Ukrainian farmers begin the July harvest knowing there may be nowhere to store their grain or export it, as Russia’s naval blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports enters its fifth month. According to Ukraine's estimates, 22 million tons of grain already stockpiled across the country remain in their silos.
Russia will focus on capturing all of Donetsk Oblast after seizing Lysychansk in neighboring Luhansk Oblast, Governor of Luhansk Oblast Serhiy Haidai said on July 4. Ukrainian forces were forced to withdraw from Lysychansk, Ukraine’s last holdout in Luhansk Oblast, on July 3, after months of fierce fighting. Both
Russian forces have captured Lysychansk, the final Ukrainian holdout in Luhansk Oblast, after heavy fighting, both sides confirmed on July 3. The General Staff of the Ukrainian military reported in the evening that its troops were forced to withdraw from Lysychansk after fierce fighting, a significant victory for Moscow whose
Ukraine’s eastern city of Lysychansk is now the center of competing claims, with both Ukraine and Russia claiming to be in control of it. Lysychansk was the last major city under Ukrainian control in Luhansk Oblast before the contradicting statements appeared. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed on July
KHARKIV – Oleh Puteshenko walked through the ruins of his former workplace, a restaurant in Kharkiv, barely holding back tears. The 46-year-old, who used to work as a security guard, spoke proudly of the restaurant as he showed the terrace where he spent most of his days taking care of the
The death toll continues to grow after the Russian missile attack on the shopping mall Amstor in Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, on June 27. At least 20 people were killed in the attack, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's office. At a briefing on June 28, Interior
A Russian missile strike hit a shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk late in the afternoon on June 27, killing at least 20 people and injuring 59 others, Deputy Head of the President's Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko reported. Head of State Emergency Services Serhiy Kruk said that 25
Russian missiles hit a nine-story residential building and a kindergarten in central Kyiv early on June 26, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Rescuers have pulled out 25 residents from under the rubble at the apartment building in Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi District so far, Klitschko reported. At least one person was killed
After weeks of bloody street fighting and months of withering bombardment, Sievierodonetsk is now “fully occupied” by Russian forces, its mayor, Oleksandr Striuk, said on June 25. With Ukrainian troops’ withdrawal from Sievierodonetsk, the fighting now shifts to neighboring Lysychansk, the last Ukrainian-held city in the region. Capturing Sievierodonetsk brings
Ukrainian troops were ordered to withdraw from Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai said on June 24. The city has been the scene of fierce fighting for the past several months, with Russian troops controlling most of it. According to the Kyiv Independent's sources in the military, as well as
European leaders granted Ukraine candidate status on June 23, in a historic step on the long and difficult path to EU membership for the war-torn country. The government heads holding a two-day summit in Brussels approved a recommendation from the European Council to endorse Ukraine as a candidate country. The
Ukraine’s parliament on June 20 passed a bill ratifying the Istanbul Convention, a key human rights treaty on preventing and combatting violence against women. The country came close to ratifying the Council of Europe convention in 2016 but failed after a majority in parliament voted against it. After years
Two months after President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that the "Battle of Donbas" had begun, shelling and rocket fire intensifies as fierce fighting continues across the region. "Russia wants to destroy every city in Donbas, (and) 'every' is not an exaggeration," Zelensky said in an evening video address on June 10.
In a 73-minute speech on June 17 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin lashed out at the U.S. for trying to “cancel” Russia, claiming it is a "fading world power" doomed to meet its imminent demise because of its “unipolar” policy. The speech was
Even as the battle for Sievierodonetsk enters its critical stages and Russian forces storm into the fiercely contested city, Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk said the evacuation of civilians still continues during every “quiet” moment. After more than a month of heavy fighting, Russian troops control about 80% of Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast
KHARKIV – Weeks after Denys Parkhomenko and his 55-year-old mother moved out of a subway car, it’s still hard for them to readjust to normal life. Moving out of one of Kharkiv’s underground metro stations has been especially hard for Parkhomenko’s mother, Svitlana, who can’t get used
At her first press conference as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink pledged to maintain Washington’s “steadfast commitment” to help Ukraine defend its sovereignty. Brink, who was nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden in late April and confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate on May
Editor’s Note: Names of some people appearing in this article have been changed to protect the families of those escaping Russian occupation from possible retaliation. ZAPORIZHZHIA– Two sisters quickly packed their stuff and rushed out the door when Russian troops stormed into their hometown Enerhodar. They knew their lives
ZAPORIZHZHIA – A large white tent in a shopping center parking lot in Zaporizhzhia, welcomes hundreds of evacuees who left everything behind after Russian forces destroyed peace in their hometowns. Under the marquee, displaced people sit at long communal tables and silently gulp down warm meals prepared by volunteers. Still in
Russia fired a barrage of missiles on several regions across Ukraine on the evening of May 3 as heavy fighting intensifies in the east. Approximately 18 Russian missiles hit infrastructure sites across the country. Preliminary reports suggest that at least eight other missiles were downed by Ukraine's Air Defense, the
BUCHA, Kyiv Oblast – When Russian forces turned an ordinary residential road in Bucha into a battlefield, wheelchair-bound Liudmyla Usenka, 69, was alone at home in the darkness. With a look of horror on her face, Usenka told the Kyiv Independent about the never-ending sounds of shelling and heavy street fighting
Even after a Russian missile blew up Kharkiv’s city hall and the central square on March 1, Oleksandr Zuiev didn’t want to leave his hometown. Zuiev, 46, didn’t believe Russian forces would target civilians and never expected his own apartment to come under fire. “I was wrong,
Viktoria Dubovitska, 24, and her two children survived the Russian bombing of the Mariupol Drama Theater by pure luck. Like hundreds of Mariupol residents, Dubovitska's family was sheltering near the theater’s main stage. But on March 16, her two-year-old daughter Anastasia got sick, and the family was offered a
LVIV – At first glance, the city of Lviv seems almost normal. In sharp contrast with war-torn parts of Ukraine, the western regional capital is bustling with life. People are walking down the cobbled streets in its downtown area and eating out in the city’s famous vibrant restaurants and cafes.
LVIV – Days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, local authorities started banning all alcohol sales. The measure is part of martial law. Although it was imposed on the nationwide level, it leaves local authorities the right to decide on the alcohol sales ban. By early March,
A Russian missile strike reduced Kyiv’s Retroville shopping mall to a smoldering ruin, killing at least eight people in one of the most powerful explosions yet seen in the capital. The strike occurred in the northern part of Kyiv around 11 p.m. on March 20, flattening one part
"Today the Ukrainian people are defending not only Ukraine. We are fighting for the values of Europe and the world, sacrificing our lives in the name of the future."
When Mariupol journalist Artem Popov speaks about his hometown, it sounds like he has a lump in his throat. The southeastern city of Mariupol has turned into a front line of Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine. It’s dangerous to move around the city because Russian warplanes are flying
While European leaders have poured cold water on Ukraine’s ambitious hope of a quick ascension to the EU, efforts continue to bring the eastern nation closer to achieving its long-awaited goal. Ever since Russia unleashed its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top officials have repeatedly
The day of March 9 started with the Ukrainian authorities making a hopeful announcement that they expect a temporary ceasefire to evacuate civilians from 10 Ukrainian cities, the besieged ones and those that have been hot spots of Russia’s war. According to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian
Editor’s Note: Ukrainians mentioned in this story were reluctant to have their full names published in the press due to security risks brought by the Russian invasion. Thousands of people spend hours at Kyiv’s central railway station, each day, hanging onto a slim hope of boarding a train
American fast-food chains McDonald’s and KFC have begun offering food to militants and others in need to help Ukrainians fight off the Russian invasion. The companies have temporarily shut down local eateries since Russia launched an all-out war against Ukraine on Feb. 24. The Russian advance into Ukraine continues
