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What we know about Starobilsk strike Russia turned into propaganda flashpoint

When a Ukrainian strike hit Russian-occupied Starobilsk on May 22, Moscow seized on the attack almost instantly, with Russian officials claiming that 21 students of a local vocational college were killed and dozens more injured and portraying the strike as a deliberate attack on civilians — which Ukraine denied. The incident soon became a centerpiece of Russian state messaging, used to accuse Ukraine of terrorism, rally public outrage, and justify subsequent strikes on Kyiv on May 24 and June 2

Putin repeats maximalist war claims as battlefield reality shifts

Against the backdrop of Ukrainian drone strikes on St. Petersburg that sent plumes of smoke over the city, Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in a lengthy discussion at Russia's flagship economic forum. Both the setting and the battlefield situation have changed since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, but Putin's vision of the war appears largely unchanged. His rhetoric remained the same: Russia is advancing. Its goals remain the same. Any negotiations must happen on Moscow's t

Russian President Vladimir Putin in Astana, Kazakhstan, on May 29, 2026.

About Ukraine

The Kyiv Independent delivers reliable news, context, and on-the-ground reporting from Ukraine. The largest country located entirely in Europe, Ukrainian territory covers 603,628 square kilometers (233,062 square miles), and is bordered by seven countries, namely Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. Ukraine traces its history back to the medieval state of Kyivan Rus.

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