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Russian President Vladimir Putin, during the Russia-ASEAN Summit in Kazan, Russia, on June 18, 2026.
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A predetermined vote in an increasingly unpredictable Russia

by Karol Luczka

In Russia, where elections offer little real uncertainty, the Kremlin still stages the ritual of competition — a carefully managed exercise designed not to choose leaders but to reinforce President Vladimir Putin's claim to legitimacy. With the upcoming parliamentary elections set for Sept. 20, the first since the start of the all-out war against Ukraine, the Kremlin's political wing is tasked with a risky endeavour — mustering up high numbers for Putin's United Russia party in a country stuck

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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine brings home 160 POWs in new exchange with Russia

* Ukraine brings home 160 POWs in new exchange with Russia; * EU to restrict protections for Ukrainian men, says it's at Kyiv's request; * Russian-installed authorities in occupied Crimea announce state of emergency amid intensified Ukrainian drone attacks; * Ukraine says it struck Russian military supply vessels, air defense systems in occupied Crimea. A total of 160 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) were released in the latest major exchange with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said

Keep up the pace of Ukraine's EU accession

The European Union and Ukraine held their second intergovernmental conference and opened the first cluster of accession talks, known as "Fundamentals", in Luxembourg on June 15. The name seems mundane, but the substance is anything but. This cluster is the spine of the whole process. It covers the rule of law, democratic institutions, public administration, and economic criteria, and contains five negotiation chapters: judiciary and fundamental rights; justice, freedom, and security; public pro

President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Berlaymont, the European Commission headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, on Aug. 17, 2025.

Burning tradition — How Mykhail Semenko ignited a new path forward for Ukrainian poetry

Editor's Note: This story is part of the "Hidden Canon"  – a special series celebrating Ukrainian classic literature and aiming to bring it to a wider international audience. The series is supported by the Ukrainian Institute. Literary giants are typically regarded with an almost sacred reverence. For the 20th Ukrainian poet Mykhail Semenko, however, reverence was overrated. He was prepared to set tradition ablaze — literally — to clear the way for a new artistic future. “I want to tell you th

About Russia

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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Ukraine turns to strangling Russian logistics in Crimea — and it's working

Ukraine turns to strangling Russian logistics in Crimea — and it's working

Ukraine's siege of Crimea has been a long time coming. Crimea is under an effective siege as Ukraine has been systematically isolating the occupied peninsula with a multipronged campaign of drone strikes. "Hell is beginning," Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said in a June 17 interview. "Logistics are being cut off. Crimea is being isolated." Ukraine plans to fully isolate the peninsula, cutting it off from Russian supply while destroying critical infrastructure — ultimately allowi

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