A 23-year-old Brazilian recruit died after a brutal punishment handed out in a unit that regularly used discipline practices described as "torture" by those who both witnessed and suffered them, a Kyiv Independent investigation can reveal. The man, Bruno Gabriel Leal da Silva, died overnight Dec. 28-29, 2025, according to former fellow fighters who spoke to the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation. The unit in question is a Brazilian-led formation called A

The Kyiv Independent’s Jared Goyette speaks with a Canadian volunteer, Brittney Shki-Giizis, who left the Canadian military to fight in Ukraine. A former tank instructor, she explains why she chose to come to the front, how she learned Ukrainian to serve in a Ukrainian unit, and how the war’s shift toward drones led her to become an FPV (first-person view) drone pilot.

A Russian drone strike on Zaporizhzhia on Feb. 3 killed two 18-year-olds and injured at least eleven other people, including three children, Ukrainian authorities said.

Colombians, many shaped by decades of armed conflict at home, have become one of the largest groups of foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The Kyiv Independent's Jared Goyette speaks with a Colombian volunteer who spent two years fighting in Ukraine.

This is Jared Goyette, blogging from a cold, blacked-out apartment in Kyiv on day 1,420 of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Our top stories today: * 'Russia is trying to disconnect Kyiv' — Supermarkets, public transport struggle after yet more strikes on energy infrastructure * Project Nightfall — Everything we know about the UK's ballistic missile program for Ukraine * ‘The situation now is the worst’ — Kyiv’s energy crisis deepens after Russia pounds power grid What we're coverin

The Oreshnik is a Russian intermediate-range ballistic missile designed to carry nuclear weapons.

Four people were killed and 25 others injured in Kyiv after Russia launched a mass attack across Ukraine overnight on Jan. 8-9. Rescue workers were among the victims of Russia's double-tap strike.

The Kyiv Independent’s Jared Goyette speaks with foreign policy analyst Ivan Fechko about Venezuela’s political crisis following the U.S. attack and kidnapping of dictator Nicolás Maduro — and why it marks a major strategic setback for Russia in Latin America and globally.

Of all the images that emerged from the U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3, one of the most surreal was the sight of a fleet of American helicopters flying unchallenged over the skies of Caracas. Video from Caracas, Venezuela shows U.S. military helicopters, including CH-47 Chinook and V-22 Osprey aircraft, operating over Caracas alongside multiple explosions. The cause and context of the blasts remain unconfirmed. pic.twitter.com/owOx9X7DPP — George

Undeclared nuclear reactor components bound for North Korea were allegedly aboard the Ursa Major when it sank off Spain in 2024, with damage consistent with a torpedo strike, according to Spain’s La Verdad.

A Russian strike drone hit a civilian car traveling across a bridge in Odesa Oblast on Dec. 18, killing a woman and injuring her three children, Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper said.

This is Jared Goyette, blogging from Kyiv on the 1,392nd day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Our top stories so far today: * SBU says drones hit Russian equipment worth hundreds of millions at Belbek airfield in occupied Crimea * Zelensky arrives in Brussels to attend crucial EU summit, while a Ukrainian delegation prepares to make another visit to the U.S. * Germany backs Ukraine with $1.4 billion in defense agreements Latest from the War Desk: Russian drone hits civilian c

Ukraine’s Security Service said its long-range drones struck Russian offshore oil platforms in the Caspian Sea for the third time in a week, halting operations at one site.

Ukraine’s Security Service said Friday that it detained three men suspected of planting two homemade bombs that killed a National Guard serviceman and wounded four other people in Kyiv a day earlier.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised troops in the Kupiansk direction and said battlefield gains strengthen Ukraine’s diplomatic position, as the National Guard’s 2nd Khartiia Corps reported a counterattack north of the city.