News feed

8:33 AM

US announces visa bans for individuals over undermining Georgian democracy.

The U.S. State Department announced visa bans for approximately 20 Georgian individuals for undermining democracy in the country, according to the department’s statement on Dec. 12.

8:14 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 760,120 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

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

8:09 AM

Russia launches one of the largest aerial attacks on Ukraine's energy grid.

Russia launched a large-scale aerial attack against Ukraine early on Dec. 13, firing missiles across multiple regions.

5:57 AM

IAEA Board condemns attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure without mention of Russia.

The 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution condemning attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure but did not explicitly name Russia as responsible, Reuters reported on Dec. 12.

4:21 AM

Ukrainian military instructors to undergo NATO-standard training in Lithuania.

Ukrainian military instructors will receive training in Lithuania in 2025 as part of NATO's Defense Education Enhancement Program (DEEP), the Ministry of Defense reported on Dec. 12.

White House announces new $500 million weapons package for Kyiv

10:58 PM

(Updated: December 13, 2024 2:12 am)

White House announces new $500 million weapons package for Kyiv.

"This additional assistance, provided under previous drawdowns from Department of Defense stocks, is valued at $500 million," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Dec. 12.

1:34 AM

US announces over $440 million in economic aid for Ukraine.

The economic aid package is comprised of four key parts, including $223 million to rebuild transportation, infrastructure, and logistics.

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.

News Feed

10:03 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Trump reportedly pledges to send 10 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, asks Germany to send battery.

9:04 PM

Putin throws 'a lot of b*llshit', Trump says as he 'looks strongly' at Russia sanctions bill.

Trump also addressed U.S. legislation on sanctions, saying the Senate's Russia sanctions bill was "totally optional" for him to implement or terminate. "I'm looking at it very strongly," Trump said.

8:38 PM

Ukrainian businesses outraged as government blocks economic crimes bureau chief nominee.

Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers rejected a nominee to lead the economic crimes agency, drawing swift criticism from lawmakers and businesses over alleged interference in the selection process.

7:17 PM

Russia's crude exports fall to lowest level since February.

Seaborne crude flows averaged 3.12 million barrels a day over the four weeks to July 6, a 3% decline from the previous period ending June 29, according to tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. That's the lowest level recorded since the four-week period ending Feb. 23.

7:02 PM

War analysis

Dnipropetrovsk village likely contested despite Russia's claim of its capture

6:19 PM

Three men convicted in London arson plot tied to Russia's Wagner Group.

The ringleader, Dylan Earl, 21, had already pleaded guilty to aggravated arson over the 2024 blaze targeting companies that were supplying Elon Musk's Starlink satellite equipment to Ukraine.

5:15 PM

Trump reportedly pledges to send 10 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, asks Germany to send battery.

During the call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed that Germany sell one of its own Patriot batteries to Ukraine.

4:28 PM

Business

Ukraine’s minerals fund focus of private investment ahead of major recovery conference

4:17 PM

Opinion

Seeing war through the lens of narcissism

3:58 PM

Ukraine sanctions 5 Chinese firms for supplying components used in Russian drones.

The decree follows a publication by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), which said it recovered Chinese-made parts from downed Shahed drones during a July 4 air assault on Kyiv.

3:52 PM

Opinion

How to enter Ukraine’s defense market: A short guide for foreign companies

3:27 PM

Interview

'Some are forged into poets during hostilities' — Medic, former POW, and poet on how war is shaping Ukraine's writers

3:16 PM

Putin signs decree allowing foreigners to serve in Russian army during mobilization.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's partial mobilization decree from Sept. 21, 2022, remains in force and has never been formally rescinded.

3:12 PM

'Torture was not just cruel, it was inhuman' — Ukrainian soldier dies weeks after release from Russian captivity.

Soldier Valery Zelensky had spent 39 months in Russian captivity. Just 22 days later, on June 16, his heart stopped.

2:18 PM

(Updated: July 8, 2025 3:08 pm)

Europe's largest port prepares for NATO arms shipments, potential war with Russia.

Rotterdam has previously handled weapons shipments, but this marks the first time that it will designate a special berth for military use.

9:56 AM

(Updated: July 8, 2025 3:03 pm)

Russia's Black Sea Fleet shrinks presence in key Crimean bay, Ukrainian partisans say.

The remaining combat units are periodically rotated and redeployed in an apparent effort to avoid detection by Ukrainian reconnaissance, the Atesh partisan group said.

1:33 PM

(Updated: July 8, 2025 1:34 pm)

Ukraine's ambassador to the US to be dismissed, source says.

Oksana Markarova has held the post since April 2021.

7:45 PM

(Updated: July 8, 2025 1:30 pm)

Minerals

Exclusive: Ukraine pitches US modernizes its largest oil refinery as part of minerals deal

12:27 PM

Overcoming Slovakia, Hungary opposition, EU set to approve new Russia sanctions package this week, Ukrainian official says.

In late June, EU ambassadors did not approve the sanctions package because of objections from Budapest and Bratislava.

11:13 AM

9 killed, 81 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day.

Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 54 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type attack drones, and fired four S-300/400 guided missiles.

11:02 AM

On 1-year anniversary, Ukraine names Russian officer linked to deadly strike on Kyiv Okhmatdyt children's hospital.

The strike, which killed two adults and injured at least 34 people, directly hit the country's largest pediatric medical center, where 627 children were receiving treatment at the time.

4:15 AM

(Updated: July 8, 2025 9:23 am)

'They have to be able to defend themselves' — Trump says US will send additional weapons shipments to Ukraine, criticizes Putin.

"They're getting hit very hard. We're gonna have to send more weapons, your defensive weapons primarily," U.S. President Donald Trump said.

9:19 AM

Trump reportedly told Zelensky he's not responsible for US arms halt to Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump told President Volodymyr Zelensky during a phone call on July 4 that he was not responsible for the suspension of U.S. arms shipments to Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

8:17 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 1,028,610 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

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

7:56 AM

EU to impose 'toughest' sanctions on Russia in coordination with US senators, French foreign minister says.

"This (war) cannot continue; it must stop. To achieve this, in coordination with American senators, Europe is preparing to introduce, based on French proposals, the toughest sanctions we have imposed in the last three years," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.

MORE NEWS

News feed

News Feed

Most popular

Editors' Picks

Subscribe