Yuliia Taradiuk

More than 30 people may still be trapped under the rubble, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Russian forces continued to target the energy infrastructure of Ukraine over the past day, including Odesa, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, western Ternopil, Volyn, and Rivne oblasts, the local authorities said on Oct. 4.

The widespread power and water outages in Kyiv follow Russia's largest mass attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure this year, which targeted substations, transmission systems, and power plants across the country.

The exact number of people still remaining in Oleshky cannot currently be verified, Lubinets said, answering a question from the Kyiv Independent. Ukraine also cannot reveal the number of evacuees as stipulated by an agreement with Russia, he added.

On Oct. 31, residents of the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky finally arrived in Ukrainian-controlled territory as part of an evacuation mission that involved a short pause in fighting mediated with the involvement of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. Seventeen buses carrying evacuees reached Ukrainian-controlled territory, where families were reunited with loved ones they had not seen for years. The Kyiv Independent’s Yuliia Taradiuk and Olena Zashko witnessed the arrival of the residents from Ol

CHERNIHIV OBLAST — Evacuees from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky have reached Ukrainian-controlled territory on Oct. 31 after an arduous 19-hour journey. The city's residents, who had been trapped in a worsening humanitarian crisis for months on end, arrived to an emotional reception at the border crossing with Belarus by relatives, health workers with ambulances, aid organizations, police, and media. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the mission was successful, thanking all parties

Moscow's consent to a temporary ceasefire in Russian-occupied Oleshky seems like a long-overdue and welcome concession from a country that has repeatedly rejected or violated ceasefire proposals during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. So why is the Kremlin so on board with Oleshky? Experts, as well as information from Oleshky itself, suggest Russia's motives go far beyond addressing the humanitarian catastrophe it created itself. Instead, the highly publicized ceasefire brokered by U.S. Fir

Rassvet's planned coverage is expected to focus primarily on Ukraine and Europe, HUR said, warning that the system could also support Russian hybrid operations against other countries.

Ukraine needs to intercept around 150 Russian ballistic missiles per month but receives about 150 Patriot missiles from the U.S. annually, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

LUTSK, VOLYN OBLAST — Andrii Mazur has spent 24 years with Ukraine's State Emergency Service in Volyn Oblast, but during all that time, nothing has compared to the situation that has unfolded in recent weeks. He and his team have been dispatched to disaster areas eight times in seven days, operating round the clock as swarms of Russian jet-powered drones bombard Western Ukraine. "Above all, we fear for our colleagues on site, as nothing outweighs the worth of a human life," he told the Kyiv In

A ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Russian occupied city began as Russian forces launched ballistic missiles at other parts of Ukraine.

"The worst thing would be if the whole world came to believe that everyone had been evacuated from Oleshky, whilst (people) were still there. And (they) would simply be forgotten," evacuation volunteer Kseniia Arkhipova said.

This weekly update from the Kyiv Independent aims to shed light on the situation facing Ukrainians living under Russian occupation and the ever-tightening control of information imposed by the Kremlin. Key news as of Oct. 25: * Oleshky native warns residents may not survive winter as evacuation hopes rise * Russian-occupied Crimea imposes power and water restrictions after drone attack * Russia sentences 77-year-old Crimean activist to 18 years over alleged plot against Moscow's proxy * At

The two sides are discussing a local ceasefire to allow residents to be evacuated directly to Ukrainian-controlled territory, Lubinets said on Oct. 18.

The operation involved Ukraine's 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade, and 10th Army Corps, along with Ukrainian drone manufacturer Gurzuf Defense.