On the morning of Nov. 20, 2023, Russians came to Raisa Rusnak’s home, looking for her 28-year-old son Ruslan. Four masked men threw him onto the ground and began beating him. "Guys, what have I done to you? What do you want from me?" Ruslan shouted. Those were the
The following opinion piece accompanies the Kyiv Independent's War Crimes Investigations Unit's newly released documentary, "Shadows Across the River." Watch the documentary by clicking here. “Let Russia retain control over occupied Ukrainian territories to finally freeze this war!” This refrain, repeated in media and political discourse worldwide, has become a
Editor's Note: The story is based on the documentary "Destroy, in Whole or in Part," published by the Kyiv Independent's War Crimes Investigations Unit. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has committed thousands of crimes in Ukraine. Ivan Vyhivskyi, the National Police head, said that Kyiv is investigating
In the spring of 2022, right after Russia’s atrocities in Bucha were exposed, several Western leaders uttered the term “genocide.” U.S. President Joe Biden, former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former Colombian President Ivan Duque, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did so in short succession, albeit
The Kyiv Independent’s findings point to the systemic and deliberate nature of child murders by the Russian military in Ukraine. Our in-depth investigation allowed us to identify those responsible for the killing of a child.
Editor's Note: The story is based on the documentary “Bullet Holes,” published by the Kyiv Independent's War Crimes Investigations Unit. On a cold March morning, the Mahdyk family bundled themselves into their minivan. Their village near Kyiv was occupied, and they couldn’t bear staying there any longer. The family
Episode #23 of our weekly video podcast “This Week in Ukraine” is dedicated to corruption scandals at Ukraine's Ministry of Defense.
Episode #4 of "This Week in Ukraine" is dedicated to Russian war crimes in Ukraine and beyond, the culture of violence within the Russian military, and the attempts to keep Russia accountable for the crimes committed in Ukraine.
