Episode #2 of "This Week in Ukraine" is dedicated to Ukraine’s attempts to eradicate the influence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, a large church in Ukraine that still follows religious leaders in Russia, despite the war.
President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine "won't hand over Bakhmut." "We will fight as long as we can," he said during a joint press conference with European Union leadership. According to Zelensky, Russia will soon launch a major offensive in the east and northeast, targeting cities like Bakhmut and Lyman. The
For Ukraine, the story of 2022 is the story of war. Russia's war against Ukraine started in 2014 in Crimea and Donbas, but it turned into a full-scale invasion in 2022. This year, the war has killed tens of thousands and forced millions to flee their homes. Russia has bombed
Passing checkpoint after checkpoint, Ukraine's government quarter is a reminder the country is an active warzone. In the heavily secured district, Ukraine's top officials continue to lead the country during Russia's full-scale invasion, now in its tenth month. Among them is Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, 37. Amid the chaos
The possibility of a renewed Russian invasion from Belarusian territory is once again in the news. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko announced on Oct. 10 the creation of a joint regional military command with Moscow. The Belarusian Defense Ministry followed with a statement that 9,000 Russian troops would be stationed
As Russian President Vladimir Putin makes his last-ditch attempt to break European support for Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Kyiv on Sept. 15, saying that the EU will always stand by Ukraine’s side. “Putin has always tried to divide us wherever there might have been
Almost exactly 200 days into Russia's all-out war, the world's top diplomats, politicians, economists, and political scientists gathered in Kyiv for a discreet and heavily guarded event. In the basement conference room of a hotel in central Kyiv, Ukrainian leadership and top officials from the U.S., U.K., Latvia,
President Volodymyr Zelensky took part in the 17th annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference where he spoke about the country's EU membership, the Russian-orchestrated energy crisis, and what Ukraine needs to win the war. The president emphasized that there are "three fundamental conditions for achieving peace – weapons, ammunition, finances," adding
From day one of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Latvia has been among Ukraine’s most outspoken supporters. Having been occupied by the Soviet Union, Latvia has been open about considering Russia as a threat to its own security. And Latvia was making it clear it will do everything it can
As Russian forces continue to bombard Donetsk Oblast in an attempt to capture and destroy the region, Ukrainian authorities are forcing the remaining civilians to evacuate. The city of Toretsk, with a pre-war population of 70,000, has been at the war's front since 2014. Located only 10 kilometers from
Each year, on Aug. 23, Ukraine celebrates the Day of the National Flag. According to the official version of the events, a group of Soviet Ukraine lawmakers, from the pro-independence Democratic Bloc, brought the historic blue and yellow flag into parliament on Aug. 23, 1991. The group demanded the Communist
Oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, once deemed the most powerful businessman in the country, was allegedly stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship, according to Ukrainian media and several top officials and politicians. The news was first reported on July 20 by Ukrainska Pravda, citing its sources in the presidential administration. What first seemed
Oleksandr Klymenko, detective at the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, was proclaimed the winner after receiving the highest score back in December.
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
Here's what we know so far about Zelensky's biggest reshuffle of top officials in two years.
MYKOLAIV OBLAST – Early on, Ukraine’s south became one of the hardest-hit regions of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Moving out of occupied Crimea, Russians sacked the southern regional capital of Kherson on March 2. Soon, they reached the outskirts of the major port city of Mykolaiv. The 80-kilometer stretch of
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has issued the commission's ruling, advising EU member states to grant Ukraine and Moldova candidate status. "We recommend to give Ukraine the candidate status, on the understanding that the country will carry out a number of important reforms," von der Leyen said during
Refugees fleeing war zone Russia’s full-scale invasion, launched on Feb. 24, has caused the largest migration crisis of the 21st century. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly seven million Ukrainians have fled the country, with over 90% of those escaping Ukraine being women and
MYKOLAIV – Days into Russia’s all-out war, the regional capital of Mykolaiv became a bastion of Ukraine’s southern defenses. After Russia rapidly occupied Kherson in late February, Mykolaiv immediately became its next target. Their forces shelled, bombed and fired missiles at the regional capital, trying to encircle the city
ODESA – Ukraine’s main port city is a complicated place. Known for its sandy beaches and good food, Odesa has also been associated with organized crime. Labeled the “crime capital” by Ukraine’s former interior minister, the city has been known for an illegal construction boom. Local mobsters and Russian-friendly
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said that 264 Ukrainian soldiers were evacuated on May 16 from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol to hospitals in Russian-occupied Novoazovsk and Olenivka. Of those evacuated, 53 heavily wounded soldiers will receive medical treatment in Novoazovsk, while 211 will be transferred to Olenivka to
ODESA – Anti-tank hedgehogs, military patrols and an extended curfew aren’t what one expects to see in Ukraine’s main sea resort. In May, Odesa, a Ukrainian port city on the Black Sea, usually rolls into the tourist season, which generates a substantial part of the city’s earnings. Now
On April 23, two months into Russia's all-out-war against Ukraine, one metro station in Kyiv got crowded again. President Volodymyr Zelensky gave an unusual press conference for Ukrainian and foreign journalists on the platform of the Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) metro station in the heart of Ukraine's capital. The most
BORODYANKA, Kyiv Oblast – Walking through the town of Borodyanka, 40 kilometers northwest of Kyiv, European Union Council President Charles Michel wasn’t hiding his grief. Visiting the largely destroyed Ukrainian town that he has likely never heard of until recently, the official was trying to carefully pick words of support.
Kyiv Oblast was among the first regions hit by Russia's full-scale invasion. Starting from late February, towns and villages near the Ukrainian capital had been suffering from the Russian shelling and bombing, as well as atrocities of the Russian troops, including rape and summary executions. The Russian troops withdrew from
CHERNIHIV OBLAST – After Russian troops have withdrawn from Ukraine’s northmost region, an expected, yet no less horrific destruction was uncovered. Russian airstrikes targeted both high-rise buildings in Chernihiv and small houses in nearby villages, leaving many people in the regional capital and its suburbs dead, injured, and without a
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he called "a special military operation" against Ukraine on Feb. 24, de facto declaring war on the country. Putin claimed to have “no ill intentions towards neighboring countries” and denied firing missiles on civil infrastructure during what he called a campaign to “disarm and
A message was shared in the diplomatic circles on Feb. 27 that Belarus airborne forces were preparing to invade Ukraine. Unnamed Belarusian opposition journalists were said to be the source. According to the report, Belarus special forces were boarding planes on Feb. 27, preparing for deployment in or near Kyiv
Citing unsubstantiated reports about Ukraine's aggression, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized Russian-occupied territories in Ukrainian Donbas as independent states. Putin made the final call on Feb. 21, in a televised address hours after holding a Security Council meeting that discussed the matter. The council members unanimously spoke in favor of
U.S. President Joe Biden said that he was confident that Russian President Vladimir Putin had made the decision to further invade Ukraine. “We have reasons to believe that Russian forces are planning to attack Ukraine in the coming week, in the coming days,” Biden said during a press briefing
The U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss came to Kyiv on Feb. 17 in a visit that was scheduled for early February but got delayed when Truss tested positive for Covid-19. While in Ukraine, Truss condemned the ongoing Russian military escalation, announced the cancelation of “golden visas” for the rich
The leaders of France and Germany tried to push Ukraine to comply with the Russian spin of the Minsk Agreements during their recent visits to Kyiv, sources in the Ukrainian government and foreign emissaries told the Kyiv Independent. The diplomatic efforts to resolve the ongoing security crisis came as Russia
