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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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Thursday, January 8

Ukraine war latest: Putin spent Orthodox Christmas at military base church, independent Russian media says

Hello, this is Asami Terajima reporting from Kyiv on day 1,414 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: Editor's note: The top story was corrected to say that Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to attend an Orthodox Christmas service at a military base church, replacing the earlier version that stated he marked Orthodox Christmas there. Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have attended an Orthodox Christmas service at a church in a military base, the Russi

Ukraine's controversial chief prosecutor keeps his job despite government reshuffle

Amid a major government reshuffle that saw ministers trade portfolios and several senior security officials change posts in recent days, one notable absence stood out. Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, long criticized as ineffective and subservient to the president, has seemingly kept his job. In mid-December, Kravchenko publicly threatened to go after his opponents who demanded his resignation. "I know everyone who is now working against me and against the Prosecutor General's Office as

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko holds a briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 23, 2025.

3 glaring issues with the UK-France peacekeeper troops plan for Ukraine

In a grandly-staged, and much publicized meeting on Jan. 6, Ukraine and its Western allies celebrated a deal that would pave the way for French and British peacekeeping troops to deploy in Ukraine — once the war is over, of course. French President Emmanuel Macron said "considerable progress" had been made. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said work on agreeing security protocols was "largely finished." And President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was a "huge step forward." But there were several

President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Macron, and British Prime Minister Starmer in Paris, France, on Jan. 6, 2026

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'Embarrassing' — We asked 3 experts why Venezuela's Russian-supplied air defenses were AWOL

A fire burns at Fuerte Tiuna, after a series of explosions in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 3, 2026.

Of all the images that emerged from the U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3, one of the most surreal was the sight of a fleet of American helicopters flying unchallenged over the skies of Caracas. Video from Caracas, Venezuela shows U.S. military helicopters, including CH-47 Chinook and V-22 Osprey aircraft, operating over Caracas alongside multiple explosions. The cause and context of the blasts remain unconfirmed. pic.twitter.com/owOx9X7DPP — George

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