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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses the nation in a state television broadcast in Tehran, Iran, on June 18, 2025.
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As Iran erupts, Washington threatens, and Moscow watches in silence

by Oleg Sukhov

Over the past several years, Iran has witnessed a number of popular uprisings, varying in both scale and demands. The ongoing mass protest movement that swept across the country in the closing days of 2025, however, is seen as the one that may actually topple the country’s autocratic regime. The Jan. 8 demonstrations in Iran were the largest in years and more violent than many previous protests. A number of buildings were set ablaze, while protesters have been clear in their demands — "Death t

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The Ukrainian war cemetery that can't stop growing

At the cemetery historically known as the Field of Mars, a sea of flags snap and ripple in the wind, and names appear faster than the city can make space for them. Photographer Anastasiia Smolienko, who returns here several times a month, says, “This is a place where you immediately see the price of this war, of Ukraine’s resistance.” Despite the heavy weight of the loss it represents, the cemetery is also a measure of dignity for many of Lviv’s local residents. Smolienko describes how farewel

Ukraine war latest live: 70 Russian soldiers 'destroyed' during assault near Kharkiv, Khartiia claims in new video

This is Chris York reporting from Kyiv on day 1,422 of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story so far: A large group of Russian soldiers crossing snowy ground north of Kharkiv was obliterated by drones, artillery and infantry, Ukraine's Khartiia Brigade said on Jan. 15, killing around 70 of them. The Khartiia Brigade repelled an attempted assault by the Russian Federation and destroyed about 70 Russian occupiers," the unit said in a post on YouTube. "For a week, Russian oc

As Russia tries to freeze Ukrainians to submission, families try everything to stay warm

Pechersk is a leafy, affluent neighborhood in central Kyiv. Its prerevolutionary buildings are tucked away from the main roads, surrounded by quiet courtyards and trees. In peacetime, it's where many Ukrainians dreamed of living. Now, in the fourth winter of the war, it's 3 degrees celsius (37 degrees Fahrenheit) inside some apartments without additional heating, and the temperature continues to drop. Thick brick walls once insulated the well-off residents from the city's noise — now they make

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The Kyiv Independent’s coverage of news on Russia. Spanning eleven time zones across Eastern Europe and Asia, Russia has an estimated population of 146 million people. Russia’s capital city is Moscow, which is home to almost one in 10 Russians. Russia’s official currency is the Russian Ruble.

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