer’s center was not easy to find. The anonymous building hardly betrayed any sign of human activity from the outside. Everything was wrapped in an eerie silence until a door opened, spilling a
Key developments on May 10: * Journalists geolocate 223 military facilities in Russian-occupied Crimea * Kremlin claims no knowledge of Wagner boss' lack of ammunition complaint * Kuleba says Ukraine may launch more than one counteroffensive * Russia's Victory Day parade shows material, logistical issues * Russian Kh-55 missile likely fell in Poland in December
Episode of This Week in Ukraine video podcast #6 is dedicated to Ukrainian grain exports, and how they destabilize European domestic markets.
Editor's Note: Some soldiers declined to give their last names to the Kyiv Independent for safety reasons as they plan to return to fight on the front line once their rehabilitation is over. ZAPORIZHZHIA – Serhii Demko's active duty is over. He had served since the first day of the Russian
Negotiations over a European import ban on Ukrainian grain between the European Commission and its eastern flank members were stalled as of April 23. Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria asked to extend protection measures after the EU's one-year decision to abolish customs duties, while they claim Ukrainian grain glut
ORIKHIV, HULIAIPOLE, Zaporizhzhia Oblast – A massive rumble shakes the basement under the partly destroyed administrative building, followed by another blast much closer. “Not good,” says 51-year-old Svitlana Mandrich, Orikhiv’s deputy mayor, looking warily at the sandbags protecting the cellar’s vent. Mandrich is in charge of keeping the small
Zaporizhzhia Oblast – In a split-second, two Ukrainian jets appear over the road, releasing chaff that sets off a couple of Russian anti-aircraft missiles. It allows one of the planes to hit a Russian position that billows with black smoke rising over the trees, leaving no doubt on how close the
Editor's Note: The Ukrainian soldiers featured in this article don't share their family names for security reasons. ZAPORIZHZHIA OBLAST – A couple of running gray silhouettes appear on the phone screen of drone unit commander Ashot, call sign "Doc." "They saw the drone, see?" he pointed at them. A few seconds
The Kyiv Independent: Opinion is a series of videos where our journalists share their thoughts on various political, social, and other issues. In this video, our reporter Alexander Query, a native of France, contemplates why many in his home country, and in Europe in general, romanticize Russia.
ZAPORIZHZHIA – Ten hours after the Russian missile attack that destroyed a five-story apartment building in Zaporizhzhia, first responders were still looking for survivors. A Russian S-300 missile hit the building around 1:30 a.m. on March 2. As of 11:30 a.m., the attack killed four people and
Just an hour after Russian bombs began raining down on Ukrainian cities around 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 24, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) swiftly imposed martial law nationwide. The move was understandable in the face of a full-scale invasion. But it also effectively extended the
Oleksiy Danilov rarely cracks a smile. The gruff-looking 60-year-old National Security and Defense Council secretary doesn't have much to smile about. One year after their botched attempt to dismantle Ukrainian statehood, Russians are expected to launch another major offensive in an attempt to turn the tide of the war. The
Russia's war in Ukraine was a watershed moment for Europe. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has killed tens of thousands and forced millions out of the country, Russia sought to punish the European Union for supporting Kyiv. Russia began to choke Europe, violating pre-existing energy contracts and unilaterally
NOVYI BURLUK, Kharkiv Oblast – The darkness setting over the muddy street of the small hamlet in Kharkiv Oblast did little to hide the destruction Russian soldiers left behind. Novyi Burluk, located 85 kilometers south of the Russian border, was occupied on the first day of the full-scale invasion. The occupation
BROVARY, Kyiv Oblast —The smell of smoke was still in the air in Brovary, a city just east of Kyiv, hours after a helicopter crashed on a local kindergarten on the morning of Jan. 18. First responders and law enforcement were bustling around the charred building, where just recently preschoolers
As Ukrainians were about to gather to celebrate New Year, hoping for a better year ahead, Russia went the extra mile to deprive people of even the slightest holiday mood. A few kilometers from central Kyiv, multiple ambulances stood waiting. In one ambulance, the crew was trying to calm down
The lives of millions of Ukrainians turned upside down in 2022, as Russia waged a brutal all-out war against their home. This year, we interviewed frontline soldiers, released prisoners of war, families of those killed by this war, survivors of Russian occupation and torture, volunteers, and officials. All of them
The European Parliament finally approved an 18 billion euro macro-financial aid package to Ukraine on Dec. 14, after striking a deal with Hungary to drop its veto. The parliament employed a so-called "urgent procedure" to allow 26 member states to act as the loan guarantors for Ukraine, relieving Hungary from
VOVCHANSK, Kharkiv Oblast – Three months after its liberation, Vovchansk still bears the scars of Russia's seven-month-long occupation. A small partly-destroyed concrete bridge leads into a town whose main road is now littered with charred vehicles turned upside down. The local police station, used by Russians as a torture chamber, is
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. French President Emmanuel Macron is not credible anymore. His latest baffling statement on national television about giving “security guarantees” to Russia has caused
Editor's Note: This article was updated at 10 p.m. to include the recent number of casualties. Russia unleashed another mass missile barrage on Ukraine on Dec. 5 targeting energy infrastructure across the country. Out of the 70 missiles launched by Russia, 60 have been intercepted, the Ukrainian Air Force
Ukraine faces its most challenging winter as Russia relentlessly strikes its energy system to plunge the nation into cold and darkness. Since mid-October, Russia's carried out five mass missile attacks that have damaged 40% of Ukraine's energy system and made long power outages a new reality for many Ukrainians. And
Ukraine has two main orthodox churches, and the one run by Moscow is having a hard time. Starting from Nov. 22, Ukraine's law enforcement has raided several premises of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). The latest search occurred on Nov. 28 in western Ukraine. Ukraine's Security
In the Kyiv office of the Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion, two flags hang on the wall next to each other: the yellow-and-blue flag of Ukraine and the green-white-and-red flag of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. The battalion, named for the first president of the short-lived Chechen republic, Dzhokhar Dudayev, who led
