Russia-Ukraine War

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Ivan Mazepa — Ukraine's hero, Russia's devil

'From Bohdan Khmelnytsky to Ivan Mazepa, there were no hetmans.' This old, hyperbolic Ukrainian saying shows just how large Mazepa looms in the region's history. A man of many worlds, the Orthodox nobleman born near Kyiv climbed from the Polish royal court and studies in Western Europe to become hetman — a military and political leader of the Ukrainian Cossack Hetmanate, a state that once spanned much of central and eastern Ukraine — and a trusted ally of Russian Tsar Peter I. When he ultimat

Why Ukraine can’t stop Russia’s ballistic missiles

Russia’s ballistic missile attacks are hitting Ukraine’s cities harder than ever, with July 2026 seeing the highest number of civilians killed or injured in Ukraine in a single month since March 2022. As Russia ramps up its use of ballistic missiles, Ukraine is struggling to defend its cities from attacks far beyond the front line. The U.S.-made Patriot remains Ukraine’s most effective defense against ballistic missiles, but there are not enough interceptors to protect the country from Russia’s

About War

The Kyiv Independent's coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, after eight years of aggression against Ukraine that began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and fighting in Donbas. The war has resulted in tens of thousands of military and civilian casualties and displaced millions of Ukrainians. NATO and Western allies have provided military aid to Ukraine while the conflict continues across fronts in Ukraine’s south and east.

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