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Russia-Ukraine War

2025 in 25 stories from the Kyiv Independent
War

2025 in 25 stories from the Kyiv Independent

by The Kyiv Independent

From the rollercoaster of U.S. President Donald Trump's foreign policy to continued Russian attacks on the front line and hundreds of miles beyond, 2025 has been a hell of a year for Ukraine. As we enter 2026, here are 25 articles that reflected the year, and that our audience loved reading as much as we felt compelled to write. As Russian losses in Ukraine mount, Putin faces 'devastating' demographic timebomb News operations editor Chris York reported on how Russia's losses in Ukraine has h

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'Medieval raids' — fear, uncertainty in Ukraine's Sumy Oblast border region

As Ukraine’s future is debated in distant conference rooms and Ukrainians prepare to mark another wartime Christmas, dozens of residents of a small border village in Sumy Oblast have vanished across the Russian border — taken by force from their homes, with no idea about what awaits them next. On Dec. 20, at least 52 civilians were deported from the village of Hrabovske, located just 200 meters from Russia’s border, after Russian troops detained them two days earlier. "These were civilians, Uk

A Ukrainian army soldier drives a buggy in a frontline area of Sumy Oblast, Ukraine on June 28, 2025.

What's holding up Ukraine-US peace plan: Territories, nuclear plant remain unresolved

As President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled details of a U.S.-Ukraine draft peace plan on Dec. 24, aimed at ending Russia's full-scale war, two key provisions remain unresolved. The disagreements center on provisions 12 and 14 of the 20-point proposal. Both deal with issues Kyiv calls existential: territories and the future of critical infrastructure. The Kyiv Independent breaks down where negotiations are stalling and what Ukraine is offering instead. Zelensky reveals full 20-point peace plan d

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Zelensky reveals full 20-point peace plan draft backed by Ukraine, US

Zelensky reveals full 20-point peace plan draft backed by Ukraine, US

After weeks of talks, Ukraine and the U.S. have prepared a draft of the revised peace plan to end Russia’s full-scale war. The initial 28-point plan, which effectively pushed Ukraine toward capitulation, has been reworked into a 20-point framework, which President Volodymyr Zelensky presented to journalists on Dec. 23 for the first time. In addition, a three-party security guarantee draft between Ukraine, the U.S., and Europe has been developed, as well as a bilateral security guarantee agreem

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