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Russia-Ukraine War

A Ukrainian serviceman of the Khartiia Brigade at a command post near Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on April 1, 2026.
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How Ukraine defends Kupiansk from Russian troops crawling through pipes

by Asami Terajima

KHARKIV OBLAST — The longest a Russian soldier can hope to survive for after emerging from the underground pipeline is, according to those hunting them, one single hour. "But it's usually 10 minutes, and that's it," "Tovsty," chief sergeant of a company in Ukraine's Khartiia Brigade, says at a command post in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast. Tovsty is watching live drone footage showing a scene which has been repeating itself over and over again for months now — Russian soldiers emerging from disu

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Thursday, May 28

Ukraine's path to EU runs through this small Hungarian community in Carpathians

Soon after taking office, Hungary's Prime Minister Peter Magyar appeared ready to normalize bilateral relations with Ukraine. Soon, however, the newly elected prime minister played his predecessor's tune, declaring that the Hungarian minority in Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast "lacks basic rights," and complaining that its linguistic and cultural freedoms are being curtailed. Magyar signaled he would obstruct the launch of Ukraine's formal EU accession talks until the issue is resolved — potentia

Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar during an interview in Vienna, Austria, on May 21, 2026.

Ukraine war latest: Russia bolsters Moscow air defense as drone threat increases

Key developments on May 28: * Russia deploys new Pantsir systems on Moscow rooftops as Ukrainian drone threat grows * 3 Russian shadow fleet tankers attacked by drones near Turkey's Black Sea coast * Sweden announces 16 Gripens for Ukraine * Ukraine strikes Tuapse oil refinery again, General Staff vows 'systematic' strikes on Russia's military-industrial targets * Norway opens talks on joining French nuclear deterrence initiative Russia appears to have begun deploying new Pantsir-SMD-

What can we pencil-pushers do for Ukraine?

By the time our papers are done, the sun is up, and birds are chirping. Crossing the border to Ukraine with six cars has taken all night. During the coming weeks, mechanics will remodel the 4x4s for the front, and volunteers will repack boxes in line with hospital and front-unit needs. To me, as a Swede, one group of professionals is conspicuously absent on the volunteer side of this operation — administrators. This makes me uneasy. Who will dot the i's and cross the t's? Who will file the rep

About War

The Kyiv Independent's coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, after eight years of aggression against Ukraine that began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and fighting in Donbas. The war has resulted in tens of thousands of military and civilian casualties and displaced millions of Ukrainians. NATO and Western allies have provided military aid to Ukraine while the conflict continues across fronts in Ukraine’s south and east.

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