Investigations

An illustration of a man talking to a woman on an online dating site.

Investigation: The romance scam tricking men into ‘rescuing’ Ukrainian women from Russian occupation

by Linda HouraniOctober 16, 2026

Stefan, a 48-year-old Austrian national whose name has been changed at his request, had been looking for a Ukrainian partner. Having previously dated a Ukrainian woman, he said he was drawn to what he viewed as the importance of family in Ukrainian culture. He met "Alona Panchenko," who claimed to be from the Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on the international dating website Christian Cupid. Soon after they matched, she suggested moving their conversation to email.

Investigation: Rising hate against Ukrainians in Central Europe part of a coordinated campaign

by Danylo MokrykOctober 30, 2026

Investigation: Western machinery at the heart of Russian arms producers like Kalashnikov

by Alisa YurchenkoSeptember 21, 2026

Investigation: Inside Russia's FSB prison system in Crimea

by Olesia BidaSeptember 11, 2026

Poster for Last Seen in Crimea, new the Kyiv Independent documentary

Last Seen in Crimea: Kyiv Independent documentary investigates Russia's secret detention system for Ukrainian civilians

by Kyiv IndependentOctober 13, 2026

Investigation: How EU machinery keeps feeding Russian missile makers

by Alisa YurchenkoJune 19, 2026

Investigation: A secret program, 'suicidal' missions, and death, torture in occupied Ukraine

by Jimmy RushtonApril 24, 2026

Watchdog calls for EU sanctions on raw glycerin exports to Russia after Kyiv Independent investigation

by Lucas TonksApril 23, 2026

NewsLetters

News Feed

Thursday, November 12

01:27 AM

Russia attacks Kyiv with ballistic missiles hours after peace talks end

Attacks against the capital are ongoing, and details about precise targets are not yet available.

12:41 AM

Russia's largest oil refinery slammed by drones in 8-hour attack 2,500 km from Ukraine

The Omsk oil refinery, a Gazprom facility in Siberia, has a processing capacity of over 21 million metric tons of crude per year.

Wednesday, November 11

11:33 PM

'Ukraine's future is within the European Union' — Irish PM aims to open all EU negotiation clusters for Kyiv by end of year

"We have opened three negotiating clusters and will do all that we can to ensure that the remaining two are opened before the end of the presidency," Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin said on Nov. 11 alongside President Zelensky.

12:01 PM

Trump's envoys to travel to Moscow as Abu Dhabi talks end without breakthrough

"We see some openings and some opportunities," Jared Kushner told the press, adding that the U.S. envoys would then travel to Dublin to debrief President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will be attending an informal meeting of EU leaders scheduled for Nov. 13.

09:15 PM

Ukraine war latest: 'Large-scale' prisoner exchange agreed as 2nd day of Abu Dhabi talks concludes, Umerov says

Key developments on Nov. 11: * 'Large-scale' prisoner exchange agreed as 2nd day of Abu Dhabi talks concludes, Umerov says * Zelensky reveals when Ukraine expects first delivery of Swedish Gripen fighter jets * Russia strikes 6 major power substations, causing outages across Ukraine * Hackers target Ukraine's state news agency Ukrinform, replace website with anti-Ukrainian messages * Ukrainian drones reportedly target Russia's largest oil refinery, strike Baltic Sea port, missile boat * R

09:03 PM

Ukraine captures first Indonesian prisoner of war as Russia steps up foreign recruitment

The man, originally from the Indonesian island of Java, was sent to participate in a Russian assault in southern Ukraine. After his unit came under a Ukrainian drone attack, he managed to reach Ukrainian-held territory, where he was taken prisoner, according to the I Want to Live project.

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How Russian-linked organized crime infiltrated Ukraine's law enforcement

Investigations

Investigation: The romance scam tricking men into ‘rescuing’ Ukrainian women from Russian occupation

Investigation: Rising hate against Ukrainians in Central Europe part of a coordinated campaign

Investigation: Western machinery at the heart of Russian arms producers like Kalashnikov

Investigation: Inside Russia's FSB prison system in Crimea

Last Seen in Crimea: Kyiv Independent documentary investigates Russia's secret detention system for Ukrainian civilians

Investigation: How EU machinery keeps feeding Russian missile makers

Investigation: A secret program, 'suicidal' missions, and death, torture in occupied Ukraine

Watchdog calls for EU sanctions on raw glycerin exports to Russia after Kyiv Independent investigation

More from Investigations

Investigation: Western companies miss deadline to exit Russia’s main drone production site

Investigation: Unmasking the anonymous hosts of 'Russians With Attitude,' a pro-war podcast popular with US far right

'He just wanted to go home' — Brazilian recruit’s death in Ukraine points to torture, abuse in foreign fighter unit

Investigation: How Russian drones exploit European technologies to strike Ukraine, and beyond

Investigation: European companies keep the motors of Russia's war machine running

Exclusive: American, European microchips found in Russia's latest missile-like drone

Investigation: Sick Ukrainian children exploited in fraudulent charity campaigns linked to US, Israel

Investigation: Secret visits to Moscow by China’s military expose deep defense cooperation, military procurement deals

NewsLetters

News Feed

Russia attacks Kyiv with ballistic missiles hours after peace talks end

Russia's largest oil refinery slammed by drones in 8-hour attack 2,500 km from Ukraine

'Ukraine's future is within the European Union' — Irish PM aims to open all EU negotiation clusters for Kyiv by end of year

Trump's envoys to travel to Moscow as Abu Dhabi talks end without breakthrough

Ukraine war latest: 'Large-scale' prisoner exchange agreed as 2nd day of Abu Dhabi talks concludes, Umerov says

Ukraine captures first Indonesian prisoner of war as Russia steps up foreign recruitment

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Russia to replace Norway in ice hockey championship as more countries vow to boycott games

Ukraine strikes Russia's second-largest oil refinery in overnight drone attack, Russian governor says

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine hits key bridge on 'highway of death' linking mainland Russia to occupied regions

Russia imposes gasoline sales restrictions amid Ukrainian oil refinery attacks, Russian media report

Exclusive: Zelensky's ex-chief of staff Yermak ran 'troubling' back channel with Trump's Susie Wiles

Editors' Picks

How Russian-linked organized crime infiltrated Ukraine's law enforcement

Neighbors from hell — How one Oleshky family survived living next to Russian soldiers

Fact check: How clashes over fake hostages near Kyiv fueled Russian disinformation blitz

Rescuers dig for bodies after Russia bombs village aid center to rubble, killing dozens inside