
Team

Olena Goncharova
Special CorrespondentOlena Goncharova is the Special Correspondent for 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

During a recent hearing before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, U.S. lawmakers blasted the Trump administration's decision to lift sanctions on Russian oil giants Gazprom and Rosneft — companies now accused of aiding the mass abduction of Ukrainian children.
"One thing that we should not do is abet Russia's crimes. But shockingly, it appears that we are," said Representative James P. McGovern, citing evidence from the newly published Yale Humanitarian Research Lab report. "Camps owned or

Trump urges Hungarians to vote for Orban, calls him 'true friend, fighter, and winner'
U.S. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Viktor Orban ahead of Hungary’s April 12 vote.

Another Baltic Sea port in flames as Ukrainian drones strike major natural gas port in Ust-Luga
Russian authorities claimed that air defense systems shot down 56 drones over the region overnight on March 25.

What Russia's push to ban Telegram means for its economy — and war effort
“Why do you block the internet?” reads one of the comments under the latest post on Roskomnadzor’s official VKontakte social media page — a bland Women’s Day greeting from the very censorship agency leading Russia’s harshest crackdown on online communication in years.
Russian authorities have set April as the target for finally blocking Telegram, one of the last popular international messenger apps still accessible in the country, and force users toward the Kremlin’s glitchy “national messenger

Ukraine hits Russia's key Baltic Sea oil port, Bashkortostan oil refinery, General Staff confirms
In Leningrad Oblast, a fire broke out at the port of Primorsk after a fuel tank was damaged, Governor Alexander Drozdenko said on March 22.

Ukrainian drones killing Russian troops faster than Moscow can replace them, drone commander says
"We need to keep milking this cow, the Russian army, for everything it’s worth, exhausting it beyond its maximum capacity," Robert "Madyar" Brovdi told the Economist.

US Treasury chief defends Russian oil sanctions relief, says price cap limits Kremlin gains
"Does Russia get more money if oil goes to $150 and they get 70% of that — that’s $105 — or if oil stays below $100, so they’re getting less money?" U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on March 22.

Russia’s disinformation campaign tests Canada’s support for Ukraine
To the average Canadian, the moral lines of the war in Ukraine remain clear. But behind the closed parliament doors, a different picture is emerging. National Security Advisor Nathalie Drouin warned parliament in February that more Canadians are beginning to believe the Kremlin's narrative: that Kyiv, not Moscow, provoked the 2022 invasion.
On the surface, this shift isn't visible. Public polling commissioned by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) shows that nine in 10 Canadians still blame R

Macron unveils expansion of France’s nuclear arsenal, opens door to European deterrence cooperation
Speaking at the L’Île Longue naval base in northwestern France — home to the country’s ballistic missile submarines — Macron argued that Europe must assume a more autonomous role in its own defense amid Russia’s war against Ukraine and shifting U.S. strategic priorities.

Drone attack sparks fire at oil refinery in southern Russia, officials say
Flames engulfed one of the tanks at the Albashneft oil refinery in Novominskaya and burned an adjacent area of about 150 square meters, the Krasnodar Krai Operational Headquarters said.

Moscow police vehicle targeted in blast near major railway station, 1 officer killed
An explosion at Moscow's Savyolovsky railway station square killed one traffic police officer and wounded two others late on Feb. 23, according to Russia’s Interior Ministry and Investigative Committee.

Explosion hits Dnipro police building in second attack on law enforcement in 24 hours
While no casualties were reported in the Dnipro incident, the blast caused significant damage to the building's interior, office equipment, and a nearby vehicle.

'No coincidence' — Mykolaiv explosion that injured 7 police officers treated as terrorism following fatal Lviv attack
"The enemy is deliberately trying to kill Ukrainian police officers who stand guard every day to protect the people and the state," the chief of Ukraine's National Police, Ivan Vyhivsky, said.

Zelensky says Ukraine won’t withdraw from Donbas, 'won’t lose dignity' as peace talks stall on territory
"Thousands, dozens of thousands of Ukrainians have been killed on this direction, defending this part of Ukraine," Zelensky said in an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan. "We have to understand that Donbas is a part of our independence."

Oil refinery, port terminal struck in Krasnodar Krai amid joint deep strike on southern Russia, Ukraine says
The Ilsky oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai, which supplies fuel to Russian troops, processes 6.42 million tons of oil annually, according to Ukraine's General Staff.
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