Russia-Ukraine War

Juozas Olekas, Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament in Zagreb, Croatia, on March 25, 2026.
War

What the West doesn't understand about Russia, from a Lithuanian who knows

by Tania Myronyshena

Lithuania's parliamentary speaker Juozas Olekas said peace with Russia can be secured only from a position of strength and warned that unless Moscow is stopped in Ukraine, it will continue its aggression deeper into Europe. Olekas, a surgeon by training and a longtime figure in Lithuanian politics, has twice served as defense minister and health minister and now serves as speaker of the Seimas. He said Lithuania's approach to security is shaped by its history of Soviet occupation and by a belie

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Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian deep strikes hit over 70 Russian industrial targets, including oil and gas sites, in March, Syrskyi says

Key developments on April 15: * Ukrainian deep strikes hit over 70 Russian industrial targets, including oil and gas sites, in March, Syrskyi says * UK pledges to send record number of drones to Ukraine by end of 2026 * 'It couldn't be any worse' — Zelensky sounds alarm on Patriot air defense missile shortage * Russia warns Europe over drone support for Ukraine, calls it escalation Ukrainian forces struck 76 Russian industrial targets in March using long-range weapons, Ukraine's Commander

EU renews vows to kick Russian steel addiction, buy Ukrainian

EU lawmakers provisionally agreed on new safeguards for EU steelmakers with key provisions in place to ensure the eventual phase-out of Russian steel imports and Ukraine's continued access to the EU market in a late-night meeting in Brussels held on April 13. As of July 2026, the EU is expected to limit steel imports to 18.3 million tonnes per year, a 47% reduction on what is currently allowed. This is intended to protect Europe's steel industry from a glut on the world market. Imports made abo

Moscow walks away with billions as Trump's Russian oil waiver expires

U.S. sanctions on Russian oil have resumed after the Trump administration allowed a temporary waiver on certain sales to expire on April 11, the Kyiv Independent has learned, ending a short-lived effort to stabilize markets during Washington's war against Iran. The waiver, introduced in March, came as the U.S. sought to increase available supply after the war rattled energy markets. The decision has drawn bipartisan criticism in Washington, particularly as Russia has supported Iran in the war

The banality of Putin

Igor Bagnyuk, a lieutenant colonel in the Russian army, is not a household name. His work, at the vapidly named Main Computation Center of the General Staff, does not involve pulling triggers or torturing prisoners, only programming the flight paths of cruise missiles that, hours later, strike hospitals, schools, or apartment blocks in Ukraine. By all accounts, Bagnyuk is good at his job. Russia's president has awarded him a medal. As children across Europe and America spent Easter Monday hun

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