The Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur dives into the top stories of this week from the intensifying Russian spring offensive to the shocking torture and murder of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roschyna. Also, the long-gestating minerals deal has finally been signed, what is in it and is it a good deal for Ukraine?

Chornobyl disaster occurred in the early hours of April 26, 1986, in Soviet Ukraine. Nearly 39 years after the worst nuclear disaster in history, Russia’s brazen attack on the $2 billion New Safe Confinement (the sarcophagus enclosing the destroyed reactor) in February 2025 poses a new potential radioactive danger as engineers race to repair the damage. The Kyiv Independent’s Kollen Post dives into why the restoration is not as simple as it may seem.

The aerial war between Russia and Ukraine is explosive in every sense. But beyond the physical dimension, it is also a battle of morale and information. Both sides are locked in a continuous back-and-forth of public statements and dramatic videos claiming hits and damage to the other side. There’s also the question of keeping critical targets hidden — not just from the public, but from the enemy. Last week, footage surfaced showing a fleet of drones, presumably Ukrainian, buzzing through the n

Where the Donbas meets the Dnipro River, the USSR built out a dense range of massive factories, using the local coal and metal reserves to smelt, weld, and cast the heaviest of machinery — and weaponry — for the whole of the Soviet Union. One of these is Pivdenmash, formerly known by the Russian name, Yuzhmash, a factory that is effectively a city unto itself in the south of the city of Dnipro in central-eastern Ukraine. The great builder of the Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)

The Ukrainian military recently captured two Chinese soldiers fighting for Russia. Kyiv subsequently released data on a total of 163 Chinese nationals identified by Ukrainian intelligence as fighting for Moscow. "We are collecting information, we believe that there are many more," President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on April 9. The president also accused Chinese authorities of supporting or at least not obstructing the recruitment of its citizens to fight against Ukraine. "Beijing k

Shoddy cyber security at Ukrainian vehicle inspections has exposed hundreds of thousands of personal documents for the past four years, placing reams of personal data at risk of exploitation by bad actors, including Russian intelligence and hackers. Largely scans of passports, taxpayer identification numbers, driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations, the documents span a broad stretch of Ukrainian geography and demography. Mostly, they identify people who were buying or selling used cars int

CIA Director John Ratcliffe on March 25 gave a rousing assessment of Kyiv's desire to achieve an acceptable and lasting peace in Ukraine, insisting its people and armed forces would fight Russia with "their bare hands" if they had to. "I want to say that with regard to the Ukrainian resistance, the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian military have been underestimated for a period of several years now," Ratcliffe said. "From my reflections in observing, from an intelligence standpoint, I'm convi

Ukraine’s drone wizardry has drawn the attention of militaries around the world. In addition to an ever-growing drone industry, the rise of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has necessitated new education. Since 2022, a crop of drone schools has popped up around Ukraine to train drone pilots to fight back against Russia’s invasion. One of the latest graduates is Vladyslav, a fresh recruit in Ukraine’s military who asked not to be identified by last name due to security concerns. Out in the field

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on Telegram that Ukraine has observed areas along its eastern border where the Russian army is amassing force. "This speaks to a desire to deliver a strike to our Sumy Oblast," Zelensky wrote.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced a new peace delegation including his foreign minister and defense minister in addition to the head of his office.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced today that an expanded coalition of nations is ramping up efforts to back Ukraine in peace negotiations with Russia, following a high-level virtual summit in London on March 15.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has kicked off an online summit on March 15 of the "coalition of the willing," who could go on to secure Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.

Formally a brigadier general, Oleksandr Potiy is today tasked with guarding Ukraine on the civilian side — far from the battlefield but right at the front line of Russia’s cyber war. Potiy is in camo fatigues when he addresses the crowd of IT workers and foreign investors for the keynote address at the Kyiv International Cyber Resilience Forum that took place on March 11-12. “Our priority is a departure from the traditional schema of a KSZI,” Potiy tells the Kyiv Independent in an interview on

As a U.S. delegation in Moscow worked to hammer out a ceasefire agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader responded by demanding extensive concessions in exchange for a ceasefire deal in Ukraine. So far, Trump has made harsh demands on Ukraine while avoiding putting similar pressure on Russia. Now, attention turns back to Trump as to whether he will continue his trend of appeasement or double down and force Russia to accept a deal. Speaking at a press conference on Ma

Fears of a Starlink shut-off at the front line have racked Ukraine. European satellite internet firms took the opportunity to step forward as replacements — but even collectively, they are unlikely to fill the void in coverage that Starlink's shut off would leave. Today, Starlink satellite internet service dominates both worldwide and at Ukraine’s front lines. Moreover, Chinese rather than European competitors are building equivalent satellite constellations. If Ukraine is left waiting on an al