Explosions reported in Russian city of Engels

A child in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district was injured during a mass Russian attack on the capital on Nov. 29, local authorities reported. Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground said they heard explosions and saw drones as authorities warned of a combined drone and missile strike.

Orban reiterated his readiness to hold the peace talks on Ukraine in Hungary, even as plans for a summit in Budapest between Putin and Trump have been scrapped.

Vasyl Verameichyk, a Belarusian soldier who volunteered to fight for Ukraine, was sentenced to 13 years in prison in Belarus, independent outlet Belsat reported on Nov. 28.

Andriy Yermak, head of the President's Office, submitted his resignation following searches by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) at his premises earlier on Nov. 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced.

As Russia bombards Ukraine with Shahed drones almost every night, the 12th Army Aviation Brigade takes to the skies in decades-old helicopters to intercept them. The Kyiv Independent’s Kollen Post joined the pilots to understand how they fly, maneuver, and shoot down drones in darkness — and what keeps them going.

As law enforcement raids the house of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s closest aide, European officials are voicing support for Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies — with one even expressing relief that a figure seen a toxic among some in Europe is being investigated.

In a letter, sent on Nov. 27 and seen by the Kyiv Independent, Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever labelled the EU's "reparations loan" scheme as "fundamentally wrong," and argued that moving forward on the initiative could complicate an eventual peace deal.

The statement comes as U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Moscow for meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week.

Residents in several Russian cities and in occupied Crimea reported hearing explosions overnight on Nov. 28.