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Forensic medical expert Inga Gerbst in Kharkiv, Ukraine on Jan. 22, 2026.
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As Ukraine war deaths mount, Kharkiv morgue strains to identify the truth

by Asami Terajima

KHARKIV, KHARKIV OBLAST — A blonde-haired woman walks through a slim pathway between corpses lying against walls and autopsy tables inside Ukraine's oldest morgue. The main autopsy room, connected with two additional rooms and equipped with an elevator to lift the corpses from the basement, is busy with forensic experts like her going through three bodies on the table. One belongs to a Ukrainian soldier, while the other two are civilians — an elderly lady and a middle-aged man. "It's most lik

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Explainer: Who is the main suspect in murder of ex-top official Portnov, and what was the motive?

Andriy Portnov, a former Ukrainian top official, was gunned down in Madrid on May 21, 2025. The Spanish police reported on Feb. 25, 2026, that a suspect in Portnov's murder had been arrested in the German town of Heinsberg. The motives of the killing, however, remain unknown. The detained suspect is linked to both Ukraine and Russia, according to an investigation by the Ukrainska Pravda media outlet published on Feb. 27. The suspect's profile doesn't contradict the two main alleged motives —

The screenshot shows Andriy Portnov, during a program on the Ukraine TV channel in October 2019.

We've overestimated Russia for too long

The recent anniversary of Russia's expanded invasion, which is now stretching into its fifth year, is as good a time as any to take stock of the state of the war itself. For Ukraine, the fighting remains existential, and it is Ukrainians themselves who continue to suffer and to sacrifice not just on behalf of their own defense, but on behalf of broader stability in Europe. Somehow, though, many Western partners still fail to see one clear fact: that it is Russia, and not Ukraine, who has suffer

Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, on Feb. 5, 2026.

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky sees 'window for peace' as Fedorov pushes Defense Ministry shake-up

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Is Donbas key to ending Ukraine-Russia war?

As peace talks continue and the U.S. pushes for compromise, one proposal keeps returning: Ukraine should withdraw from the remainder of Ukrainian-controlled Donetsk Oblast to end the war. The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell explains why the Battle of Donbas remains at the center of the peace process.

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