I came to Ukraine in September of last year, well into the fourth year of the war that had already reshaped the country's geography, economy, and daily life. Having worked for decades in conflict settings, from Afghanistan to Sudan, I am still amazed by the way people in the direst situations can cope and hope for a better future. What one cannot underestimate is how challenging this winter has been in Ukraine. Those living even a thousand kilometers from the front line feel the severe effects

Every time negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. appear to gain momentum, Moscow introduces a new allegation — drone attacks, assassination attempts, nuclear plots, sabotage — that threatens to stall or derail the process. Ukrainian officials and Western analysts say the pattern is no coincidence. A high-level Ukrainian official familiar with the course of the negotiations told the Kyiv Independent that the "nonsense" Russia is spreading is intended to influence the talks and dive

The suspect in the murder of former Ukrainian top official Andriy Portnov was arrested in the German town of Heinsberg, Spanish National Police reported on Feb. 25.

Key developments on Feb. 25: * Claiming Ukraine threat, Orban deploys troops to 'protect energy infrastructure' * Corruption exposed in aircraft shelter project, Ukrainian military officials detained * Zelensky, Trump hold phone call ahead of Ukraine-US talks in Geneva * Ukrainian defense companies sign European partnership deals worth $950 million Hungary will deploy soldiers and equipment to protect key energy infrastructure amid what Prime Minister Viktor Orban described as a potential

The Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry said the agreements include cooperation in the production of aerial and ground drones, as well as preparations to scale up products on the European market.

President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call on Feb. 25 with his American counterpart Donald Trump ahead of planned talks between senior officials from both countries in Geneva.

A Kremlin spokesperson questioned "whether there's any point in holding a summit" between Putin and Zelensky as long as the Ukrainian side maintains its current position in negotiations.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi said the launch of Ukrainian drone company Ukrspecsystems' production in the U.K. has "a deep strategic logic" for integration into the British defense industry.

The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York speaks with Olha Polishchuk, a conflict data analyst who tracks military and civilian deaths in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The suspects in the embezzlement scheme were caught "red-handed" while trying to illegally transfer the money, and $320,000 was seized from them, according to Kravchenko.

The Kyiv Independent’s separate analytical unit, KI Insights, is excited to announce the launch of its podcast, Ukraine Insights — a show dedicated to unpacking Ukraine’s politics, security, economy, and international relations through in-depth, expert-driven conversations.

"I see that Ukraine is preparing further actions aimed at disrupting the operation of Hungary's energy system," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban claimed.

"Usually, when Russia fails to win on the battlefield, it start looking for nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"I won't go into too many details, but today I can congratulate our army first and foremost —all the defense forces — because as of today, 300 (square) kilometers have been liberated," Zelensky told Agence France-Presse.

The total cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine is $588 billion, the World Bank said in a new report published Feb. 23, as Russia's full-scale invasion enters its fifth year. Housing, transport, and energy sectors are most affected, with the total needs amounting to almost three times Ukraine's entire gross domestic product — $210 billion in 2025, according to the International Monetary Fund. The sum needed for reconstruction in those sectors covers damage caused in the 46 months from

Witkoff said he would meet with Ukraine's security chief Rustem Umerov on Feb. 26, though the primary purpose of his visit would be negotiations with Iran.

At 4 p.m. every day, the Kyiv Independent office goes dark. After hours of working without heating, the electricity disappears too. The generator shuts off for thirty minutes to cool down. Laptop screens become the only light in the room. The only sound is the tapping of fingers on keyboards. Cold hands move slowly, stopping every so often as people breathe warm air into them to regain feeling. Outside, temperatures drop to -15 degrees Celsius (4 degrees Fahrenheit). Inside, it doesn't feel mu

The Air Force said that Russia attacked Ukraine with 115 drones overnight, of which around 60 were Shahed-type. It reported downing 95 drones in the north, south, and east of Ukraine.

KHARKIV, KHARKIV OBLAST — A blonde-haired woman walks through a slim pathway between corpses lying against walls and autopsy tables inside Ukraine's oldest morgue. The main autopsy room, connected with two additional rooms and equipped with an elevator to lift the corpses from the basement, is busy with forensic experts like her going through three bodies on the table. One belongs to a Ukrainian soldier, while the other two are civilians — an elderly lady and a middle-aged man. "It's most lik

The number includes 1,070 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

The U.S. State Department warned Ukraine in November 2025 that its strike on Russia's Novorossiysk port threatened American economic interests.

Damage from the attack forced Transneft to cut crude oil intake by 250,000 barrels per day and could cause further problems for Russian oil exports, affecting volumes and quality of oil shipped, industry sources told Reuters.

"Is not missing children, shelling of cities, and the killing of innocents enough? It is not a business deal — it is war," former Special Envoy Keith Kellogg said in a scathing post after the vote.

Key developments on Feb. 24: * 4 years after invading Ukraine, Russia admits war's goals 'not fully achieved' * '10 steps ahead' — Fedorov outlines Ukraine's plan to force Russia to make peace * In rare strike, Ukraine uses ATACMS to hit Russian command posts * UK exempts Druzhba pipeline as it unveils its biggest Russia sanctions package, document shows * Russian strike temporarily delayed Flamingo missile production, Zelensky says Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged on Feb.

Canada announced a C$2 billion ($1.4 billion) military aid package for Ukraine on Feb. 24 and expanded sanctions against Russia, including measures targeting Moscow’s “shadow fleet” and a lower oil price cap.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago today — Feb. 24, 2022. For many Ukrainians, particularly those from Donbas and Crimea, the war began in 2014. To mark the anniversary, the Kyiv Independent spoke with three soldiers in the Ukrainian Armed Forces who have fought not just since the start of the full-scale invasion, but since 2014 — when Russia seized Crimea and began its war in eastern Ukraine. They described what keeps them going, the toll of years of sacrifice, a

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 23 that about 80% of Ukraine lacks protection against Russian ballistic missiles, renewing calls for additional air defense systems, including Patriots.

On the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, Moscow accused France and the U.K. of seeking to provide Ukraine with nuclear arms. Offering no evidence, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed on Feb. 24 that the "British and French elite" are helping Kyiv acquire nuclear weapons technology and delivery systems to secure "more favorable terms" in peace talks. Experts and officials who spoke to the Kyiv Independent dismissed the claims, framing them as an attempt to dive

President Volodymyr Zelensky said a Russian strike on a Ukrainian defense manufacturing facility temporarily delayed the rollout of Ukraine's domestically produced long-range Flamingo cruise missiles. Speaking in a Feb. 23 interview with German broadcaster Tagesschau, Zelensky confirmed that a Ukrainian factory producing the missiles had been hit. "There was a delay in production. Later, production resumed, and a certain number of missiles were built," Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine expect

The Druzhba pipeline, a major route supplying Russian crude through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia, has become the focus of a dispute between Kyiv and the two EU countries.

As Churchill said of another war, Ukraine and the West must have "victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be." As the fifth year of Russia's war against Ukraine is poised to begin, the end still seems nowhere in sight. It is a time to reflect, and not just for Ukrainians. The West, too, and especially NATO, should finally acknowledge a truth that too many still deny — that Russia's war against Ukraine is also a war against us, against our way of life and our

"We demand Budapest stop dragging Ukraine into Hungary's domestic politics," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.