Author

Andrea Januta
ReporterAndrea Januta is a Kyiv-based reporter for the Kyiv Independent. She previously spent six years as an investigative reporter with Reuters in New York, where she won a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. While at Reuters, her work led to multiple federal investigations, congressional hearings, and new legislation. Before becoming a journalist, she worked as a financial data analyst at Goldman Sachs.
Articles

Ukraine’s message to Europe: You are under threat from Russia. We can help
As Russia continues escalating its hybrid warfare tactics in Europe, the latest drone incursions into Poland and Estonia represent another bold move that has ratcheted up the temperature.
For Ukrainians living through the bloodiest land war in Europe since World War II, the message they hope Europe hears is that other countries are under threat, too — and that closer cooperation with Ukraine can protect them.
In addition to the recent flights of Russian drones over NATO territory, Russia is al

Ukraine strikes oil refineries in Russia's Saratov and Samara oblasts, military confirms
Ukraine's General Staff said that it had struck two oil refineries overnight on Sept. 20 in Russia's Saratov and Samara oblasts, confirming earlier reports on social media from Russian residents.

European Parliament head visits Ukraine, announces permanent office in Kyiv
The trip marks European Parliament President Roberta Metsola's fourth visit to Ukraine's capital since the start of the full-scale war in 2022.

Russian drones have entered several NATO countries’ airspace. Far more may be within their range
The latest massive aerial attack on Ukraine hit a new milestone in the continuing escalation of Russian bombardments, after Poland announced that it had closed airports and downed Russian drones in its airspace overnight on Sept. 10.
"Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X, adding that those "that posed a direct threat were shot down."
As Russia continues to improve its drones — which Ukrainian intelligence h

As Russia recruits Ukrainian teens for sabotage, Ukraine races to reach them first
As Ukraine’s teenagers get ready for a new school year in a country at war, they face yet another threat — a network of Russian operatives trying to trick them into betraying their country.
For the past year, Ukrainian headlines have tracked a series of shocking incidents where young people recruited by Russian state actors on messenger apps — particularly Telegram — have planted bombs, lit vehicles on fire, painted anti-state graffiti, and shared photos of potential military targets with Russ

Security guarantees for Ukraine explained: What's on the table and what's realistic?
As peace talks to end the war in Ukraine gather speed toward a potential trilateral meeting between the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia, the question of what kind of security guarantees Kyiv might receive continues to loom over the flurry of diplomatic meetings.
After President Volodymyr Zelensky's Aug. 18 appearance at the White House, European leaders are now expected to draft a skeleton proposal for security guarantees over the next week, according to Kyiv Independent sources. The proposal will ex

Warm words, thin results: White House meeting lifts Ukraine, but tough road ahead
When President Volodymyr Zelensky joined U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Aug. 18, the positive mood between the leaders stood in stark contrast to their disastrous encounter in February in the same spot.
This shift alone was seen as a victory for Ukraine — offering many of its citizens and allies relief, though the meeting itself was largely inconclusive and failed to secure concrete decisions on the security guarantees and the ceasefire that Ukraine has pushed for.
"I think

Muscle beaches, drag racing, and drones falling into the sea. Summer in Odesa hasn’t stopped
Just after the sun rises over the sea in Ukraine's southern coastal city Odesa, shirtless men with gold chains flip tractor tires on a beachside blacktop, while women balance on their yoga mats at a pier. As fishermen cast their lines out into the water, cormorants swoop down to hunt for the same prey.
By the time the mouth-watering smell of lunch-time kebabs wafts off of seaside grills, it's hard to find a spot on the fine-grained white sand to lay down a towel.
The coastal city is on track f

'Last chance' — Witkoff effort in Russia unlikely to change Trump’s course, analysts say
As U.S. President Donald Trump trades barbs with Russian officials amid growing tensions, he has announced he may send his special envoy Steve Witkoff to Russia this week.
The visit, which Russia has yet to confirm, would likely take place on Aug. 6 or 7 — immediately before a deadline Trump imposed on Moscow to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or suffer secondary tariffs targeting its oil exports.
"I think this is an effort to give (Russian President Vladimir) Putin one last chance" before the

As Ukraine's government reverses course on anti-corruption crackdown, here’s what to expect next
After massive nationwide protests and fierce international criticism, President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed a new bill to restore the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption authorities.
The new bill, submitted July 24, has yet to be passed but would reverse the decisions that sparked the nation’s biggest political crisis since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
The protests began after Ukraine's parliament voted on July 22 to give the prosecutor general new powers over t

Marjorie Taylor Greene is spreading lies about Ukraine’s protests. Russia is taking note.
On July 22 and 23, Ukrainians took to the streets in the country’s first mass anti-government protests since the outbreak of Russia's full-scale invasion three and a half years earlier.
Thousands of citizens rallied in cities across the country on the first night with a clear goal: to urge President Volodymyr Zelensky to veto a bill passed in parliament that guts anti-corruption reforms, and to express anger with recent government attacks on anti-corruption figures.
But that didn’t stop the fr
‘Point of no return’ — Ukraine’s democracy under threat as new bill guts anti-corruption efforts
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect the fact Zelensky signed the bill into law on the evening of July 22, as shown on the Parliament's website.
"Dark times ahead." "Peak of corruption." "Point of no return."
Ukrainian society sounded a code red for the country's democracy on July 22, as the final votes were tallied on a bill in Ukraine's parliament that strips independence from anti-corruption bodies, which was then signed into law by President Volodymyr Zelensky later that

Ukraine moves to reclaim Ukrainian names for foreign places in official use
A new initiative will examine how the Ukrainian language describes foreign locations while at home, with the aim of standardizing and promoting a Ukrainian spelling, said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad suffers 'hellish night and morning' of Russian strikes
Pavlohrad, a city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast that has become a key humanitarian aid hub for those evacuating the front lines, suffered one of its most severe attacks of the war, Governor Serhii Lysak said on July 19.

Russian attacks kill 7, injure 31 in Ukraine over the past 24 hours
Russian strikes killed at least seven people and injured 31 others in multiple regions over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian regional authorities said on July 19.



