Europe

Ukrainian soldiers prepare an "Evanger" UAV for launch in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on Sept. 24, 2025.
Europe

How Ukraine's strikes inside Russia became a headache for its NATO allies

by Tim Zadorozhnyy

As Ukraine expands its long-range drone campaign deep inside Russia, Moscow appears to have found a way to turn some of those attacks into a problem for Kyiv. Russia has begun jamming Ukrainian drones and redirecting them toward neighboring NATO countries, particularly the Baltic states and Finland, creating a growing security and political challenge for some of Ukraine's closest allies. Several Baltic officials and public figures who spoke to the Kyiv Independent warned that if the incidents

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Exclusive: Zelensky sends Trump urgent letter warning of Ukraine's critical missile defense shortages

President Volodymyr Zelensky sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump warning about Ukraine's worsening shortage of air defense systems, particularly anti-ballistic missile capabilities, the Kyiv Independent has learned. The appeal comes as Russia intensifies mass aerial attacks on Ukraine and publicly threatens a new wave of long-range strikes on Kyiv, including attacks on what Moscow described as Ukraine's "decision-making centers." "When it comes to air defense against missiles, we rely

How Ukraine defends Kupiansk from Russian troops crawling through pipes

KHARKIV OBLAST — The longest a Russian soldier can hope to survive for after emerging from the underground pipeline is, according to those hunting them, one single hour. "But it's usually 10 minutes, and that's it," "Tovsty," chief sergeant of a company in Ukraine's Khartiia Brigade, says at a command post in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast. Tovsty is watching live drone footage showing a scene which has been repeating itself over and over again for months now — Russian soldiers emerging from disu

A Ukrainian serviceman of the Khartiia Brigade at a command post near Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on April 1, 2026.
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