Since launching the full-scale war against Ukraine, hardliners became the backbone of Vladimir Putin's regime. Russian officials, propagandists, and "military experts" have all been actively promoting Russia's land grab. Yet, the Kremlin's defeat in Kharkiv Oblast turned Russia's pro-war camp against its leader. Now, it looks like the Russian president
As Ukraine marks its Independence Day amid some of the most dangerous and terrible moments in the country’s history, some may succumb to despair. But if Ukraine's history teaches something, it is that there is always a silver lining. The ongoing full-scale Russian war isn’t the first time
Speculation regarding Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s health has been rife in recent years. Before February, it was purely in the realm of gossip. Yet the topic got a boost after Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine. Soon, activists, journalists, and even intelligence agencies were all publicly sharing information
After the ongoing judicial reform was marred by several scandals, the Verkhovna Rada on Aug. 15 appointed Roman Maselko, a lawyer and well-known anti-corruption crusader, to the judiciary's main body – the High Council of Justice. The parliament also supported the candidacy of law professor Mykola Moroz, who meets the high
A controversial judge greenlighted by the Ethics Council, the main body tasked with spearheading judicial reforms, may be involved in corruption, according to an investigation by the Slidstvo.info investigative journalism project. The Ethics Council, which is comprised of both Ukrainian judges and Western experts, has come under fire for
The new Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin began his reign with a long-awaited move, ending the seemingly never-ending saga of choosing the country's top anti-corruption prosecutor. Oleksandr Klymenko, who won the job contest back in December, was formally named the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) on July 28.
Parliament appointed lawmaker Andriy Kostin, a member of President Volodymyr Zelensky's party, as prosecutor general. 299 lawmakers supported the president's candidate on July 27. Kostin, seen as a staunch Zelensky loyalist, has been accused of sabotaging judicial reform. He also used to be the Zelensky administration's preferred candidate for the
Oleksiy Symonenko, who became acting prosecutor general on July 17, may be formally appointed as the prosecutor general by the Verkhovna Rada next week, with his past record suggesting he values loyalty to the presidential administration more than being effective on the job. “He’s as loyal to the authorities
Editor's Note: Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and Security Service Head Ivan Bakanov were fired by parliament on July 19, 10 hours after the article was published. President Volodymyr Zelensky dropped major news on a typically slow Sunday evening, removing from office two of his staunchest allies – Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova
Ukrainian-born U.S. Congresswoman Victoria Spartz has recently come out with sweeping accusations against President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak. The accusations, published on July 8 and July 9, range from corruption and sabotage of reforms to allegedly serving Russian interests. Yermak hasn't commented on the accusations.
Ukraine’s State Investigation Bureau destroyed secret materials in several major criminal investigations immediately after Russia launched its all-out invasion on Feb. 24, the Prosecutor General’s Office said, as cited on July 8 by Iryna Romaliyska, a journalist at Prague-based television channel Current Time TV. The Prosecutor General’s
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors. Oleg Sukhov is a staff writer at the Kyiv Independent. He has been covering the judicial corruption and judicial reforms in Ukraine since 2014. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was a wake-up call for
Although Russia surpasses Ukraine in terms of weapon capabilities, the number of troops it has committed to Ukraine is insufficient for the full-scale war it’s waging. Russia’s hawks have urged Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to introduce martial law and to initiate full or partial mobilization to expand the
Ukraine’s leading anti-corruption watchdogs issued a statement on June 24 saying that the Ethics Council, the judicial reform's main body, has undermined trust in the process by approving tainted candidates for top jobs and vetoing an anti-corruption crusader. “Since the Ethics Council’s decisions are concealed and there is
A corruption case against Pavlo Vovk, Ukraine's most notorious judge, has been sent to the High Anti-Corruption Court, the anti-corruption prosecutor's office said on June 20. Vovk, head of the Kyiv District Administrative Court, has become a symbol of injustice, lawlessness, and impunity in Ukraine. Cases against him have been
The Russian state-owned gas monopoly on June 16 reduced the volume of gas supplies to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from a daily maximum of 100 million cubic meters to 67 million cubic meters, Deutsche Welle reported. On June 14, Gazprom cut the daily maximum from 167 million cubic meters to 100 million cubic meters. Previously Gazprom had been accused of using gas supply cuts as a method of blackmailing Europe and driving up prices.
The European Union on May 30 finally agreed on a partial embargo on Russian oil after months of delays and disagreements. However, the move was criticized by some Ukrainians and supporters of Ukraine as "too little and too late." "If you ask me, I would say far too slow, far
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto signed the application on May 17, following its approval by the country’s parliament earlier on the same day, Finnish media outlet Helsingin Sanomat reported.
The General Staff said that Russia had also lost 1,220 tanks, 2,958 armored fighting vehicles, 555 artillery pieces, 195 multiple launch rocket systems, 89 surface-to-air missiles, 164 helicopters, 200 airplanes, 416 drones, and 13 boats.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin made the announcement at a joint news conference. The Finnish parliament is expected to consider the decision in the coming days. Finland and Sweden have been considering joining NATO to boost their defense since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February.
Ukrainska Pravda, an online newspaper, has identified a Russian soldier who told his wife he shot civilians in the head even when they begged for mercy. The newspaper cited its sources at the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and said that he is 27-year-old Dmitry Gennadyevich Ivanov from the village of Kupsola in the Russian republic of Mari El. He is currently serving in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast.
Up to 170,000 people currently remain in Mariupol, the city council said. The Russian occupiers have turned the city into a “medieval ghetto”, and the number of casualties is expected to be high there, Mayor Vadym Boychenko said. “Our people are under lethal threat," he said. "Therefore, a full evacuation of the city is needed.” The highly-fortified Azovstal steel plant, the only remaining pocket of resistance in Mariupol, is being stormed by Russian troops.
Metropolitan Onufry, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church's Ukrainian branch, called on the Russian dictator to release them under the "extraction" procedure - a military term for relocating personnel out of a hostile environment. He urged Putin to show humanism to commemorate Easter and Victory Day and suggested that a third country act as a neutral intermediary. The highly fortified Azovstal steel plant, the only pocket of resistance in Mariupol, is being stormed by Russian troops.
Moldova’s Russian-occupied Transnistria region is becoming a new focal point in Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Tensions have been rising over the fate of the breakaway republic after several explosions have been reported in Transnistria, which local Russian-led authorities claimed were attacks by Ukraine. One theory is that Russia
These include Oleksandrivka, Fedorivka, Ukrainka, Shestakovo, and Peremoha, Ukraine's General Staff said. Russia continues to replenish its troops in northeastern Ukraine, it added.
Russia’s air force has proven insufficiently effective when it comes to crushing Ukrainian resistance. Despite heavily outnumbering Ukraine’s air force, Russia has failed to achieve total air supremacy, with the skies over Ukraine still being contested. And yet there is one aspect in which Russia’s air force,
On April 12, the Security Service of Ukraine captured the country’s most high-profile pro-Kremlin politician Viktor Medvedchuk, who had fled from house arrest in February after Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested exchanging Medvedchuk for Ukrainians held in Russian captivity. Commenting on Zelensky's offer,
Ukraine's Azov regiment said on April 11 that Russia had used a poisonous substance against Ukrainian troops in Mariupol, a besieged port on the Sea of Azov. Azov leader Andriy Biletsky said that three people have clear signs of chemical poisoning. He added that there are no "disastrous consequences" for
Ukrainian intelligence has claimed that a coup is being prepared against Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Although such intelligence claims may be dubious, analysts can assess the possibility of a coup d’etat by taking into account the economic and political situation in Russia. Some of them argue that a coup
Ukraine is seeking security guarantees that are stronger than NATO's Article 5, David Arakhamia, the leader of President Volodymyr Zelensky's faction in the parliament and head of the Ukrainian delegation during the ongoing peace negotiations with Russia, said on March 29. Arakhamia was speaking following a round of peace talks
Ukrainian activists are currently blocking trucks from crossing the border from Poland to Belarus. The activists demanded that the European Union stop its trade with Russia. "Every product and every euro that feeds the Russian economy kills Ukrainians," they said on a Facebook page devoted to the protest. One of
Days after launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin ordered to put his country's nuclear deterrent forces on alert, effectively threatening the world with a nuclear war. With the ongoing military invasion proving to be extremely costly for Russia, the key question now is whether Putin is
