Key developments on Nov. 6: * First major power outage reported in occupied Kherson * 34 children kidnapped from occupied village in Kherson Oblast * Russian proxy admits effectiveness of Ukrainian military's tactic in Donetsk Oblast * Russia fires 3 missile strikes, 3 airstrikes across Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 6 that
The war in Ukrainian skies is now as intense as the battles on the ground. It’s been weeks since Russia switched to an airstrike campaign against Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure. Cities plunged into darkness, but the Ukrainian Air Force says it is steadily adapting to the threat, intercepting
Key developments on Nov. 4: * Russia’s attacks kill 8, injure 14 in Donetsk Oblast. * Almost 500,000 households in Kyiv left without electricity. * Number of unemployed in Ukraine to reach 2.6 million by 2023, says Economy Ministry. * Russia drafts 318,000 men for its war against Ukraine, according
As Belarusians mourn The Night of the Executed Poets, the climax of the Stalinist repressions against intellectuals, state-sponsored repressions continue almost a century later. Moscow deploys ballistic missiles to Belarus, and Minsk opens two military command centers to train Russian troops as part of the countries’ joint military command force.
Key developments on Nov. 3: * Russian attacks on Donetsk, Kharkiv oblasts killed at least five civilians in the past day. * Ukraine returns 107 POWs from Russian captivity. * Zelensky says he won’t attend G20 summit if Putin does. * Ukraine repels 12 Russian attacks in Donetsk, Luhansk oblasts over the past
With its glut of resources and natural gas, cheap Russian energy has long been a lifeline for nations across the globe looking to give their citizens access to affordable fuel. But with the war in Ukraine breaking down relationships between Russia and the West, what will happen when the taps
Key developments on Nov. 2: * Putin says Russia will rejoin Black Sea deal, threatens to revoke it again if unspecified ‘guarantees’ violated * ‘Epicenter’ of fighting in Bakhmut and Soledar in Donetsk Oblast * 3-year-old boy wounded by Russian shelling in Kharkiv Oblast * Russia fires 12 airstrikes across Ukraine Russian President Vladimir
On Nov. 2, Russia announced it would continue its participation in the deal that allows grain shipments from Ukraine via the Black Sea, ending several days of turmoil when the vital deal was hanging by a thread. The grain exports crisis started with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which
The possibility of a renewed Russian invasion from Belarusian territory is once again in the news. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko announced on Oct. 10 the creation of a joint regional military command with Moscow. The Belarusian Defense Ministry followed with a statement that 9,000 Russian troops would be stationed
Key developments on Nov. 1: * Russian proxies in Kherson Oblast widen “evacuation” zone; Ukraine condemns it as forced deportation * Ukraine says Russia used phosphorus ammunition on Bakhmut * Intelligence reports suggest that Iran will send 1,000 weapons to Russia, including ballistic missiles; 200 drones may be delivered in early November
SVIATOHIRSK, Donetsk Oblast – For centuries, the gleaming whitewashed walls of the Sviatohirsk Dormition Lavra, peeking out of the hilly forest above the Siverskyi Donets River, attracted pilgrims from across the Eastern Orthodox world. Now, in an obscene imitation of a Jackson Pollock painting, they stand in many places splattered with
Moderated by Ryan Evans, CEO of the War on the Rocks, speakers discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine, why Russia failed to conquer Kyiv in three days, and what to expect from Moscow next.
Key developments on Oct. 31: * PM: Russia damages 18 ‘critical’ infrastructure sites in 10 regions across Ukraine * National police: 13 people injured during Monday rush-hour attack * Russian missile debris falls in Moldova, Russian diplomat expelled in response * 12 cargo ships leave Ukrainian ports despite Russian blockade Russia launched missile and
It took several months of Russia’s full-scale invasion to turn some of the most valuable assets of Ukraine’s richest man Rinat Akhmetov into a pile of dust, metal, and concrete. The tycoon's long list of painful business losses includes the Mariupol-based Azovstal steel plant, one of the largest
Editor's note: Ivan Tolchinsky visited Ukraine in October to speak at the IT Arena, Ukraine's major technology conference held at the Lviv National Opera on Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Despite the war, the event featured speakers from around the world, including Tolchinsky, US cybersecurity journalist Kim Zetter, Draganfly CEO Cameron Chell,
On Oct. 31, Russia launched a mass attack on Ukraine's energy system during Monday rush hour for the third time in the past month. Russia's aim – which its leadership publicly admits – is to hinder civilians' access to electricity and heat, potentially inflicting humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine. At around 8 a.
Turkey has begun negotiating with Moscow concerning resuming grain shipments from Ukrainian ports, according to the country's defense ministry. Bloomberg reported earlier that there were "still grounds for optimism" that progress towards a resumption of the shipments could be made.
Europe's largest technology conference, Web Summit, sparked a raft of criticism in Ukraine when it invited pro-Russian speakers to its event in Lisbon in November. Among Web Summit’s controversial invitees were Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate, journalists at The Grayzone, a far-left news website known for its misleading reporting
Key developments on Oct. 27: * Russia has launched over 4,500 missiles against Ukraine since February * Air Force says Russia runs out of missiles, changes war tactics * Russian Defense Minister claims mobilization in the country complete, over 80,000 soldiers already sent to Ukraine * Regular electricity supply to Kyiv likely
As Russia is escalating its war against Ukraine and using massive missile and drone strikes to destroy infrastructure, Kremlin propaganda is becoming even more bloodthirsty. The earlier disappointment of propagandists with repeated Russian defeats on the battlefield has been replaced with a feeling of schadenfreude. They are gloating over the
Concerns over a potential offensive from Belarus continue as covert mobilization, and the movement of Russian troops to Belarus continues. Russia launches Iranian-made drones from Belarusian territory, continuing Belarus' role as a co-belligerent in Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko's regime makes critical changes to Belarus' electoral
Editor's note: The names of the people interviewed by the Kyiv Independent for this story have been changed to protect their identity as they have shared sensitive information that could place them and their families in danger. When Russia's President Vladimir Putin announced partial mobilization, Ivan was desperate. Ivan, who
Key developments on Oct. 27: * Zelensky signs law to increase defense, security spending by $10.5 billion * Kyiv faces unprecedented power cuts following Russian attacks * Ukraine, Russia conduct 28 prisoner swap since February Russian dictator Vladimir Putin backed down on nuclear threats on Oct. 27, after repeatedly warning to use
Key developments: * Russia's recent attacks cause energy giant DTEK $40 million * General Staff says Russia has lost 480 troops in Ukraine in past 24 hours * Ukrainian military repel Russian attacks near 11 settlements * Belarus conscripts drivers, mechanics to help Russian army. Ukrainian authorities said on Oct. 26 they exhumed the
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Margaret Atwood, Canadian author of generation-defining dystopias “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “The Testaments,” is used to drawing her inspiration from history. Born in 1939, she based much of her fiction on true events of World War II
Eight months into the full-scale war, a scandal ripped through Ukraine’s defense industry. Two top executives of Ukraine’s most famous defense contractor, Motor Sich, were detained on Oct. 22 for allegedly collaborating with Russia. Motor Sich is a storied Ukrainian company, whose creation predates the Soviet Union. It
PERSHOTRAVNEVE, Kharkiv Oblast – Less than two kilometers from front-line positions on the border with Luhansk Oblast, silence is deceptive and never lasts long. In one moment, the scene in any given village in this gray zone can be described as almost peaceful, as children play on sunny streets and flocks
Key developments on Oct. 25: * Russia strikes Donetsk Oblast 15 times, killing 7 civilians, injuring 3 * Ukrainian forces repel Russian attacks near 10 settlements * UN reports 16,150 civilian casualties in Ukraine as a result of Russia’s war President Volodymyr Zelensky on Oct. 25 asked the world leaders at
On a cold day in March, Vitalii Pcholkin, who uses a wheelchair, lay under three blankets, unable to warm up. He and his wife Uliana, also confined to a wheelchair, had been sheltering in their apartment in then-occupied Bucha, a satellite town just northwest of Kyiv. Bucha was cut off
Using missiles and kamikaze drones, Russia has recently intensified attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, causing regular blackouts across the country. Since Oct. 10, Russia launched over 300 strikes on Ukraine's power stations, destroying around a third of the country’s energy-generating capacity. Russia openly admits that Ukraine's energy infrastructure is
Russia's been shelling civilian housing and infrastructure since the war escalated on Feb. 24 and has a body count in the thousands to show for it. But recently, Moscow prioritized attacking power plants throughout Ukraine, damaging more than a third with big missile and loitering munition attacks. Oleksandr Kharchenko, head
Anastasiia Buhera, a university student from Izium, hid inside her sofa when she heard the Russian soldiers approaching. She held her breath and froze in fear. On that day in May, ten Russian soldiers searched every room in Buhera and her parents’ home in then-occupied Izium, Kharkiv Oblast. As the
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