Elsa Court

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Take a moment to imagine this: In the depths of the coldest winter in years, a neighboring country decides to destroy your country's infrastructure. Why? Your neighbor wants your land, but it's struggling to win on the battlefield. Your neighbor has spent years trying to grind you down to surrender. Every now and then, it strikes an apartment block, a railway line, or a children’s hospital. Now, it focuses on destroying what modern life depends on — and suddenly, electricity, internet, heating,

The world increasingly turns its attention to Russia’s war against Ukraine only when a new round of peace negotiations begins. Here on the ground, however, the war doesn't slow down between those waves of talks. The front line continues to shift, Russian tactics are evolving, and the pace of battlefield technological innovation is breakneck. Understanding this is crucial to understanding the peace talks. If you’re outside Ukraine, it can be hard to stay informed about what’s going on — especia

U.S. President Donald Trump referred to Crimea as a piece of land "right in the ocean" that is "the size of Texas" while talking on the Mark Levin Show, a right-wing talk radio program, on Aug. 20. "It's beautiful. It's, you know, this massive piece of land stuck out right in the ocean, right in the Black Sea. So beautiful. I mean, it's so beautiful," he told Levin, before adding that Ukraine was told by former U.S. President Barack Obama to "give it up to Russia." Russia invaded Ukraine's Cri

When I was at school and learned about World War II, my grandmother told me what she remembered of her wartime childhood on the English coast. Growing up near a Royal Navy base, she survived countless nighttime air raids. Most of all, she remembered exactly how the Blitz sounded — the sirens, the terrifying throb of German aircraft overhead, the whistle of bombs, and the eventual explosions that ripped into her hometown night after night. In Kyiv, in 2025, Russia provides a different sort of s

A closer look at how the Kyiv Independent is financed and how our reader-revenue funding model works.

Editor’s note: This is an edited version of our guide for members of the Kyiv Independent community, originally published on Feb. 24, 2025. If you would like to join a community of people united by wanting to help Ukraine, consider becoming a member today. U.S. President Donald Trump's public spat with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House on Feb. 28 threw the future of Washington's support for Ukraine in the air, but led to a renewed outpouring of support for Ukraine across the world

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Feb. 19 that President Volodymyr Zelensky was a "modestly successful comedian" turned "dictator" who "refused to have elections." This was the latest in a series of false accusations Trump has made about Ukraine while his team is engaging in peace negotiations with Russia, a country that wages a war of aggression against Ukraine. Trump's words led Ukraine's European allies to reaffirm their support for Zelensky and address that they see him as the legitim

After holding a call with  Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed in February that "millions" of lives had been lost in Ukraine due to this "very bloody war." It was not the first time Trump claimed that such numbers of people had been killed in Russia's war in Ukraine. A month earlier, Trump said that "almost a million Russian soldiers have been killed," adding that "about 700,000 Ukrainian soldiers" had been killed. But calculating the total number of civilian

Editor's note: this article was updated to reflect incoming U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz's comments on the topic.   When looking at Ukraine’s Armed Forces, there is one thing that stands out — it is made up predominantly of older men. Ukraine has never publicly released information about the age of its troops, but the average age is reportedly around 43 years old. Exact figures on the size of Ukraine’s armed forces are also not publicly known, with estimates ranging from the hundr

For the fifth day in a row, Georgians are holding massive protests against their government in the country's capital, Tbilisi. The brewing dissatisfaction was ignited by the country's democratic backsliding under the leadership of the pro-Russian, increasingly illiberal government. The final straw appeared to be the parliament elections won by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which many believe were marred by fraud, and the government's decision to pause the country's EU accession process unti

Late on Oct. 28, an explosion rang out in the center of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Situated just over 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Russian border, loud explosions have become part of daily life in Kharkiv as Russia continues to attack the city with drones, missiles, and aerial bombs. This time, the Russian bomb hit an iconic 13-story building situated in the very heart of the city, known as Derzhprom, or the State Industry House. Completed in 1928, Derzhprom was one of the f

Austrians went to the polls on Sept. 29, handing victory to the far-right, anti-migration Freedom Party (FPO). The party gained 29% of the vote, its best result to date. Founded in 1956 by Anton Reinthaller, a former Nazi SS officer, the party has long been climbing into the country's mainstream, taking part in three right-wing governments as a junior coalition partner, most recently in 2017. Under the current leadership of Herbert Kickl, a controversial figure in Austrian politics, the party

The long-embattled town of Vuhledar, key to Ukrainian defenses in the southeastern part of Donetsk Oblast, is under threat of encirclement and is being "razed to the ground," according to reports on Sept. 24. Located 50 kilometers south of Pokrovsk, the strategic roadway junction, Vuhledar is often called a "fortress" among the military. The town is now at the epicenter of a Russian months-long push. The loss of Vuhledar would pose a threat to the southern flank of Pokrovsk, another city Ukrai

Iran did not include mobile launchers along with its delivery of ballistic missiles to Russia, Reuters reported on Sept. 21, citing three sources with knowledge of the matter.