On their way to Kyiv in March 2022, Russian forces ravaged entire cities and villages, destroying buildings, as well as killing, raping, and torturing their residents. The town of Borodianka, located about 40 kilometers from Kyiv, suffered greatly from Russian airstrikes. One year later, Borodianka remains full of damaged buildings,
Russian forces entered Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine, at the very beginning of the full-scale invasion. For two months, Kherson residents were openly protesting against the occupation. Later, as Russia tightened its grip, some Khersonians continued their protest in more subtle ways – despite the risks of being kidnapped or
The Kyiv Independent: Opinion is a series of videos where our journalists share their thoughts on various political, social, and other issues. In this video, our reporter Alexander Query, a native of France, contemplates why many in his home country, and in Europe in general, romanticize Russia.
The Kyiv Independent's Illia Ponomarenko sits down with military analysts Michael Kofman, director of the Russia Studies Program at CNA, and Rob Lee, senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Eurasia Program, to discuss the current situation on the battlefields, Ukraine's planned counteroffensive and Russia's attempts to stop it,
The Kyiv Independent was just a three-month-old startup when Russia launched an all-out war against Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. A year later, its team members look back at making the choice on whether to stay or flee, rescuing their family members from occupied territories, reporting from the front line,
In April, Russian forces wrecked the water supply line for the city of Mykolaiv. Since then, Mykolaiv residents have had no drinking water supply, relying for the past 10 months on alternative sources. Their main source of water is a system of wells.
Following a three-month break after the start of Russia’s all-out war, the National Opera of Ukraine resumed its performances. With some of its members serving in the army, and having dropped all Russian pieces from the repertoire, the theater team argues that art is always political. Culture Ministry: Russia
Russia’s repeated large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have caused a major energy crisis across the country. Ukrainians have had to adapt to living without electricity, water, and heating. This poses a major challenge for Ukrainians, especially families with children and the elderly. The Kyiv Independent spent a
Tens of thousands of children across Ukraine have been deprived of an education due to Russia’s full-scale invasion. In the village of Chornobaivka in Kherson Oblast, children had to hide in bomb shelters, schools were closed during occupation, and now, even after liberation, power outages and Russia's attacks make
According to Ukraine's Defense Ministry, Russians have robbed almost 40 museums in Ukraine. One of the recent victims of Russian barbarism is the Kherson Regional Local Lore Museum, which used to have around 180,000 exhibits in its collection. Now, the shelves of some of its halls stand completely empty.
Despite the dire humanitarian situation in Kherson, residents are still celebrating its liberation two weeks after the Ukrainian Armed Forces entered the city. With Russian forces finally gone from the city, local residents share stories of living under occupation. Filmed by Liza Pyrozhkova.
