Romania doesn't believe Russia plans to attack NATO
Romania's Defense Minister Radu Miruta also argued that the Russia-Ukraine war has reached a new stage, marked by stagnation along the front line where Russian forces are unable to advance.
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Martin Fornusek
ReporterMartin Fornusek is a reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in international and regional politics, history, and disinformation. Based in Lviv, Martin often reports on international politics, with a focus on analyzing developments related to Ukraine and Russia. His career in journalism began in 2021 after graduating from Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, earning a Master's degree in Conflict and Democracy Studies. Martin has been invited to speak on Times Radio, France 24, Czech Television, and Radio Free Europe. He speaks English, Czech, and Ukrainian.
Articles
Germany's Kremlin-friendly AfD eyes historic election win
Germany could get its first far-right state government since World War II — and Ukraine has reasons to follow it closely.
The Alternative for Germany's (AfD) potential victory in Saxony-Anhalt's election on Sept. 6 will not only send a chilling signal to the federal state's 39,000 Ukrainians but also shake the mainstream parties' efforts to keep the Moscow-friendly party out of power.
Polling at 41%, the AfD's local branch — classified by the German security service as "confirmed far-right ext
Ivan Mazepa — Ukraine's hero, Russia's devil
'From Bohdan Khmelnytsky to Ivan Mazepa, there were no hetmans.'
This old, hyperbolic Ukrainian saying shows just how large Mazepa looms in the region's history.
A man of many worlds, the Orthodox nobleman born near Kyiv climbed from the Polish royal court and studies in Western Europe to become hetman — a military and political leader of the Ukrainian Cossack Hetmanate, a state that once spanned much of central and eastern Ukraine — and a trusted ally of Russian Tsar Peter I.
When he ultimat
Baltics assessment of Russia threat 'unchanged' after CIA director's Moscow visit
"The threat posed by Russia and possible provocations against NATO must be taken seriously, and that is precisely what the allies are doing," Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told the Kyiv Independent. "We must remain vigilant, but Estonia's threat assessment has not changed."
Russian disinformation tests its Ukraine election playbook
President Volodymyr Zelensky's firing of popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov triggered a wave of street protests and, weeks later, a call from Fedorov himself for wartime elections. It also offered a preview of Russia's playbook for exploiting Ukraine's internal divisions.
Fake articles, fabricated claims, and manipulations over the past few weeks have fed into the Kremlin's portrayal of Ukraine as a country hopelessly divided, and its government — illegitimate.
And while Ukraine cautiou
Danish shipyard to receive another Russia-linked LNG tanker — before representing Denmark at state-backed trade fair pavilion
"Denmark is speaking with two voices," Alexander Kirk, sanctions campaigner at Urgewald, said in a statement shared with the Kyiv Independent. He added that the "Danish government cannot condemn Fayard's actions on one day and promote it under the Danish flag the next."
US asked Ukraine to refrain from striking Moscow during CIA chief's visit, source says
"They don't believe in the strength of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's air defenses," the source said.
Kremlin dismisses Donbas free economic zone proposal
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia considers Donbas its own territory and that it is "unlikely" to be governed by a "third party."
Germany finds another drone linked to Leipzig airport incident, media reports
German investigators also found what appeared to be about 50 grams of hexogen, a military explosive, the German media reported.
Armenia detains Moscow-friendly ex-president in anti-corruption probe
Robert Kocharyan, Armenia's president from 1998 until 2008, leads the Armenia Alliance, one of the main Moscow-friendly political forces opposing Armenia's pro-EU Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
US snubs joint UN rebuke of Russian strikes against Ukraine — again
Dan Negrea, a U.S. envoy to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, instead called upon "both sides" to cease any strikes that might pose a risk to civilian vessels.
Russia's war against Ukraine endangers whole neighborhood, Poland tells UN
Polish diplomat Michal Miarka underscored recent violations of the Polish, Romanian, and Latvian airspace, saying they cannot be accepted as the "new normal."
As Russian drone incursions escalate, NATO weighs costs of shooting back
For years, NATO countries have watched Russian drones breach their airspace, reluctant to shoot them down for fear of escalation. That restraint is now beginning to erode.
After Russian drones injured civilians in Romania, while Russian electronic jamming continued diverting Ukrainian drones toward critical infrastructure in the Baltic region, NATO fighter jets finally began shooting intruders down.
But using expensive air-to-air missiles to destroy cheap, one-way Geran and Gerbera drones is h
Fedorov broke Ukraine's wartime election taboo. What happens next?
Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has broken one of Ukraine's most politically sensitive wartime taboos by publicly calling for elections, bringing into the mainstream a debate that Kyiv had largely rejected when raised by Russia and the United States.
Fedorov said Ukraine needs a "safe and realistic mechanism" to hold elections during wartime that protects the voting rights of soldiers, Ukrainians abroad, and people in front-line regions.
"We must not let Putin decide when Ukrainians c
German court convicts Ukrainian man in alleged Russian sabotage plot
The Stuttgart court sentenced the man to one year and three months in prison, but ruled that his pre-trial detention would count toward the sentence, meaning he will now be released.
