Hiking the road inside the 'kill zone' in Ukraine
We followed Ukraine’s 24th Mechanized Brigade on the "road of life" between the front-line cities of Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka.
Team
Francis Farrell
ReporterFrancis Farrell is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. He is the co-author of War Notes, the Kyiv Independent's weekly newsletter about the war. For the second year in a row, the Kyiv Independent received a grant from the Charles Douglas-Home Memorial Trust to support his front-line reporting for the year 2025-2026. Francis won the Prix Bayeux Calvados-Normandy for war correspondents in the young reporter category in 2023, and was nominated for the European Press Prize in 2024. Francis speaks Ukrainian and Hungarian and is an alumnus of Leiden University in The Hague and University College London. He has previously worked as a managing editor at the online media project Lossi 36, as a freelance journalist and documentary photographer, and at the OSCE and Council of Europe field missions in Albania and Ukraine.
Articles
Pay raises, fixed terms, and more foreigners: Ukraine announces landmark military service reforms
According to Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's new monthly rate is the highest salary rate for infantry in the world.
'High probability' of Russian missile launch from Oreshnik site over next day, Ukraine's Air Force warns
The launch is expected to come from the Kapustin Yar launch site in southern Russia, the Air Force said on Telegram.
Sumy hit by morning artillery bombardment as Russian strikes across Ukraine kill at least 6, injure 52 over past day
Eight locations were struck in broad daylight in the regional capital, injuring six residents, regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said.
Road to the kill zone: With Ukrainian troops on the lifeline from Kramatorsk to Kostiantynivka
Editor’s note: Ukrainian photojournalist Serhii Korovaynyi made two trips on foot toward the city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast in spring 2026. Francis Farrell, who has also traveled to the area recently, helped put the article together from Kyiv. In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first name or call sign only.
This April in Donbas, daffodils and tulips are blooming near courtyards destroyed by glide bombs
Zelensky meets top officials, announces preparation for 'important negotiations' ahead
Top of the agenda was Ukraine's diplomatic efforts, particularly the urgent need to acquire more air defense interceptor missiles, and follow through with existing agreements on the joint production of drones. with the United States and European partners.
New territory reported liberated as Ukraine makes fresh offensive push on southern front
According to the May 29 update of Deep State's map, the village of Novoselivka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast has been liberated from Russian occupation.
These Ukrainian drone pilots took out NATO forces during drills
At NATO's Aurora 2026 military exercises in Sweden, a group of Ukrainian drone pilots was tasked with playing the role of attackers. The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell spoke with drone pilots from Ukraine's 20th National Guard "Lubart" Brigade, part of the 1st Azov Corps, shortly after they returned from Sweden.
Ukraine strikes Russian oil facility in Bryansk Oblast overnight, General Staff says
The facility, located around 60 kilometers from Ukraine's northern border, was an important link in the supply of fuel to the Russian military, the General Staff said on social media.
Russia announces plans for new mass attacks on Kyiv, including strikes on 'decision-making centers'
Foreign citizens, including diplomats, were encouraged to leave the city, while Ukrainian civilians were called upon to stay away from "military and administrative infrastructure of the Zelensky regime."
How drones erased the front line in Ukraine, explained
Ukraine’s recent counterattacks in the south were officially presented as a major success, with Kyiv claiming hundreds of square kilometers recaptured from Russian forces. But most battlefield maps barely changed. So what is really happening on the front line? The answer lies in the growing “gray zone” — vast contested areas where drones dominate the battlefield, infantry infiltrates enemy positions, and traditional front lines are becoming increasingly difficult to define. As both Russia and Uk
British fighter on returning to war in Ukraine after injury
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell speaks with a British volunteer and drone operator serving in the Azov Corps’ international battalion about Russia’s war against Ukraine and how drone warfare has transformed modern combat.
Russian attacks kill at least 3, injure 60 across Ukraine over past day as rescue work after Kyiv attack concludes
Kyiv announced a day of mourning after 24 people, including three children, were killed in the attack.
Russia plans to attack Ukraine or NATO from Belarus, Zelensky says
According to Zelensky, Moscow has made fresh contact with Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, in an effort to convince him to "join new acts acts of aggression."
Zelensky, foreign diplomats pay respects to victims of May 14 Russian attack on Kyiv as capital marks day of mourning
A day of mourning was being observed in Kyiv on May 15.
