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12:39 AM

Russian guided bomb attacks fall sharply after ATACMS, Storm Shadow strikes, analysts say.

Russian attacks against Ukraine with guided aerial bombs have reportedly fallen by over 50% since Western partners allowed Kyiv to target Russia with long-range missiles.

11:52 PM

Ukraine's largest steelmaker partially suspends operations at Pokrovsk coal mine.

The closure comes amid an increasingly dangerous Russian advance towards Pokrovsk, where Ukraine has lost key positions in recent days.

Can You Hear Me? The Invisible Battles of Ukrainian Military Medics

10:31 PM

Video

Can You Hear Me? The invisible battles of Ukrainian military medics

The Kyiv Independent's journalists Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko followed a group of Ukrainian military medics as they journeyed from the heat of battle in war-torn Ukraine to the serene forests of Sweden for a short mental health retreat.

10:08 PM

Ukraine war latest: Trump hints he won't 'abandon' Kyiv but opposes Ukraine launching US missiles inside Russia

Key developments on Dec. 12: * Trump hints he won't 'abandon' Kyiv but opposes Ukraine launching US missiles inside Russia * Drones attack Chechnya, hitting police building, Kadyrov claims * Poland 'dismisses speculation' on peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, PM says * US House passes 2025 defense spending bill without Ukraine lend-lease extension * Hungary did

9:29 PM

Russian occupation court sentences Ukrainian to 11 years for alleged espionage.

A Russian-controlled court in occupied Donetsk Oblast sentenced 20-year-old Mikhail Karimov, a resident of Mariupol, to 11 years in a strict regime penal colony, Mariupol City Council reported on Dec. 12.

9:24 PM

301 Ukrainian women held in Russian captivity, rights group reports.

As of December 2024, 301 Ukrainian civilian women are in Russian captivity, with 25 detained before Russia's full-scale invasion and 276 taken since, according to Olha Skrypnyk, head of the Crimean Human Rights Group (CHRG), speaking on Dec. 11.

8:30 PM

Xi Jinping reaffirms China's stance on Ukraine war settlement.

Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated China's position on resolving the war in Ukraine during a meeting with Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, on Dec. 12, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

7:31 PM

NATO chief warns alliance 'unprepared' for Russian threats, calls for increased defense spending.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on Dec. 12 that the alliance is not ready for the threats it will face from Russia in the coming years, urging a shift to a wartime mindset with significantly higher defense spending.

6:40 PM

Ukraine sentences Russian Duma chairman Volodin to 15 years in absentia.

Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia’s State Duma, has been sentenced in absentia to 15 years by a Ukrainian court, Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU) reported on Dec. 12.

5:36 PM

French ambassador to Ukraine assures continued support for Kyiv under new government.

French Ambassador to Ukraine Gael Veyssiere expressed confidence that France's policy of assistance to Ukraine would remain unchanged following the appointment of a new prime minister, Interfax-Ukraine reported on Dec. 12.

5:13 PM

EBRD co-launches $116 million guarantee for Ukraine war-risk insurance.

The EBRD's new Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Guarantee Facility will initially help reinsurance companies cover risks connected to land-based transport, focusing on small and medium businesses.

5:03 PM

Russia, India sign record oil supply deal, Reuters reports.

Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft and Indian refining giant Reliance Industries have finalized a landmark agreement to supply 500,000 barrels of oil daily for the next 10 years, Reuters reported on Dec. 12.

4:35 PM

Poland 'dismisses speculation' on peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, PM says.

During a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron on Dec. 12, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed speculation about a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, emphasizing that no such actions are currently planned.

4:17 PM

Hungary did not discuss any Christmas truce, prisoner swap with Ukraine, Presidential Office says.

The Hungarian side "did not discuss anything" with Ukraine and "did not warn about its contacts with Moscow," said Dmytro Lytvyn, the presidential communications adviser, referring to Viktor Orban’s recent phone call with Vladimir Putin.

3:59 PM

Business

Spend With Ukraine wants to ‘build a better brand’ for the country

Editor’s note: This article is part of a series of profiles highlighting successful Ukrainian startups and businesses. The series is funded by the regional investment fund Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund (UMAEF) and created in partnership with Spend With Ukraine, a non-profit organization that launched a platform to showcase businesses

3:23 PM

Trump hints he won't 'abandon' Kyiv but opposes Ukraine launching US missiles inside Russia.

"I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that?" Donald Trump told Time.

Ukraine builds drone parts at home as China weaponizes supply chain

6:29 PM

(Updated: December 12, 2024 2:49 pm)

Defense tech

Ukraine builds drone parts at home as China weaponizes supply chain

Some 25 miles south of Ukraine's border with Russia, explosions rumble off in the distance more or less continuously. “We don’t even hear them anymore,” Zhenya chuckles from under first-person-view (FPV) goggles branded with the U.S. company “Fat Shark.” Zhenya and his co-developer for DragoDrones, or DCU, Maksym,

1:53 PM

Ukraine's intelligence kills senior Russian missile scientist near Moscow, source claims.

Mikhail Shatsky, a Russian expert involved in modernizing missiles launched against Ukraine, was shot dead near Moscow, a Defense Forces source told the Kyiv Independent on Dec. 12.

1:30 PM

Scholz ready to talk to Putin again despite 'frustrating' phone call.

"I will do it again. But we must not have any illusions about it," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, according to Zeit.

1:13 PM

Russian snipers use Western rifles, ammunition despite sanctions, media investigation says.

Russia uses Western sniper rifles and ammunition despite sanctions, obtaining the arms via third-party countries, according to a joint media investigation published by The Insider on Dec. 11.

12:40 PM

NATO members mull raising defense spending benchmark to 3% GDP, FT reports.

European NATO foreign ministers began discussing a plan to gradually increase the alliance’s defense spending target from 2% of their GDP to 3% by 2030, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 12, citing undisclosed sources.

12:16 PM

Russia has built only 7 out of 108 planned airliners since 2022, BBC reports.

Russia's Comprehensive Program for the Development of the Air Transport Industry until 2030 envisioned producing 1,032 passenger aircraft between 2022 and the end of the decade.

11:18 AM

Macron, Tusk to discuss deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine after ceasefire, Bloomberg reports.

French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Warsaw on Dec. 12 to brief the Polish prime minister on his meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump last week and to discuss Europe's support for Ukraine and ways to end Russia's war.

10:46 AM

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 1, injure 11 over past day.

Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least one civilian and injured at least 11 over the past day, regional authorities reported early on Dec. 12.

9:41 AM

US lawmakers ask for intelligence report on impact of cutting Ukraine aid.

Lawmakers from both chambers of the U.S. legislature requested the director of national intelligence, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to compile a report on different policy impacts on Ukraine and U.S. security, according to The Hill.

9:24 AM

US House passes 2025 defense spending bill without Ukraine lend-lease extension.

The $895 billion U.S. defense budget passed by the House of Representatives did not include a provision to extend the lend-lease act for Ukraine despite the efforts of Ukrainian diplomats, Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, said on Dec. 12.

8:25 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 758,730 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

This number includes 1,390 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

7:13 AM

Russia advises its citizens to avoid travel to US, Western nations.

Russian citizens are at risk of being "hunted" by Western authorities when traveling, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed.

UPDATED: Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia kills 10, injures 22, destroys clinic

4:37 PM

(Updated: December 12, 2024 6:32 am)

UPDATED: Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia kills 10, injures 22, destroys clinic.

The death toll in the Dec. 10 attack rose to 10 on Dec. 12, after rescuers pulled a woman's body from the rubble of a building destroyed by a Russian missile.

6:04 AM

Trump invites Xi to inauguration, CBS News reports.

Trump's team is also considering inviting other world leaders, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

5:04 AM

Drones attack Chechnya, hitting police building, Kadyrov claims.

The attack damaged the roof of the building, shattered windows, and lightly injured four men on guard duty, Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov claimed. This marks the third reported drone strike against Chechnya during Russia's war against Ukraine.

3:48 AM

Tough battles, lost positions in Pokrovsk demand 'non-standard decisions,' Syrskyi says.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that "non-standard decisions" are needed near the embattled city of Pokrovsk, after the military reported that Russia had destroyed two Ukrainian positions in the area.

News Feed

4:10 PM

(Updated: July 7, 2025 4:14 pm)

Russian transport minister fired by Putin reportedly shoots himself dead.

Russia's former Transport Minister Roman Starovoit shot himself in Odintsovo following his dismissal by President Vladimir Putin on July 7, the pro-government newspaper Izvestia reported, citing unnamed sources.

3:01 PM

Ukrainian drone strike hits major oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, HUR source claims.

Located roughly 500 kilometers (311 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled territory, the refinery is among the largest in southern Russia, producing over 6 million tons of fuel annually.

2:38 PM

HUR publishes Russian military order, claims proof of Moscow increasing military footprint in Armenia.

HUR first made the claim on July 5, saying Russia was increasing its forces at the Gyumri base to exert greater influence in the South Caucasus and "destabilize the global security situation."

2:19 PM

(Updated: July 7, 2025 1:43 pm)

KI Insights

Ukraine calendar: What will happen this week

1:12 PM

(Updated: July 7, 2025 1:38 pm)

Zelensky, Trump discussed replacement of Ukraine's US ambassador, source says.

Oksana Markarova has held the post since April 2021, and played a central role in coordinating U.S. military and financial support during the early phases of Russia's full-scale invasion.

12:17 PM

Ukrainian drones reportedly target Russian chemical plant near Moscow.

The Krasnozavodsk Chemical Plant is one of the city's biggest employers and an important part of Russia's defense-industrial complex.

11:24 AM

12 killed, 69 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day.

Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 101 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type attack drones, as well as four S-300/400 guided missiles.

10:45 AM

After airport chaos, tanker blast, Putin fires Russian transport minister.

The dismissal comes amid a series of high-profile disruptions to Russia's aviation and shipping sectors.

10:36 AM

As Ukraine awaits stalled US weapons, Trump says he's 'helping a lot' in war with Russia.

"I am helping Ukraine. I'm helping it a lot," U.S. President Donald Trump said when asked in Washington why the U.S. does not support Ukraine as strongly as it supports Israel.

9:12 AM

Trump threatens 10% tariff on countries backing BRICS 'anti-American policy'.

"There will be no exceptions to this policy," U.S. President Donald Trump said.

8:13 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 1,027,540 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

The number includes 1,100 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

7:52 AM

Trump slams Musk’s third party plan as ‘ridiculous,’ calls Musk ‘train wreck’.

U.S. President Donald Trump commented on tech billionaire Elon Musk’s plan to create a new political party, calling it “ridiculous” and warning that third-party movements have historically failed in the United States.

5:47 AM

BRICS summit statement condemns attacks on Russian railways, avoids urging Russia to cease war efforts in Ukraine.

BRICS summit participants condemned recent attacks on Russia’s railway infrastructure, according to a joint declaration on July 6 from Rio de Janeiro.

2:51 AM

Lavrov meets Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi at BRICS summit, reiterates Russia's offer to mediate disputes over nuclear program.

Russia reiterated its offer to mediate the conflict over Iran’s nuclear program during a meeting between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart at the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Reuters reported on July 6.

10:49 PM

Moldova's pro-Russian political bloc to participate in upcoming elections.

Ilan Shor, an exiled pro-Kremlin oligarch, established the Victory bloc in August 2024. "Our main goal in these elections is to overthrow the fascist regime and hold early democratic elections within the next six months," Shor said on July 6.

10:06 PM

Zelensky's top adviser behind bid to replace prime minister, spy chief, sources tell Economist.

According to anonymous officials, Andriy Yermak was also a driving force behind the recent corruption probe into Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov.

5:34 AM

(Updated: July 6, 2025 8:49 pm)

Russian airports cancel nearly 300 flights amid drone attacks on Russia.

Rosaviatsia reported on the evening of July 6 that 287 flights had been grounded across three major airports: Moscow's Sheremetyevo, St. Petersburg's Pulkovo, and Strigino Airport in Nizhny Novgorod.

8:12 PM

Explosion damages tanker in Russian port, marking 6th mysterious blast this year.

An explosion "of an unknown nature" aboard the Eco Wizard tanker in Russia's Ust-Luga port near St. Petersburg caused an ammonia leak on July 6.

7:22 PM

Ukraine imposes sanctions on Russian financial, cryptocurrency schemes.

Restrictions were imposed on 60 legal entities and 73 Russian citizens.

6:59 PM

War update

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