Get more news like this directly to your inbox every week by subscribing to our Ukraine Business Roundup newsletter. Kyiv-based humanitarians often tell the story of a United Nations convoy in late 2022 turning up with crates of food in recently liberated villages of eastern Ukraine, only to discover well-fed residents protesting that what they really needed was windows. Apocryphal or not, the anecdote invokes a widely held suspicion that humanitarian organizations are out of touch with what p

Hello, this is Yuliia Taradiuk reporting from Kyiv on day 1,351 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story so far: Russian Forces are trying to gain a foothold in the industrial zone and residential buildings of the embattled city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, a soldier told Suspline on Nov. 5. "Archeologist," the soldier from the 25th Airborne Brigade, which is serving in the Pokrovsk area, said that Russia's goal is to close in from the south through Pokrovsk, bypass it, a

The Kyiv Independent’s Dominic Culverwell sits down with Elina Ribakova, a leading expert on the Russian economy, to unpack the latest U.S. sanctions targeting Rosneft and Lukoil — the oil giants fuelling Moscow’s war.

Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said on Nov. 2 that the strike would have "long-term consequences" for Russia.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said on Nov. 5 that Russia should begin immediate preparations to conduct full-scale nuclear tests.

Get more news like this directly to your inbox every week by subscribing to our Ukraine Business Roundup newsletter. Ukraine is considering a cocktail of ideas to keep its finances afloat while it waits for Brussels to greenlight new aid, and a big drop in foreign aid in 2026 looms. Unspent funds from government ministries in 2025, ad-hoc government borrowing, and front-loading loans whose disbursements are currently scheduled throughout 2026 could contribute to a buffer early next year, a top

Norway will provide Ukraine with $7 billion in 2026 to support its defense sector, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on X on Nov. 5.

The regional governor said Russian air defenses shot down Ukrainian drones in the area, while residents claimed the city was being attacked by missiles.

A transport-loading vehicle for Russia’s Iskander ballistic missile system was destroyed on Nov. 4 in the Kursk region, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) confirmed on Nov. 5.

It is the first time Brussels Airport has closed due to drone activity. More drones were also spotted near Belgium's Kleine Brogel Air Base, which houses F-16 fighter jets.

The suspect demands respect for his "fundamental rights, including the right to adequate food, a healthy environment, dignified detention conditions, and equal treatment with other prisoners regarding family visits and access to information," his lawyer, Nicola Canestrini, said.

The Ukrainian military said it hit a Lukoil oil refinery in Nizhny Novgorod and the Sterlitamak petrochemical plant in the Republic of Bashkortostan.

"We have developed and deployed the Oreshnik medium-range missile system, and have begun serial production," Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Nov. 4.

There was no doubt for photographer Yelena Yemchuk that upon returning to Ukraine, she would encounter the pain and loss that comes with the day-to-day reality of Russia's full-scale war — but she wasn't quite ready for how much love there was to go around, too. "It's this understanding of what life is, the understanding of what love is, the understanding of human relationships, and this appreciation for the moment," Yemchuk told the Kyiv Independent. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever e

Hello, this is Chris York from a cloudy fall day in Kyiv on day 1,350 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story so far: Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) on Nov. 4 released footage of what is said was an ongoing special operation in the embattled city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast. The video shows both drone and on-the-ground footage of drone strikes, tanks, infantry, helicopters, and artillery, providing an insight into the scale of the battle to save the city from encr

"The search was conducted without a court warrant and is likely connected to the employee’s direct performance of professional duties," the NABU said.

BRUSSELS, Belgium — President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine will not accept a second-tier status in the European Union and must be treated as a full member of the bloc once it is invited. "If we speak about the EU membership, it has to be fully fledged (…) you cannot be semi-or demi-member of the European Union," Zelensky said in a virtual address at an Euronews enlargement summit, speaking from near wartorn Pokrovsk. "It seems to me that it is very important that we have at the same

The drop follows Washington's Oct. 22 decision to impose blocking sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia's two largest oil companies.

Zelensky visited a command post of the 1st corps, which is conducting a defensive operation in Dobropillia sector together with adjacent units.

Russian troops reportedly struck on Nov. 3 two unarmed civilians with an FPV drone near the village of Kruhliakivka in the Kupiansk district, according to the video footage provided by Ukraine's 77th Airmobile Brigade.

In the coming weeks, the EU will decide whether to phase out its remaining Russian fossil fuel imports by early 2027 — or give itself another year. Whichever deadline it sets, the bloc will face a difficult path to get there. It will have to overcome resistance from some capitals and secure new sources to replace the billion euros' worth of Russian oil and gas still flowing to the EU each month. The EU has made substantial progress in reducing its long-standing reliance on Russian energy since

While Russian conscripts are officially barred from being deployed abroad, reports indicate that many are pressured into signing contracts with Russia's Defense Ministry and sent to fight in Ukraine.

In October, Russia significantly increased its use of guided aerial bombs (KAB) against Ukraine, dropping over 5,328 munitions on Ukrainian military positions and cities near the front line.

The Council of the EU approved on Nov. 4 the fifth tranche of the Ukraine Facility funding in the amount of 1.8 billion euros ($2.1 billion).

Trains that ran to Kramatorsk will now have their final destination in the city of Husarivka in Kharkiv Oblast.

The announcement follows three consecutive nights of suspicious drone activity over military and civilian sites in the country, including the Kleine Brogel Air Base.

An investigation has been opened after a Russian missile strike on Ukrainian soldiers base in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on Nov. 1, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) reported on Nov. 3.

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Ukraine has shown "remarkable commitment" to its bid for EU membership despite Russia's full-scale war, but must urgently reverse negative trends in the fight against corruption and step up rule of law reforms, the European Commission is expected to say in its draft enlargement report, seen by the Kyiv Independent. "Despite the very difficult circumstances the country finds itself in on account of Russia's war of aggression, Ukraine continued to demonstrate remarkable commit

"The first two capitals will be our representatives. These are Berlin and Copenhagen. This will be this year," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Kostiantyn Huzenko, 28, a Kyiv photographer who documented the war and enlisted the 35th Marine Brigade in April 2024, was killed Nov. 1 in a Russian strike in eastern Ukraine, the media outlet Ukrainer reported. Just over two years after the full-scale invasion began, Huzenko joined the communications department of the 35th Marine Brigade, where he served as a photographer and press officer until his death. "What I want most is for us to survive — to survive as Ukrainians," Huzenko said in an

The 7th Rapid Response Corps said that assault and special operations units blocked an effort to cut a supply route between Pokrovsk and nearby Rodynske..

One of Kyiv’s most popular malls has been shut down for four days amid a long-standing fight over the building's management, forcing hundreds of local and international businesses to temporarily close their doors. The shutdown is the latest chapter in a dispute over the mall’s management. State-owned banks Oschadbank and Ukreximbank — the legal owners of the Gulliver complex in downtown Kyiv — temporarily closed the mall on Oct. 31, citing a sewage problem that they blamed on the complex's mana