Editor’s note: Editorials are articles that present the opinion of the editorial team of the Kyiv Independent. In a world polluted with disinformation and manipulations, we all bear responsibility for the words we choose to use. Unfortunately, some global media and other actors have chosen to act irresponsibly when
Editor’s Note: This story includes interviews with people living under Russian occupation. Their full names are not disclosed to protect their identity as they have shared sensitive information that could place them and their families in danger. Every time Ukrainian engineer Yevhen wants to connect to the internet, he
Key developments on Sept. 28 * Moscow’s proxy leaders formally ask Putin to annex Ukraine’s occupied territories * U.S. to provide 18 more HIMARS to Ukraine * EU proposes fresh round of sanctions against Russia * Russia fires 2 missile strikes, 3 airstrikes across Ukraine After claiming a nearly 100% support
Warning: This story contains graphic images and descriptions that some readers may find disturbing. Scrolling through photos from the mass burial site in Izium, Oksana Sova immediately recognized her husband's bracelet on a corpse's wrist. "I immediately knew it was him," Sova, 37, told the Kyiv Independent. It was that
Key developments on Sept. 27 * Sham referendums end in Ukraine’s partially occupied regions * Moscow says all people under occupation want to join Russia * Ukraine liberated Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, Kharkiv Oblast * Russia fires 2 missile strikes, 6 airstrikes across Ukraine Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov confirmed on Sept. 27 that the Ukrainian
ORLIVSHCHYNA, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast – It doesn’t look like a typical camp for internally displaced persons. Once a place to unwind and enjoy nature, the Lisovyi resort located on the Samara River near Dnipro, a large city in south-central Ukraine, was turned into a shelter when Russia launched a full-scale invasion
Russian leaders declare nearly 100% of the people living in the occupied territories of Ukraine – Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson oblasts – voted to join Russia in sham referendums. The so-called vote at gunpoint has been declared null and void by all countries that commented on the issue.
Key developments on Sept. 26 * Sham votings continue in four Russian-occupied regions * Mobilization threats loom in areas occupied by Russia * Another torture chamber found in liberated Kharkiv Oblast * Russia fires 2 missile strikes, 4 airstrikes across Ukraine Five days into President Vladimir Putin's attempt to mobilize Russians to fight against
Ukraine’s successful counterattack in Kharkiv was important in many ways. The armed forces liberated a vast territory, inflicted serious damage to Russian formations there, and sent Russian morale plummeting, as Ukrainian spirit soared. But it also brought a big haul of Russian vehicles and weapon systems, which will make
Since its independence, Ukraine's diplomatic efforts have focused primarily on looking West. Meanwhile, Russia has set its sights all over the world. While the Euro-Atlantic world has been firm in its support of Ukraine, condemning Russia's all-out war, the African continent, home to 54 countries and 1.4 billion people,
Former prime minister and leader of the Batkivshchyna party (26 seats in parliament) Yulia Tymoshenko along with fellow lawmaker Hryhoriy Nemyria are suing the foreign ministry to return their diplomatic passports, the Kyiv Independent learned from court records. Both were stripped of their diplomatic passports over the summer for not
Key developments on Sept. 25 * Sham referendums on joining Russia continue in the occupied parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. * Media: Russia to ban military-age men from leaving the country starting Sept. 28 * Russia fires 4 missile strikes, 7 airstrikes across Ukraine * Zelensky: 2 more mass
KHARKIV – In the early hours of Sept. 6, Vitaliy Zubenko left his bed to grab a glass of water when he heard an explosion. He didn’t immediately realize that a fragment of a Russian missile hit the roof of his house. “It was an enormous explosion, very loud,” Zubenko
Key developments on Sept. 23 * Staged voting begins in occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as the Kremlin seeks to claim the invaded areas as parts of Russia * Police find 18 torture chambers in liberated Kharkiv Oblast. * 436 bodies exhumed at Izium’s mass burial site; 30 with traces
WARNING: This article contains very graphic scenes that readers may find disturbing. KOZACHA LOPAN, Kharkiv Oblast — Ten days have passed since his town was liberated from Russian troops, but Vitaliy Oliia is still afraid to leave his home at night. “I never go any further than the next house, that’
Key Developments on Sept. 22 * Russia attacks Zaporizhzhia’s telecommunication facility ahead of sham “referendums.” * Russia launches 4 missile strikes, 17 airstrikes against Ukraine. * Ukrainian forces continue inflicting logistical damages in occupied Kherson Oblast. Russia's hastily-planned sham "referendums" in occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine are set to start
The infamous “Rotterdam plus” case is being reopened by Ukraine’s new top anti-corruption prosecutor. The case’s closure was “illegal and unfounded,” according to Oleksandr Klymenko, the new head of the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), appointed in July after the position was vacant for nearly two years.
What does it mean to be a citizen of a country whose enemies claim has no right to exist? How does it feel to live in a battleground, where fighting for your country is part of the national psyche? What does it mean to be Ukrainian in 2022? In the
MYKOLAIV – The bunker under the Mykolaiv academic theater was packed, with the last preparations well underway for an evening show 30 kilometers west of the front line. It was a special night. The theater's first film festival since February was about to begin in early August despite yet another night
Citing the National Guard's Azov regiment, Suspilne media outlet reported on Sept. 21 that the prisoner exchange took place in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv Oblast. It is not clear how many POWs were returned to Ukraine.
Latest developments on Sept. 21 * Putin declares ‘partial mobilization’ in Russia * Shoigu says 300,000 reservists to be drafted * Russia launches 5 missile strikes, 11 airstrikes across Ukraine * 338 bodies exhumed so far at Izium’s mass burial site Ukraine and its Western allies played down Moscow’s mobilization announcement,
Since launching the full-scale war against Ukraine, hardliners became the backbone of Vladimir Putin's regime. Russian officials, propagandists, and "military experts" have all been actively promoting Russia's land grab. Yet, the Kremlin's defeat in Kharkiv Oblast turned Russia's pro-war camp against its leader. Now, it looks like the Russian president
Humiliated on the battlefield, the Kremlin now wants to quickly annex occupied Ukrainian territories and add them to the Russian Federation. Russian proxies in the occupied parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts have announced that between Sept. 23 and 27, they will rush sham “referendums” on these areas
In a video address on Sept. 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a partial mobilization. It will primarily target the Russian Armed Forces’ reserve personnel. “Mobilization measures will begin today,” Putin said.
Key developments on Sept. 20 * Moscow’s proxies in the occupied territories of four Ukrainian regions say they will hold “referendums” to join Russia on Sept. 23-27. * Russia launches 7 missile strikes, 20 airstrikes across Ukraine * Erdogan alleges Putin willing to end the war in Ukraine * Moscow’s missile strike
Ukraine’s successful counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast has changed how the world thinks about the war, according to U.S. Lieutenant General (Ret.) Ben Hodges. Hodges, who served as commander of U.S. Army Europe from 2014-2017 and has helped train Ukrainian soldiers, said the operation ended “the mythology of
Key developments on Sept. 19 * Russian missile strike hits nuclear plant in Mykolaiv Oblast * Governor says Ukraine recaptured a village in occupied Luhansk Oblast * 146 bodies exhumed so far at Izium’s mass burial site Ukraine appears to have made a breakthrough in occupied Luhansk Oblast. While Russia still controls
Key developments on Sept. 18 * Ukraine identifies some of the bodies found at Izium’s mass burial site * The exhumation process in Izium to continue for nearly 2 more weeks * Russia bombards several regions across Ukraine * Fighting rages on in Donetsk and Kherson oblasts Some of the bodies exhumed from
BALAKLIIA, Kharkiv Oblast — In the early morning on Sept. 6, Alla Nikulina, an exiled school principal from the village of Verbivka, got a sudden and emotional phone call. “It’s happening,” Nikulina’s colleague was saying with her voice trembling. “Our boys are coming.” The Ukrainian military suddenly launched a
IZIUM, Kharkiv Oblast – Six months into the occupation of Izium in Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces announced a mysterious strict 24-hour curfew on Sept. 8. Roman, a bread vendor at the local market who declined to give his last name, drove north the following morning on an errand in defiance of
Estonia has shown unwavering support for Ukraine ever since Russian forces started their all-out invasion in February. And this support has not faltered. Estonia has provided Ukraine with defense assistance worth about 250 million euros – the equivalent of one-third of Estonia's annual defense budget and nearly 1% of its GDP.
Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported on Sept. 17 that two civilians were killed in the cities of Bakhmut and Sviatohirsk within the last 24 hours, while 11 others were wounded.
