Egyptian-born Russian fighter, callsign "Cobra," signed a contract with the Russian army in 2024, abandoning his young wife, university studies and comfortable lifestyle. Now in Ukrainian prison, he's rethinking his choices. Subscribe to our channel for more independent reporting from Ukraine.
Editor’s Note: The following is the latest in a series of reports by the Kyiv Independent about the memorialization of Ukraine’s fallen soldiers. "We weren’t taught to live side-by-side with death in schools and universities, but it's always near," the speaker Anton Liahusha, the dean of the
While Romania debated its future in its recent presidential election, Romanians in Ukraine’s Chernivtsi Oblast just across the border continued to wrestle with war, mobilization, and the loss of their pre-war lives. Romania’s tight election race at the end of May kept many in Europe on the edge
In everyday life, these people might appear normal: they have no physical wounds, their loved ones and children are alive by their side. But Ukrainian photographer Sergey Melnitchenko’s black-and-white portraits reveal the chilling depths that stand between his subjects and normalcy. They gaze outward with calm, matter-of-fact expressions, while
After an unprecedented three-day wave of Russian aerial attacks in Ukraine over the weekend, the world is once again looking to U.S. President Donald Trump to take his first steps toward forcing Moscow to end its violence. From May 24 to 26, Russian forces fired more than 600 drones
The first direct peace talks in years between Kyiv and Moscow ended on May 16 with Russia once again rejecting an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. In turn, Russia demanded that Ukrainian troops leave four of the country's regions, which Moscow partly controls. Such a demand is a non-starter for Ukraine. Ukrainian
Moscow's self-declared truce which came into force at midnight on May 8 is not being felt on the front lines, Ukrainian soldiers have told the Kyiv Independent, reporting numerous cases of Russian military activity throughout the day. "There is no truce. There is shelling, artillery, drone and FPV (bomb) drops,
An abandoned bed that often remains empty until morning as its usual occupants seek shelter during Russian attacks. A backpack with essentials to take along during each air raid. A family hug during a blackout, when a flashlight brings out the invisible on a mother’s face in daylight. After
Russia’s annual Victory Day parade is taking place in Moscow on May 9, in a week dramatically marked by a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on the city, and a dubious unilateral ceasefire announced by the Kremlin. Russia's Victory Day celebrations, which mark the Soviet Union's role in defeating
On May 2, 2014, a tragic incident occurred in Odesa that would become one of the most exploited narratives in Russian propaganda.
Russia has used information warfare to promote its interests and undermine opponents across the world as a part of its foreign policy for decades. The Russian state was spending an estimated $1.5 billion annually on its foreign disinformation campaigns, Christopher Walker, National Endowment for Democracy vice president for studies
The Kyiv Independent's Natalia Yermak speaks to James Rubin, a former diplomat who led the Global Engagement Center in 2022-2024, about how deeply the Russian propaganda influences U.S. politics and why the center's closure "disarms" the country in the information war.
On a sunny but chilly Monday, after class had already started in Kyiv schools, scores of grim-faced teens filled a crematorium hall at Kyiv's main cemetery instead. They had come to say goodbye to their friend and classmate Danylo Khudia, a 17-year-old whose coffin stood next to those of his
The Russian military had lost 62,400 soldiers in Kursk Oblast since the start of the Ukrainian army's military operation there last year, Ukraine's General Staff said on April 26.
Mahuchikh won the most prestigious commercial athletics competition with a jump of 1.97 meters, beating her main rivals - Australians Nicola Olislagers and Eleanor Patterson, who won silver and bronze at the 2024 Olympics.
The helicopter was tracked by Polish military radar systems and civilian systems of the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency over Poland's territorial waters in the Baltic Sea.
Since launching in 2022, Alabuga Start has recruited around 350 women from over 40 countries to work in Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan and aims to bring 8,500 more this year, according to Bloomberg.
A Russian space satellite that U.S. officials tie to its nuclear anti-satellite weapon program seems to be spinning uncontrollably and may no longer be functioning, Reuters reported on April 25, citing U.S. experts.
The son of a deputy head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was killed "while fighting in the conflict in Ukraine" in 2024, a CIA spokesperson said on April 25, according to NBC News.
Diia, Ukraine's state mobile application for government services, and online services of several major companies are temporarily inaccessible due to technical failures, the media reported on April 26.
Russia's devastating missile and drone attack on Kyiv on April 24 killed at least 12 and injured 90 people. The Kyiv Independent visited the residential district where a missile struck an apartment building to speak with witnesses and see the aftermath.
Liudmyla Kapatsii, 75, and her daughter lingered in their apartment for a couple of extra minutes, doubting whether to go to the shelter after the air raid alarm woke them up around 1 a.m. on April 24, warning of a potential Russian missile attack. Though they were tired of
U.S. President Donald Trump has once again failed to condemn his Russian counterpart in the aftermath of yet another devastating missile attack on Ukraine, casting further doubt on Washington's ability to fairly broker a peace in the country. "I am not happy with the Russian strikes on Kyiv. Not
Formally recognizing Crimea as Russian would breach international law and potentially open the door to further global conflicts, experts warn.
After Russia launched a missile strike at the city of Sumy on Palm Sunday — killing 35 civilians, including children, and injuring over 100 others — U.S. President Donald Trump wrote off the attack as a “mistake.” "I think it was terrible, and I was told they made a mistake, but
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include the official response to the Kyiv Independent from Ukraine's General Staff, which came a few days after initial publication. Last February, a Ukrainian company commander going by his callsign Veter was ordered to send his people to reinforce another unit’s
The decree mandated that Ukrainian citizens "illegally" staying in Russia must obtain Russian documents of leave before Sept. 10. The intelligence added that Russia "erroneously and illegally" defines both occupied and unoccupied Ukrainian territory in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as Crimea, as part of Russia.
U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who recently emerged as a leading figure in negotiations regarding Russia and Ukraine, revealed insights into ongoing ceasefire talks between Moscow and Washington. In an interview on March 21 with American far-right political commentator Tucker Carlson, Witkoff openly parroted Russian
The lawsuit comes after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to stop funding for U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
"You had other plans for your life. You wanted to make movies and write books," his mother, Tetiana Shybalova, wrote. "You'd worked and studied for it. But you found it impossible to hide and not accept the challenge."
"Russia has once again killed a 14-year-old child in Zaporizhzhia with a Shakhed. Russia must stop all strikes," wrote President's Office Head Andriy Yermak on March 22.
