Jimmy Rushton

Thousands of protesters now gather nightly in central Kyiv, many of them calling out the name of one of Ukraine's most respected generals: "Drapatyi!" The mass protest in the capital, which began on July 15 after President Volodymyr Zelensky ousted Ukraine's popular, reform-minded Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, has turned into a call to replace Oleksandr Syrskyi, the current commander-in-chief. As details surrounding Fedorov's dismissal emerged, attention shifted to his deteriorating perso

A former combat medic and one of the lead figures in this week's protests against the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister believes people "close to (Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr) Syrskyi" are "trying to intimidate me in order to stop the protests," he told the Kyiv Independent on July 17. Dmytro Koziatynskyi, who formerly served in the Da Vinci Wolves battalion, urged people to take to the streets on July 16 to "show the president that we are against constant reshuffles in the gov

A former adviser to dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has accused Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi of covering up friendly-fire incidents and the deliberate weakening of some Ukrainian brigades in the face of Russian assaults. Sternenko's livestream comes two days after Fedorov's dismissal as defense minister, a move that caused a seismic political shock in Ukraine. It also comes a day after Fedorov himself held a press conference and admitted he pushed for Syrskyi to be replaced,

Among those gathered in Kyiv on July 16 to protest the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov were members of Ukraine's military voicing fears that the controversial decision could seriously hinder the country's war effort. "People who are actually trying to bring our victory closer keep getting removed or replaced," Serhii, a 43-year-old veteran protesting alongside active-duty soldiers, told the Kyiv Independent. President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision a day earlier to dismiss Fedoro

Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said he suggested "drastic personnel decisions," which involved replacing both Syrskyi and General Staff Chief Andrii Hnatov, both of whom are criticized by younger soldiers and commanders for their top-down, Soviet-era command culture.

A decision to replace a popular figure widely seen as competent would likely prove controversial with both Ukrainian politicians and wider Ukrainian society.

Editor's note: The story was updated after a person familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent that Yuliia Svyrydenko has not yet agreed to accept the post of an ambassador in Washington. Naftogaz CEO Serhii Koretskyi is set to become Ukraine's next prime minister, a Ukrainian official and a person familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent. The expected appointment comes after Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko confirmed on July 12 that she would step down following President Vo

Ukraine's ambassador to the UK and former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi warned against assuming Russia has "effectively lost the war," arguing that neither side's deep-strike campaigns can deliver a decisive blow in what he calls a grinding war of attrition.

Russia's Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez refinery had just restarted operations when Ukrainian drones hit it again. The facility — the fourth-largest oil refinery and the second-largest producer of gasoline in the country — had been struck by Ukraine on June 24, forcing operations to shut down. On July 2, Ukrainian drones paid another visit, forcing the facility to shut down once again. Gazprom's Omsk Oil Refinery, in Omsk, approximately 2,445 kilometers (1,519 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled

Supplies of Patriot PAC-3 interceptors have dried up, leaving Ukrainian air defense units powerless to defend Kyiv against Russia's fastest and most deadly munitions.   "We simply don’t have the missiles. We have nothing to use against ballistic missiles," Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, a military expert and adviser to Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, told Radio NV on July 6. The shortage of interceptors was starkly demonstrated a few hours earlier when Russia launched the second massive attack

Ukraine's siege of Crimea has been a long time coming. Crimea is under an effective siege as Ukraine has been systematically isolating the occupied peninsula with a multipronged campaign of drone strikes. "Hell is beginning," Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said in a June 17 interview. "Logistics are being cut off. Crimea is being isolated." Ukraine plans to fully isolate the peninsula, cutting it off from Russian supply while destroying critical infrastructure — ultimately allowi

Russia's battlefield offensive has slowed. But far from the front lines, the war is becoming deadlier. Russian forces launched 70 missiles and over 600 drones at Ukraine in a mass overnight assault on June 15. Of the 34 ballistic missiles fired, 19 were aimed at the capital. Kyiv's beleaguered Patriot batteries did a valiant job, intercepting 15 of them, along with five of the six 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles launched in the attack. Still, even layered defenses were stretched beyond

A widening split inside the online pro-Trump political ecosystem is exposing a growing ideological fracture over U.S. foreign policy, particularly America's war against Iran and Russia's all-out assault on Ukraine. What some analysts and participants describe as a "MAGA civil war" has emerged as a visible rupture within the American conservative movement, dividing former allies of U.S. President Donald Trump who have turned sharply critical of his foreign policy positions from those who remain

Editor's note: Tetiana Kebkalo's position was incorrectly listed as deputy director general and has been corrected to managing director. Across Ukraine, dozens of private firms train drone operators, clear minefields, maintain military hardware, and teach foreign clients how to fight a modern war. Some go as far as calling themselves private military companies. Yet, in the eyes of Ukrainian law, they do not exist. Ukrainian legislation prohibits armed formations outside state control and has

Candace Owens billed her trip to Russia last week as a family vacation. It turned into something far more useful for the Kremlin. The U.S. far-right conspiracy theorist — boasting 35 million followers across all social media platforms — ended up appearing at Russia's flagship economic forum, talking to Russian propaganda outlets, and praising the country's "traditional values" while dismissing Western coverage of it as lies. Her visit also exposed a fresh fault line within the MAGA movement, d