Seoul's diplomatic spat with Kyiv continues to deepen, but experts say it is less about Ukraine than about South Korea's own politics. The East Asian country, traditionally counted among Ukraine's partners in the region, announced on Oct. 8 that it is recalling its ambassador from Kyiv amid a dispute over North Korean prisoners of war (POWs). The rift started on Sept. 23 with President Volodymyr Zelensky telling the U.N. General Assembly that Kyiv had transferred two North Korean POWs, capture

Russia launched yet another large-scale ballistic missile attack on Kyiv overnight on Oct. 13-14, wreaking destruction in a residential neighborhood and targeting several energy facilities in Kyiv.

Footage shows an explosion and subsequent fire after a reported drone strike near a large metallurgical plant in Balakovo, located in the Saratov region, according to reports by the Exilenova+ Telegram channel.

Russia's Security Service (FSB) said that a Japanese citizen working for the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper was arrested in the country's far east near islands disputed by Russia and Japan before being taken to Moscow.

Key developments on Oct. 13: * Kyiv under 'particularly vile' missile attack before air raid alert issued * French Navy intercepts Russian shadow fleet tanker in Indian Ocean * Trump says Ukraine, Russia agree to energy strike ceasefire 'because I said they agreed' * 'Absolutely unacceptable' — 11 crew members lost at sea after commercial ships hit by drones near Bulgaria's Black Sea coast * Russian forces use group of civilians as 'human shields' near Kupiansk, fire at them afterwards, Uk

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Kremlin attacked six energy facilities on Oct. 11, injuring 33 people across the country.

Zelensky said he had begun consultations on urgent security and administrative measures to address the situation and accelerate the implementation of Kyiv's resilience plan.

Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian data centers sparked viral claims about a sudden drop in Russian influence operations on social media — even as experts see no evidence to support this. Kyiv struck data centers run by Yandex — Russia's "answer to Google" — in three different regions between Oct. 9 and 11, a response to Russian strikes against similar facilities in Ukraine. Yandex acknowledged the attacks, noting that its data center in Vladimir Oblast had to be shut down due to damage a

The move was made possible the day after Ukraine's parliament passed a law bolstering the rights of the country's Hungarian-speaking minority — a demand that Hungary had said must be fulfilled before it would allow further progress.

The Russian army entered its full-scale war against Ukraine with a reputation as one of the strongest in the world, but the first weeks of the invasion showed that this assessment was wrong. The reasons were sought in logistics, equipment, training, and motivation, but most of the failures stemmed from an inability to make sound decisions on the battlefield. The Russian army found itself in a war in which commanders had to operate in situations where orders from above were either absent or no l

The Aksaykardandetal plant manufactures drive shafts and metal components for agricultural and specialized machinery, and has metalworking capabilities which could potentially be used to manufacture military equipment components.

Luxembourg's move to delist Mikhail Fridman has "set a dangerous precedent," as other Russian oligarchs may push to get the same treatment, lawmaker Franz Fayot told the Kyiv Independent.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that German Police had arrested two suspects on behalf of Polish services and called the attack “another act of hybrid warfare” in a post on X.

Support for Ukraine's EU accession varied across the bloc, reaching 69% in Sweden, the highest share among the countries surveyed. Romania recorded the lowest level of support, at 40%.

The Kyiv Independent's War Crimes Investigations Unit has released Last Seen in Crimea, a new documentary investigating a system of detention in Russian-occupied Crimea where Ukrainian civilians have been held without contact with the outside world, often without formal charges, and subjected to torture and other forms of abuse.

On Oct. 13, lawmakers supported three bills in the first reading linked to funding from the International Monetury Fund (IMF) and the EU under the Ukraine Facility — an EU financial assistance program launched in 2024.

Russian disinformation yet again targets the sensitive topic of mobilization in Ukraine — this time, pushing falsehoods about an alleged forced draft of women. Pro-Kremlin social media accounts and Russian media have spread AI-generated images alleging that Ukrainian women are being lured to join the Armed Forces by targeted recruitment posters, while others claim they are being outright called up for military service. But though tens of thousands of Ukrainian women enlisted in the army as vol

The group included two women, a child, and several men who were being led toward the Shebelinka–Ostrogozhsk gas pipeline by Russian forces, according to Ukraine's 13th Khartia Corps.

This week's letters come from readers questioning the Trump administration's decision to purchase Russian diesel fuel amid rising prices in the United States. An American reader argues the deal benefits Russian President Vladimir Putin at Ukraine's expense, a scholar questions whether a U.S. sanctions bill will meaningfully pressure Moscow, and a British reader raises concerns about Washington's turn to Russian oil. Got an opinion on anything you've read in the Kyiv Independent? Send it to lett

Despite the recent failure of Kyiv's early warning system and threats to halt U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine, Washington made no such decision, Ukrainian and American sources told the Kyiv Independent. Five Russian S-400 missiles struck the Ukrainian capital shortly after 10 p.m. local time on Oct. 12, causing "massive explosions," Kyiv Independent journalists reported. Air raid sirens and mobile alerts sounded only after the attack. The attack came as Washington had threatened to susp

Ukraine's Education and Science Minister Andrii Butenko said that a fire broke out in a building of Rivne State Humanitarian University as a result of the Russian drone strike.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev called the attacks "absolutely unacceptable" and said Bulgaria had informed its permanent representatives to NATO and the European Union.

The tanker DF Peak, previously named Kaliningrad, has falsely sailed under the flag of Benin and is sanctioned by the U.S, EU, Switzerland, Canada, and Japan.

The Iskander-M is one of Russia's principal ballistic weapons. Since the beginning of 2026, Moscow has launched more than 500 ballistic missiles against Ukraine.

"Ukraine has not carried out strikes on Russian oil refineries or the energy sector in general for the two days since the American president announced an energy ceasefire. But Russia did not heed," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

U.S. President Donald Trump had a busy weekend, undermining sanctions on Russia, blaming Ukraine for the war Russia started — again — and insisting that Russian refineries become drone-free zones. "We said you could do whatever you want to Russia, don't hit the refineries, because that's a world problem that's caused," Trump said on Oct. 10. "And (President Volodymyr Zelensky) wants to make problems for the world, he wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers, with diesel fuel. ... W

Kyiv Independent staff reported powerful blasts in central Kyiv, with air raid sirens and mobile notifications sounding only afterward.

Spain's European Affairs Minister Fernando Sampedro told the Kyiv Independent that "we really hope that in the case of Ukraine and Moldova we will be able to open all clusters as soon as possible."

Overnight on Oct. 13, Russian forces launched five ballistic missiles, 108 Shahed-type attack drones, including 74 jet-powered versions, as well as Gerbera and Parodiya decoy drones, and nine Banderol missiles, Ukraine's Air Force said.

A State Emergency Service rescuer was also injured while responding to the attack and was hospitalized, RBC-Ukraine reported, citing the emergency service. His condition was not immediately confirmed.

The number includes 1,390 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

The U.S. president's comments came after he unilaterally announced an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine on Oct. 11, causing confusion in Kyiv. According to a senior Ukrainian official, Ukraine had no prior information about an energy ceasefire.