Team
Olena Goncharova
Head of North America deskOlena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Articles
Trump to send weapons to Ukraine for first time via presidential power, sources tell Reuters
Until now, the Trump administration's military aid to Ukraine had only consisted of weapons authorized by former President Joe Biden. The Presidential Drawdown Authority allows the president to directly transfer weapons from U.S. military stocks in response to an emergency.
Russia jails former top general for 17 years in massive military graft case
Colonel General Khalil Arslanov, a former head of the Russian military's communications unit, served as deputy chief of the army's General Staff from 2013 until his removal in 2020.
Russia fails to meet OPEC+ oil production target in June, Bloomberg reports
Historically, Russia, which co-leads the OPEC+ alliance with Saudi Arabia, has faced criticism for poor compliance with production quotas.
Russia strikes conscription offices in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, injuring dozens, Ukraine says
Two districts of Kharkiv came under attack that same day, in which one woman was killed and over 80 people, including eight children, were reported injured or suffered shock in Kharkiv, according to the local prosecutor's office.
Musk launches 'America Party' following public feud with Trump
The announcement came a day after Trump signed his sweeping tax cut and spending bill into law, a legislative act that Musk has fiercely opposed.
Russian airports cancel nearly 300 flights amid drone attacks on Russia
Rosaviatsia reported on the evening of July 6 that 287 flights had been grounded across three major airports: Moscow's Sheremetyevo, St. Petersburg's Pulkovo, and Strigino Airport in Nizhny Novgorod.
Rutte praises Trump in a NYT interview while warning of Russia's rising threat to NATO
"Russia is reconstituting itself at a pace and a speed which is unparalleled in recent history," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said, adding that "...they are now producing three times as much ammunition in three months as the whole of NATO is doing in a year."
Kremlin's war economy shows cracks as military spending boom fades
The slowdown indicates that Western sanctions, though not a knockout blow, are increasingly damaging the Russian economy.
New NATO commander takes helm as alliance lauds outgoing chief for modernizing defense
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte presided over the handover, commending outgoing U.S. Army General Christopher G. Cavoli for his contributions to modernizing NATO's collective defense and bolstering support for Ukraine.
Ukrainian drone strike on Russian airfield hits bomb depot, aircraft
The airfield hosts Su-34, Su-35S, and Su-30SM jets that Russia regularly uses in air strikes against Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian military.
Moldova's EU future rests on September election, President Sandu says
Moldovan President Maia Sandu hopes her pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) will retain its parliamentary majority in the September 28 elections.
NATO chief urges US 'flexibility' on Ukraine aid as Washington halts deliveries
"The US has to make sure that the stockpiles are at the level we need for the U.S. to have, because they are crucial for our collective defense," Rutte told reporters on July 4. "At the same time, of course, we hope for the flexibility, we have to make sure also that Ukraine can move forward."
'Oreshnik will be on Belarusian soil,' Lukashenko says of Russian missile deployment by year-end
Lukashenko said the deployment of advanced weapons systems to Belarus would serve as a tool for maintaining domestic stability. "I’m confident that even those of our supporters who don’t yet understand this will come to realize it — without a war."
Germany still weighing Taurus missile supply to Ukraine, Merz says
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also cited the Taurus missile system’s complexity, saying it requires at least six months of training — something Germany has not yet agreed to begin.
Top Russian defense official gets 13 years in graft crackdown
Authorities detained former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov in April 2024 on bribery allegations, later adding embezzlement charges in October.
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