“Did the War End?” is the Kyiv Independent’s podcast that brings together three young Ukrainians exploring what it means to be a nation at war, speaking with experts and everyday Ukrainians to help them answer pressing questions. (Illustration: Karolina Gulshani)
Azovstal, a steel plant in now Russian-occupied Mariupol, has become a symbol of Ukraine’s fierce resistance to the Russian invasion. Thousands of Ukrainian fighters defended the plant with little to no resources, refusing to surrender for nearly three months.
In this episode of our podcast “Did the War End?” we hear from John Spencer, a leading expert in urban warfare studies, about what it took for Ukrainian soldiers to defend the plant, despite being drastically outnumbered. We also talk to two family members of Azovstal defenders who are now in Russian captivity about what life was like at the besieged plant.
By infiltrating Ukrainian positions in small infantry groups, Russia has accumulated around 200 troops within Pokrovsk, the General Staff reported. These personnel are engaging in "intense" small arms and drone clashes with Ukrainian troops in the city.
"Contraband" balloons launched from Belarus have disrupted air traffic four times in the last week. Lithuania has closed border crossings with Belarus for "an indefinite period" in response.
"We bring people together to learn... to educate themselves and to use their voices to speak to their elected officials to support Ukraine," Marianna Tretiak, Chair of the American Coalition for Ukraine (ACU) Board, told the Kyiv Independent.
While Ukraine also lacks Western-supplied weapons, soldiers and commanders say shortages of basics — cars, drones and people — make holding back Russia extremely difficult. Even as Kyiv seeks U.S. approval for Tomahawks, they say critical, rudimentary gear is the more pressing need.
Russia faces an increase in the arson and “spontaneous combustion” of electrical panels, railway relay cabinets, and other infrastructure helping Moscow wage its war against Ukraine over the past week, a source at Ukraine’s military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent.
The episode covers Russian war crimes in Pokrovsk and continued attacks on Ukrainian cities, including missile strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv. While Moscow continues to reject a ceasefire with Ukraine, has President Trump finally shifted his approach to Russia?
Ukrainian forces liberated two villages in eastern Donetsk Oblast about 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of embattled Pokrovsk, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on Oct. 26.
At least nine civilians were killed and 44 others injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day, regional authorities reported on Oct. 26.
