Team

Chris York
News Operations EditorChris York is news operations editor at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, he was head of news at the Kyiv Post. Previously, back in Britain, he spent nearly a decade working for HuffPost UK. He holds an MA in Conflict, Development, and Security from the University of Leeds.
Articles

Ukraine confirms drone strike on fuel depot at Russia's Sochi airport
by Chris York
Videos posted to social media purported to show the view from a plane landing at the airport with the burning depot clearly visible.

Ukrainian soldier working as Russian 'mole,' sending GRU military positions, SBU claims
by Chris York
The SBU has detained several people this year accused of working for Russian forces in Ukraine.

HIV rates among Russian soldiers surge 2,000% since start of full-scale invasion of Ukraine
by Chris York
"There is no objective reason why HIV should be decreasing across the world —except in Russia," the report said.

In 'first step,' Germany to send Ukraine 2 Patriot launchers 'in coming days'
Germany has already delivered three Patriot systems to Ukraine, the German Defense Ministry said.

'Despised' by the Kremlin — 5 things you might not know about Dmitry Medvedev
by Chris York
An international war of words erupted on July 30 when U.S. President Donald Trump squared up on social media to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
"(...)Tell Medvedev, the failed former president of Russia, who thinks he's still president, to watch his words," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "He's entering very dangerous territory."
This particular spat was sparked by Medvedev's July 28 statement that Trump's "ultimatum game" with Moscow amounts to a threat to Russia, further escalating te

Germany sending Ukraine 8th IRIS-T air defense system — here's what they can do
The IRIS-T is an integral part of Ukraine's layered air defense system which consists of multiple different systems, most supplied by Western allies.

Ukraine wants 10 new Patriots but only has 3 secured, Zelensky says
"I have officially received confirmation from Germany for two systems, and from Norway for one," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

US Senator Lindsey Graham criticises Zelensky's signing of controversial anti-corruption law
Lindsey urged Kyiv to reconsider the law as "one of the most widely used talking points for ending support for Ukraine is that it was awash with corruption."

Ukraine, Russia hold third round of peace talks in Istanbul, agree to another major prisoner exchange
During the talks, Ukraine proposed holding a summit between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin before the end of August, according to National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation.

‘A fatal mistake’ — Ukrainian soldiers slam Zelensky’s anti-corruption crackdown
Editor’s Note: Some Ukrainian soldiers in this article asked to be identified only by their first name or callsign, citing fears of possible repercussions for speaking to the press about a sensitive topic.
Even for Ukrainian soldiers locked in brutal warfare hundreds of kilometers from the capital, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s move to dismantle the country’s anti-corruption infrastructure built over the past decade felt like a blow.
Zelensky signed a controversial bill destroying the indepen

A US general just threatened Russia's Kaliningrad — this is why that's so significant
by Chris York
The Russian exclave of Kaliningrad is once again in the news, after a senior U.S. military commander on July 17 issued a stark warning to the Kremlin that NATO forces could take control of it "in a timeframe that is unheard of."
The remarks from U.S. Army Europe and Africa commander General Chris Donahue are some of the strongest yet from a Western military official — a direct threat to the Kremlin about the consequences of further Russian aggression beyond Ukraine.
They come amid ever-height

Trump's big Russia announcement fails to lift spirits in a fatigued Ukraine
The teasing on July 11 of U.S. President Donald Trump's "big announcement" on Russia had raised hopes in Ukraine over the weekend that the White House was finally going to take concrete action to pressure Moscow to end its full-scale invasion.
Those hopes would not be met.
On July 14, Trump instead said the U.S. will impose "severe tariffs" on Russia unless it agrees to a deal on ending the war in Ukraine within 50 days. It comes after previous deadlines to end the war of 24 hours, two weeks,

Belarus shoots down Russian drone, Ukraine's HUR claims
by Chris York
Russian Shahed-type drones regularly breach Belarusian airspace as they fly towards Ukrainian cities during mass attacks which have escalated significantly over recent weeks.

Analysis: Ahead of Trump's 'major' Russia announcement, what will happen next to Ukraine?
by Francis Farrell, Chris York, Kateryna Denisova, Kollen Post, Alisa Yurchenko, Alex Cadier, Yuliia Taradiuk, Asami Terajima, Daria Shulzhenko
Amid ever-escalating aerial assaults, accelerating Russian advances in the east, and the weariness that comes with nearly 3.5 years of war, all eyes in Ukraine are once again focused upon one man — U.S. President Donald Trump.
"I think I'll have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday," Trump said in an interview with NBC News on July 10, the latest development in a tortuously long and so far wholly ineffective U.S.-led peace process.
Short of a massive injection of military aid, or crus

What Russian bombardment feels like in Kyiv
The Kyiv Independent staff documented what it feels like to live and sleep in Kyiv, Ukraine, as Russia intensifies its drone and missile attacks on the city. Filmed over several weeks in June and July, our journalists take shelter in bathrooms, basements, and parking garages as explosions ring out overhead.
Editors' Picks

'We spot them, we destroy them' — Ukraine fights for Kostiantynivka as Russia closes in on three sides

With all eyes on Kyiv, its surrounding villages are unspoken victims of Russian attacks
