Parliament was scheduled to vote on Dec. 3 on a new law proposing up to eight years imprisonment for accessing or disseminating confidential state register information during martial law, a bill that Ukrainian media and human rights organizations have urged parliament to reject on free speech concerns. However, parliamentary voting
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, most soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names or callsigns only. One soldier is mentioned by first and last name as he is permitted to use his full name with the press. Ihor was
More than two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion delayed its release and upended its developers’ lives, Ukraine’s "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2" — one of the most anticipated video games of the year — was released on Nov. 20. Employees of GSC Game World, the Ukrainian company
Despite warnings from some analysts ahead of the U.S. elections that a win by the Republican nominee Donald Trump could become a “worst-case scenario” for Ukraine, the mood in Kyiv after his victory was far more mixed. Some Ukrainians are optimistic that the president-elect could improve Kyiv’s standing
The individual points were focused on the country's unity, front-line situation, arms, finances, energy, security, communities, human capital, cultural sovereignty, and veterans, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said on his Telegram channel.
Ukrainians awoke a week after Donald Trump's election victory to hear that the president-elect had tapped Fox News host Pete Hegseth as his defense secretary — one of the most eyebrow-raising appointments announced so far by the incoming administration of Kyiv’s top Western ally. Some in the U.S. on
Metro Awakening, the fourth video game in the popular post-apocalyptic survival franchise set in Russia’s underground subway, was released on Nov. 7 by the virtual reality (VR) company Vertigo Games.
With Republican candidate Donald Trump set to become the next U.S. president, Ukrainian politicians have reacted carefully – congratulating the former-turned-future president and emphasizing the need for diplomacy and cooperation, while also expressing uncertainty about what his victory means for Ukraine. Most politicians indicated no surprise at the outcome, which
At a time when state coffers are starving for money to fund Ukraine’s survival, illegal smuggling is costing the country billions of dollars a year in lost tax payments. Through bribery or lying, smugglers avoid an estimated $2.4 to $3 billion in customs payments each year as they
Ukraine has become a hotbed of defense innovation, as Russia’s deadly invasion fuels a rapid development of new battlefield technologies. Kyiv now aims to become a global leader in the defense sector, but with its economy drained by the war, it needs foreign investment to accomplish its goal. Ukraine
Ukraine’s parliament voted to approve a tax hike for the first time since the full-scale war broke out, turning to a politically unpopular move as the country continually struggles to find new sources of funding for its growing wartime budget. The bill passed in parliament as part of a
While Russia's deadly war rages on Ukraine's soil, one unexpected aspect of the invasion is that natural gas continues to flow through Ukraine from Russia, with both sides profiting from the deal and – to an extent – financing each other's war machines. That is expected to change when their deal expires
Last week, Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets announced that Russian prisoners of war (POWs) would no longer be able to make phone calls to relatives. They are still allowed to communicate through letters, meeting Geneva Convention requirements, he noted. The decision came after recent increases in reports of violations of
The controversial decision to dismiss the head of Ukraine’s state-owned energy grid operator has prompted resignations from two independent members of the company’s supervisory board and raised concerns from partners abroad. Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, who served as head of Ukrenergo since 2020, was dismissed on Sept. 2 on the
Viktoriia Skyba, a 29-year-old mother of two, didn't have the time to reach a bomb shelter when Russia attacked her town during what Ukrainian officials have said is the largest attack on Ukraine since the full-scale invasion. She saw a missile flying above her house and a large pillar of
Supermarket shelves go unstocked. Metro trains run less often. Large companies are freezing whole divisions. Factory employees take on overtime shifts to meet production. Projects to alleviate Ukraine’s energy crisis have been delayed. Across nearly every sector, Ukraine’s economy is feeling the same labor crunch that is squeezing
With U.S. President Joe Biden officially out of the running for re-election, Ukrainian soldiers, experts, and advocates have fresh hope that the 81-year-old with decades of transatlantic diplomacy experience will increase support for the country during his final months in office. “ We will keep rallying a coalition of proud
Decentralizing a power grid is a huge undertaking, even in peace times. Countries around the globe are nevertheless shifting toward “decentralization” – or generating smaller amounts of energy closer to where it is used, rather than in large, centralized hubs. For most, the goal is producing greener energy or building grid
With Ukraine desperately seeking cash to fund its defense and wartime budget needs, the country is running out of time before an August 1 deadline to agree with creditors on what portion of its foreign debt will be written off as a so-called “haircut.” In 2022, Ukraine and its creditors
Elections are suspended. Martial law has granted new wartime powers to the president’s office. The largest opposition party in parliament was banned after the full-scale invasion. More than two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s political opposition has diminished, but continues to affect Ukraine’s politics, experts
Because of drones, every movement is observable and dangerous for combat medics. But Ukraine has a new technology ready to counter this problem: Land drones that evacuate the wounded.
The new Group of Seven (G7) plan to fund Ukraine using profits from frozen Russian assets is a “breakthrough,” but Ukraine’s goal is still to seize the full worth of the assets, said experts speaking at a panel event in Kyiv discussing Russian asset seizure on June 17. “This
Well into the third year of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine is looking to strengthen international support for its peace plan at the upcoming global peace summit on June 15-16. While Russia has not been invited to the summit and has dismissed Ukraine’s plan outright, so far 107 countries
A surge of domestic drone companies in Ukraine has outpaced what the government budget can support, leading many companies to increasingly seek international partnerships or face consolidation. Drones have become a transformative part of Ukraine’s military strategy. The country’s ability to mass produce these cheap and effective weapons
Thirty-eight years after the Chornobyl disaster, Ukraine’s nuclear industry continues to produce around half of Ukraine’s power output and remains vital to keeping the country functioning. The share of energy output in Ukraine that comes from nuclear power is the third highest in the world after France and
In recent months, Ukraine’s parliament is drifting to a standstill, as the government struggles to gather necessary votes during sessions. The reason is not political disagreement over pending legislation, but a general sense of frustration among parliament’s members, according to experts and lawmakers who spoke to the Kyiv
Zelensky recently announced that 31,000 Ukrainian troops have died in the war, after keeping this number a secret for more than a year. Why did he release them now? What do these numbers tell us? Why were they a secret? And what do we still not know?
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced recently that 31,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed in the war against Russia, the first official release of military personnel losses in over a year. "Every person is a very great loss for us. 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers died in this war," Zelensky said on
While some in Ukraine face the skies to watch for missiles and air defense, Vlad Hedzyuk lifts his binoculars looking for the flutter of wings. Hedzyuk, a biology student at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, is a member of Ukraine’s small but dedicated bird-watching community and has grown
“We need to make sure that most of this is coming to Ukraine, in priority, because this is where there is an urgent need,” said EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton during a visit to Estonia.
TOP FINDINGS: * An apparent Russian state-aligned group is targeting Ukraine’s International Legion in a disinformation campaign * The Kyiv Independent obtained and analyzed exclusive video that shows the group used doctored footage to pose as the Ukrainian ex-president on a Zoom call that took place in early January * Legion members
