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10:28 PM

Finishing off the defenseless: How the Russians execute Ukrainian soldiers

Warning: This article contains graphic photos and descriptions of graphic scenes. A decomposed human hand with the remains of flesh, bleak and brown save for one splash of color — two thin blue-yellow rubber bracelets. The colors of the Ukrainian national flag. The hand was from a body of the hundreds

10:19 PM

US to provide $20 billion loan to Ukraine as part of G7 pledge.

Daleep Singh, the White House deputy national security adviser on international economics, said that Joe Biden's administration intends to split the funds between helping the Ukrainian economy and the military.

9:31 PM

UK prepares another group of future Ukrainian F-16 pilots, bringing total number of trainees to 200.

"The next step is advanced fast jet training and conversion to F-16 with partner nations," the statement read.

9:14 PM

South Korea

Why South Korean weapons are unlikely to be heading directly to Ukraine anytime soon

South Korea has hinted it could change its long-standing stance on not providing Ukraine directly with weapons in light of the dramatic escalation of North Korea's role in Russia's full-scale invasion. So far, Seoul has only provided humanitarian and non-lethal military aid to Kyiv, but on Oct. 22, a South

Russia's wartime economy delivers growth, but will the bubble burst?

8:54 PM

Russian Economy

Russia's wartime economy delivers growth, but will the bubble burst?

A draft budget submitted to the Russian parliament last month has outlined the Kremlin's plans to keep spending high in its wartime economy, with ambitions to maintain the steady levels of growth the country has seen since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Surging government spending on war

8:16 PM

Ukraine has stabilized situation in Toretsk, but Russia is concentrating troops in town's east, military says.

"The situation in Toretsk has relatively stabilized. We (Ukrainian forces) are now holding the line unchanged," Anastasiia Bobovnikova, a spokesperson of the Operational Tactical Group Luhansk, said.

7:36 PM

About 3,000 North Korean troops were sent to Russia to participate in war against Ukraine, South Korean intelligence says.

"Signs of troops being trained inside North Korea were detected in September and October," Park Sun-won, a member of a parliamentary intelligence committee, said.

'Moscow is desperate' — Expert on North Korean troops in Russia

7:13 PM

Video

'Moscow is desperate' — Expert on North Korean troops in Russia.

The Kyiv Independent spoke with former U.K. Defense Attaché in Moscow, John Foreman CBE, about what this development might mean for the future of Russia's war and the global landscape.

6:46 PM

Ukraine's 'I Want to Live' project posts Korean-language video message, calls on North Korean soldiers to surrender.

Launched in September 2022 by Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence, the 24-hour "I Want to Live" hotline helps Russian soldiers willingly surrender themselves or their units to the Ukrainian army.

5:53 PM

Ukraine denies Russia breached Chasiv Yar defense line following conflicting reports.

Hours prior, Ivan Petrychak, a representative of the 24th Mechanized Brigade's press service, said on national television that the Russian military managed to breach the defense, but there were no signs of the city's potential loss.

5:21 PM

Opinion

Opinion: Putin’s drone strategy shows the cracks in Russia’s war machine

Russia shot down one of its own drones — a large and stealthy S-70 — after it flew uncontrolled into Ukrainian territory in early October, sparking speculation about how Moscow lost control of this valuable asset so publicly. It’s an unforced error that will be keenly felt in Moscow, whose high

4:05 PM

North Korean troops dispatch was secret clause of Moscow-Pyongyang pact, WSJ reports.

The secret clause reportedly allowed North Korea to send the first 1,000 of its soldiers to Ukraine to gain military experience. More North Korean troops are expected to be engaged, the source told the WSJ.

4:01 PM

Opinion

Opinion: Ukraine’s war is the reckoning with empire Europe can no longer avoid

Thirty years ago, in a Ukrainian churchyard where my Russian ancestors are buried, I knelt beside a very old woman leaning on a stick, her hair covered in a black kerchief. Behind us stood the Russian church that my great-grandfather built on his estate and where he lies buried. The

3:43 PM

3 companies of Russian soldiers killed, injured in assaults on Selydove, National Guard says.

Ukraine's National Guard troops repelled 13 Russian assault attempts near the town of Selydove in Donetsk region over the past day, spokesperson Ruslan Muzychuk told Ukrainska Pravda on Oct. 23.

3:21 PM

Many Russians support Putin despite favoring opposing policies, survey shows.

Around 61% of Putin's supporters said they favored peace in Ukraine under mutual concessions, according to the poll conducted by the independent Levada Center between Sept. 10 and 17.

2:37 PM

France's first batch of Mirage 2000 jets for Ukraine to include 3 planes, media reports.

The planes will reportedly be equipment with ground strike capabilities, namely SCALP/Storm Shadow long-range missiles and French guided bombs AASM.

1:41 PM

North Korean troops are in Russia, US defense secretary confirms.

"There is evidence that there are DPRK troops in Russia," U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

1:33 PM

Georgia denies journalist entry to cover elections amid rising Russian influence.

Czech journalist Ray Baseley was denied entry to Georgia without an explanation after arriving at Tbilisi airport on Oct. 22 to cover the upcoming parliamentary elections.

1:17 PM

Ukraine receives $1.1 billion from IMF.

"The funds will be used to cover important non-military budget spending," PM Denys Shmyhal said.

1:06 PM

Ukraine Business Roundup — Losing Pokrovsk

The following is the Oct. 22, 2024 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. As Russia makes its slow and steady advances in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk Oblast, its troops are closing

1:00 PM

SBU says it foiled terror attack in Kyiv, detained suspects.

According to the SBU, the suspects reportedly planned to detonate improvised explosives in a crowded place in Ukraine's capital to cause "the maximum number of civilian deaths" and sow panic.

12:48 PM

UK to allocate $155 million for naval coalition to protect Ukraine's ports.

The U.K. is looking for partners to co-finance the supply of "hundreds" more naval drones as well as surveillance radars to protect Ukraine's grain corridor.

11:37 AM

Zelensky preparing action plan for Ukraine to withstand war, source says.

The document will address Ukraine's military, political, economic, and other areas, including certain decisions regarding law enforcement, a source close to the Presidential Office told the Kyiv Independent.

10:51 AM

Russia helping North Korea with sanctions evasion, nuclear technology in return for soldiers, arms, Budanov says.

Russia's support in nuclear capabilities includes providing technologies for smaller tactical nuclear weapons and submarine missile-launch systems, military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov claimed.

10:12 AM

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 5, injure 14 over past day.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 57 of the 81 Shahed-type drones launched overnight, the Air Force reported. Fifteen drones were lost, and nine are still present in the Ukrainian airspace at the time of the publication.

10:00 AM

UN secretary general visits Russia for BRICS summit despite Kyiv's criticism.

"This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace. It only damages the U.N.'s reputation," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said.

9:01 AM

US to continue to 'tighten the screws' on Russian LNG exports, senior official says.

"You can be assured that the Biden administration is going to continue to tighten the screws against Russia’s LNG exports," Jeffrey Pyatt, assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources, said.

8:17 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 683,040 troops since Feb. 24, 2022.

This number includes 1,460 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

7:37 AM

Russia-linked disinformation campaign spreads false claims about Tim Walz, US intelligence officials say.

Russian disinformation groups have been linked to viral attacks targeting Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, a U.S. intelligence official said on Oct. 22.

5:21 AM

Turkey quietly curbs military goods exports to Russia following US warning, FT reports.

Turkey has quietly blocked the export of U.S.-origin military goods to Russia following a warning from Washington, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Oct. 22.

4:15 AM

Poland shuts down Russian Consulate in Poznan amid claims of sabotage.

"Russia is waging a hybrid war," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Oct. 22. "It is attempting sabotage on Polish territory."

2:04 AM

Ukraine's population dropped by 10 million after Russia's 2014 invasion, UN says.

Ukraine's birth rate is the lowest in Europe and the number of refugees has surged to 6.7 million, with the full-scale invasion of 2022 exacerbating an already dire decline, according to the U.N. Population Fund.

News Feed

1:58 AM

(Updated: June 6, 2025 5:55 am)

UPDATE: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb.

The attack, which has already injured at least 16 people in Kyiv, comes one night after Vladimir Putin promised to retaliate against Ukraine for striking Russia's heavy bombers on June 1.

4:48 AM

Explosions rock Engels in Russia's Saratov Oblast amid reported drone attack.

Governor Roman Busargin claimed that a fire broke out at an unspecified "industrial enterprise" in Engels. The city is home to an oil refinery and the Engels-2 military airfield, both targets of previous Ukrainian strikes.

2:53 AM

European Union

EU tariffs on Ukrainian goods return after 3 years of war, complicating Kyiv's path to European integration

11:40 PM

'Sometimes you’re better off letting them fight,’ Trump says on Russia-Ukraine war.

President Donald Trump likened the war between Russia and Ukraine to a fight between two children in a park, suggesting it might be better to let them clash for a while before stepping in, given the depth of animosity between them.

10:24 PM

Russia bombs central Kherson, partially destroys regional administration building.

Russian forces launched high-explosive bombs at the center of Ukraine's southern city of Kherson on June 5, hitting and partially destroying the Regional State Administration building and damaging several surrounding structures.

9:55 PM

In show of unity, US nominates next chief of NATO's European command.

U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich as the next Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) on June 5, reaffirming a key American role in NATO's military structure.

9:25 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine strikes Russian missile base in Bryansk Oblast, damages Iskander launchers; Trump dismisses timeline to impose Russian sanctions

7:59 PM

(Updated: June 5, 2025 8:54 pm)

'Deadline is in my brain' — Trump dismisses timeline to impose Russian sanctions.

U.S. President Donald Trump sidestepped questions on June 5 as to when he can be expected to impose additional sanctions on Russia, as the Kremlin continues to reject a ceasefire in Ukraine.

8:41 PM

Russia's response to Operation Spiderweb is likely 'not going to be pretty,' Trump says.

U.S. President Donald Trump warned on June 5 that Russia's response to Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb is likely "not going to be pretty," following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin the day prior.

6:38 PM

'Not destroyed but damaged' — Russia claims it will repair bombers struck in Operation Spiderweb.

In addition to supply-chain challenges brought upon economic sanctions, Russia would also likely face challenges due to the complexities of Soviet-era technology present in the aircraft, if it were to attempt to restore the bombers.

5:41 PM

'Time to put an end to insanity of war,' Brazil's Lula told Putin, calls for restraint following Operation Spiderweb.

"I said (to Putin) it's time to open our eyes and to put an end to the insanity of war, which destroys everything and builds nothing," Brazilian President Lula da Silva told reporters during a visit to France.

5:19 PM

Business

In wartime Ukraine, a university grows — and reclaims a space once reserved for the corrupt

5:14 PM

Culture

Controversial Russian literature prize sparks debate on separating culture from war crimes

5:09 PM

Video

Without justice, war will come back, veteran reporter says

4:41 PM

Damage, disruptions reported following explosion on train tracks in Russia's Voronezh Oblast, official claims.

Ukraine's intelligence agencies as well as Ukrainian partisan movements have previously been involved in sabotage attacks on Russian railways, disrupting the transport of military cargo toward the front line.

11:49 PM

(Updated: June 5, 2025 3:51 pm)

Putin tells new pope Kyiv seeks to escalate war, urges Vatican support for Moscow-linked church in Ukraine.

Russia wants the Vatican to "take a more active role" in advocating for what it described as freedom of religion in Ukraine, the Kremlin said in a statement on June 4 following recent diplomatic contacts.

3:42 PM

Slovak parliament urges government to oppose new Russia sanctions.

The non-binding resolution argues that the sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine have driven up energy prices, disrupted supply chains, and harmed Slovak industry.

2:45 PM

Russia plans to produce 2 million FPV drones in 2025, Ukrainian intelligence says.

The ramp-up marks a critical expansion of Moscow's drone warfare program, as both Ukraine and Russia increasingly rely on unmanned systems for reconnaissance and front-line attacks.

2:21 PM

Trump privately praises Ukraine's drone strike on Russian bombers as 'badass,' Axios reports.

While Trump has remained silent in public about the attack, he reportedly expressed enthusiasm behind closed doors.

8:49 AM

(Updated: June 5, 2025 1:08 pm)

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