Parliament dissolves pro-Russian Opposition Platform faction following Security Council ban.

by The Kyiv Independent news desk April 14, 2022 8:27 PM 1 min read

This audio is created with AI assistance

The parliamentary faction of the Opposition Platform - For Life party, which included 44 lawmakers before Feb. 24, was dissolved. Lawmakers from Ukraine's main pro-Russian party will keep their mandate. On March 19, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree banning all pro-Kremlin political projects, including the Opposition Platform.

The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.Read more

News Feed

7:27 PM

Russian attacks on Kyiv 'undermine peace efforts,' Sybiha says.

"Russia's systematic and deliberate terror against civilians contradicts its own statements about peace and undermines peace efforts by the US and other partners," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.

6:47 PM

US, Ukrainian delegations hold 'technical' talks in Saudi Arabia to discuss partial ceasefire.

The meeting with a technical team comes a day before the U.S. plans to hold separate meetings with Ukrainian and Russian delegates on March 24

6:07 PM

Witkoff trashes Starmer's Ukraine peacekeeping plan.

Witkoff has also praised Vladimir Putin as being gracious, adding that he doesn’t regard the Russian president and war criminal as a "bad guy."

1:34 AM

(Updated: March 23, 2025 5:23 pm)

Kyiv hit by massive Russian drone strike, 3 dead including a 5-year-old girl and her father.

The attacks hit multiple high-rise apartment buildings in the city, causing fires and evacuations. At least two people were killed, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported.

4:36 PM

Ukrainian Air Force strike 'completely destroys' Russian troop position in Toretsk.

Among the casualties were airborne assault groups and drone operators.

3:22 PM

Ukraine's 3rd Assault Brigade liberates village of Nadiya in Luhansk Oblast, releases video of operation.

Several dead Russian soldiers are shown in the video, although the Brigade did not confirm the number of fatalities and casualties.

2:29 PM

Trump believes Ukraine war ceasefire could be agreed by Easter, Bloomberg reports.

The White House still believes it could achieve a truce by Easter, a symbolic date as both Western and Orthodox celebrations overlap this year, although it's prepared for a delay given the current impasse, sources told Bloomberg.

6:50 PM

(Updated: March 23, 2025 12:55 pm)

War analysis

'No high expectations' — Ukrainian officials skeptical about upcoming Riyadh talks

12:55 PM

Starmer says he faced pressure from US to criticize Zelensky after Oval Office clash with Trump, NYT reports.

"We were under pressure to come out very critically with, you know, flowery adjectives to describe how others felt,” Starmer told the New York Times.

12:01 PM

Trump says efforts to end Ukraine war 'somewhat under control' just hours before deadly Russian drone strike on Kyiv.

"I don't think there's anybody in the world that's going to stop (Putin) except me," Trump said shortly before three people were killed in Kyiv by Russian drones.

11:33 AM

Ukrainian Railways website down due to 'technical failure'.

Customers are currently unable to buy tickets via the website or the app, but they can still be purchased at ticket offices.

10:24 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 903,480 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022.

The number includes 1,470 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

7:00 AM

Italy suspends Starlink purchase negotiations with SpaceX amid Musk controversy.

"It seems to me that everything has stopped ... the topic has moved from Starlink to the statements of and about the person," Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said.

6:05 AM

China considering joining Ukraine peacekeeping mission, Die Welt reports.

"The inclusion of China in a 'coalition of the willing' could potentially increase Russia's acceptance of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine," an unnamed EU diplomatic source reportedly told Die Welt.

5:43 AM

Ukraine to meet with US team 1 day ahead of US-Russia talks.

A U.S. technical team will meet with the Ukrainian delegation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 23, a day before the U.S. plans to mediate "indirect talks" with Ukraine and Russia.

5:04 AM

Zelensky visits front-line troops, holds meeting in Kharkiv Oblast amid fears of renewed Russian offensive.

President Volodymyr Zelensky visited front-line troops and held a military command meeting in Kharkiv Oblast on March 22, as Ukraine prepares for a meeting with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia on March 23.

3:21 AM

Netherlands allocates over $70 million towards Ukrainian energy security.

"A stable energy supply is a condition for the functioning of the economy, critical infrastructure, social and other spheres of life in Ukraine," Deputy Energy Minister Roman Andarak said on March 22.

1:52 AM

Czechia willing to contribute troops for peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, Pavel says.

"If there is a strong group of European nations willing to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, my strong conviction is that (the) Czech Republic should be among them," Czech President Petr Pavel said on March 22.

10:45 PM

Russia aims to make 'some progress' during upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia.

Russian senator Grigory Karasin, who will lead Moscow’s delegation, told local Zvezda TV that he and FSB advisor Sergey Beseda would enter the negotiations with a "combative and constructive" approach.

11:39 PM

(Updated: March 22, 2025 10:33 pm)

Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia kills 3, injures 16.

Russia attacked the city of Zaporizhzhia on the evening of March 21, killing three people, regional governor Ivan Fedorov reported. The rescue operation concluded at around 1:00 a.m. local time.

9:20 PM

Russia uses propaganda narratives to undermine peace talks, shift blame to Ukraine, ISW says.

The Kremlin has revived familiar narratives portraying Ukraine as the aggressor and acting under Western influence, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

7:46 PM

Russia blames ‘unfriendly state’ for 2024 Crocus Hall terrorist attack.

Svetlana Petrenko, a representative of the Russian Investigative Committee, claimed the attack aimed to "destabilize the situation in Russia."

6:03 PM

Putin's new decree part of plan to forcibly Russify Ukrainians, UK intelligence says.

The decree mandated that Ukrainian citizens "illegally" staying in Russia must obtain Russian documents of leave before Sept. 10. The intelligence added that Russia "erroneously and illegally" defines both occupied and unoccupied Ukrainian territory in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as Crimea, as part of Russia.

5:02 PM

Trump & Russia

'They are Russian-speaking, and there have been referendums,' — Witkoff parrots Russian propaganda, legitimizing Putin's claims in Ukraine

2:13 PM

Voice of America journalists sue Trump administration following president's order to gut free press.

The lawsuit comes after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to stop funding for U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

MORE NEWS