Francis Farrell answers questions about war in Ukraine
The Kyiv Independent's war reporter Francis Farrell sat down to answer questions from our viewers about Russia's war in Ukraine and his experience of covering it.
Francis Farrell
Articles
With Ukrainian infantry facing Russians near Toretsk
Watch our exclusive report from Ukrainian infantry positions near Toretsk as Russia continues its push in Donetsk Oblast.
Eye of the storm: A day in the life of Ukrainian infantry on the zero line near Toretsk
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. DONETSK OBLAST – There was already little resembling a road in front of the driver by the time the old pickup truck’s headlights were
How Ukrainian tanks stay alive in a war of drones
The Kyiv Independent visited a tank company of Ukraine's 110th Mechanized Brigade serving in one of the most intense parts of the eastern front line.
‘It really is insane:’ Ex-defense minister on Slovakia’s pro-Russian turn
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, neighboring Slovakia, with its own experience of decades of Russian occupation in the 20th century, became one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine. Under the guidance of then-Defense Minister Jaroslav
Russia's move on Kharkiv has bogged down. But was it a failure?
In the first half of May, Russia opened a new front to its war against Ukraine in dramatic fashion. The two-pronged offensive on Kharkiv Oblast unfolded on the back of some of the most difficult months for Ukrainian forces, overstretched and depleted after a brutal winter and early spring campaign
‘We took out so many of them:’ Ukraine stabilizes Kharkiv front after brutal Russian offensive
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. KHARKIV OBLAST – In battles fought under a sky swarming with enemy drones, even the most minimal movement, even the quickest dash from one house
Russian missile strike reduces Kharkiv printing press to ashes, killing 7 (Photos)
Editor's note: This article features graphic photos. Russian forces destroyed one of Ukraine's largest printing presses amid a mass missile attack on the city of Kharkiv on the morning of May 23. According to regional authorities, Russia used S-300 missiles, fired from inside Russian territory, to strike the factory belonging
Russian attack on Kharkiv kills 7, injures 21
Russian forces launched attacks against Kharkiv Oblast on May 23, killing at least seven people in Kharkiv and injuring at least 20, as well as at least 11 elsewhere in the oblast, as reported by local officials and a Kyiv Independent reporter.
They fled from Russian bombs near Kharkiv. What awaits them now?
The Kyiv Independent follows one couple who escaped from embattled Vovchansk after losing their house and former life.
Russia's new Kharkiv offensive pushes Vovchansk to the brink of annihilation
VOVCHANSK, KHARKIV OBLAST – The glide bombs arrive in groups of three. Their flight can be heard from far away, but only in the last second before impact is it clear where it will hit. The explosions, orders of magnitude more powerful than regular artillery shells, shake the ground where the
Kharkiv Oblast town faces annihilation as Russia opens new front
The Kyiv Independent joined local police on their mission to evacuate civilians from Vovchansk on May 11 — the operation that was constantly interrupted by Russian launches of aerial gliding bombs.
Battle of Chasiv Yar begins: On the ground with Ukrainian forces defending city key to Russia’s plans
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. CHASIV YAR, DONETSK OBLAST – As he creeps between rubble-strewn garages near the central square of Chasiv Yar, the eyes and ears of the reconnaissance
Inside the Swedish ammunition plant at the forefront of Europe’s push to ramp up shell production
KARLSKOGA, SWEDEN – In a nondescript industrial area nestled among a forest of Swedish pine, a continent-wide effort to ramp up defense production is playing out in real time. A modest, one-story building is home to a seemingly endless ceiling-mounted rail — essentially an upside-down conveyor belt — snaking through machine halls and
This Week in Ukraine S2 E14 – Ukraine has a mobilization problem
Season 2 Episode 14 is dedicated to Ukraine’s struggles with mobilization. Host Anastasiia Lapatina is joined by Kyiv Independent reporter Francis Farrell.
Parliament passes mobilization bill in second reading
Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed on April 11 the updated mobilization bill in its second reading, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said. The bill was supported by 283 lawmakers.
Swedish defense minister on stepping up Ukraine aid and a new era in European security
In March 2024, Sweden became NATO’s 32nd member state after a lengthy application process triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Joining the alliance comes at arguably the most turbulent time in European security since the end of the Cold War, with Russia scaling up its military industrial
Swedish defense minister: 'Deliberations ongoing' for transfer of Gripen fighters to Ukraine
"The deliberations are ongoing, and they take place within the fighter jet coalition," Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said in an interview with the Kyiv Independent in Stockholm on March 28.
The man who refuses to leave his museum-like house in front-line Chasiv Yar
CHASIV YAR, DONETSK OBLAST – In the small town of Chasiv Yar, just several kilometers away from the eastern front of Russia's war in Ukraine, a rare house has remained intact. Most of the residents have fled to safer areas. Vitalii, 74, has lived in Chasiv Yar his whole life. He
After 10 years of war, Krasnohorivka in new danger as Russia advances in the east
Editor’s note: Due to fear caused by the tense environment in Krasnohorivka and the possibility of their city being occupied by Russian forces in the future, some subjects interviewed declined to give their last names. KRASNOHORIVKA, DONETSK OBLAST – On the streets of the small industrial city of Krasnohorivka, just
Between life and death in front-line Krasnohorivka
The Kyiv Independent visited Krasnohorivka, just 15 kilometers west of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk, in February 2024, just two weeks before Russian forces unsuccessfully attempted to break into the city.
‘Our reserves will run out:’ Ukrainian artillery sounds alarm on Western shell shortage
DONETSK OBLAST – Hiding beneath sparse winter cover in a crude, muddy ditch, a great steel monster lies in wait for an opportunity to attack. Adorned on either side with painted plus signs, the gun’s huge barrel looks up at the sky over the Bakhmut front line, across which thousands
Munich diaries: Fear and uncertainty at the ‘Lose-Lose’ conference
Editor’s note: The following piece is a personal account of the Munich Security Conference from a Kyiv Independent reporter but does not purport to reflect the views of the publication. MUNICH – For three days every year, the space in front of the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in central Munich turns
Finnish president-elect: Ukraine's NATO membership 'just a matter of timing'
Stubb said that he sees three steps for Ukraine’s European and transatlantic aspirations. The first is security agreements that are currently being signed by all G7 members and 31 countries, followed by EU membership, and finally NATO membership.
Dutch PM: Russia is 'nothing compared to the collective EU economy'
The EU's collective economic power is by far superior to Russia, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told the Kyiv Independent on Feb. 17 in an interview at the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, adding that European nations must invest more in defense and support for Ukraine.
Swedish minister reaffirms willingness to send jets to Ukraine after finalizing NATO bid
Sweden is open to providing Ukraine with modern fighter jets, but first needs a full-fledged NATO membership and the security provided by Article 5, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said on Feb. 16 at the Munich Security Conference, according to a Kyiv Independent reporter.
This Week in Ukraine S2 E6 – Who is leading Ukraine’s military now?
Season 2 Episode 6 is dedicated to the reshuffle of Ukraine's top military command.
Why did Zelensky fire Zaluzhnyi?
As Russia's all out war in Ukraine races towards its third year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has fired his Commander-in-Chief. The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell here with everything you need to know.
How Ukraine destroys Russia's Black Sea Fleet one ship at a time
At a time when the front line in Russia’s war against Ukraine has not moved much in the last year, success in the Black Sea has been a major silver lining for Ukraine’s military campaign. How does Ukraine manage to do that? The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell
Ukraine struggles to ramp up mobilization as Russia's war enters 3rd year
As Russia’s full-scale war approaches its third year and looks ready to drag on for several more, one topic is dominating the discussion in Ukraine: mobilization. From regional capitals and small villages to the front lines of the east, from the media, the workplace, and the family, Ukraine’s
Inside occupied Ukraine’s most effective resistance movements
Acts of resistance come in many shapes and sizes. From a colored ribbon tied to a tree or a flag raised over a remote mountain face, to a quick tip-off on an encrypted app that sets off a chain of events culminating in the destruction of a warship, everything counts.
From the heroic to the mundane: 12 hours of positional war near Bakhmut
“I’ll let you in on a secret, there will be an assault at dawn tomorrow." Sviatoslav, a 57-year-old sergeant responsible for the mental support of the mortar unit, lowered his voice as he said the words. “Get some sleep, as you can be sure there will be some work
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