The number of Russian rockets hitting Ukraine from Belarus substantially increased after Belarusian autocrat Alexander Lukashenko “congratulated” Ukraine on its Independence Day. Meanwhile, Belarusian aircraft had been re-equipped to carry Russian nuclear weapons, while the newly created Belarusian territorial defense held exercises in Minsk. Lukashenko expressed regret that the Belarus
Despite obstruction from Moscow, the UN-led International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission finally reached the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on Sept. 1. As the IAEA team of 14 experts headed through the battlefield to Europe’s largest nuclear plant, Russian forces began shelling the occupied city of Enerhodar and
It's the first day of school. Even as fierce battles raged in the east and south of Ukraine, many Ukrainian children returned to classrooms for the first time since their offline education was disrupted by the full-scale war. While Education Minister Serhiy Shkarlet said nearly 3 million school-aged children were
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. After visiting the war-torn areas near Kyiv, British barrister Sir Geoffrey Nice said he was disappointed with one Ukrainian decision. Even as Ukraine focuses its main efforts on defending itself, it shouldn’t be relying on its international
Join our community Support Ukraine's independent journalism in its darkest hour Support us Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is already going down in history as the biggest tank slaughter Europe has seen since World War II. The Kremlin’s reckless and unsuccessful blitzkrieg on Kyiv resulted in the loss
Ukrainian forces continue to target Russian strategic positions in Kherson Oblast amid a new ongoing southern counteroffensive that could be a major turning point in the war. As the war enters a new phase, the Kremlin’s troops are continuing their onslaught in the eastern Donetsk Oblast, while signs of
As Igor Martiniouk, 20, looked around the Soyuzivka Ukrainian Heritage Center in Upstate New York, the Catskill Mountains and lush green forests reminded him of the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains. This was just as the center’s founders had intended. From the choice of location in mountainous Kerhonkson, New York, to
Fighting rages in Kherson Oblast as Ukraine’s military begins an offensive aimed at retaking territory captured by Russia in the early days of the full-scale war. But as more reports of the unfolding counteroffensive in the south appear, Russia intensifies its attacks on a number of Ukrainian cities, including
As signs that Ukraine had launched its long-awaited counteroffensive to liberate Russian-occupied Kherson began to emerge on Aug. 29, the Ukrainian government once again called on the remaining residents in occupied Kherson Oblast to evacuate. The Ukrainian military launched its counteroffensive in “many directions” in the south, Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson
Many Ukrainian schools will be reopening on Sept. 1 for the first time since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The whole idea of children going back to school sounded surreal in the early stages of the war. Education was abruptly disrupted and children who had access to the
Ukraine’s Armed Forces have launched an offensive “in many directions in the south of Ukraine,” Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Operational Command South, said on Aug. 29. Humeniuk said that the situation in the southern direction remains “quite tense, but controlled by Ukrainian forces,” adding that after some
As Russian forces continue to bombard Donetsk Oblast in an attempt to capture and destroy the region, Ukrainian authorities are forcing the remaining civilians to evacuate. The city of Toretsk, with a pre-war population of 70,000, has been at the war's front since 2014. Located only 10 kilometers from
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has relied on foreign partners when it comes to space intelligence. Ukraine doesn’t have its own satellite in orbit. That is why it requests satellite imagery from its allies in order to track Russian troop movements and document Russia’s
MYKOLAIV – After quickly occupying Kherson in the first days of the full-scale invasion, Russia turned its sight towards Mykolaiv, Ukraine’s shipbuilding center. Many expected the regional capital of 480,000 people to fall next. On Feb. 25, one day after Russia began its invasion and southern offensive, Major General
As Ukraine marks its 31st Independence Day amid Russian rockets flying in from Belarus, dictator Alexander Lukashenko wishes Ukrainians “a peaceful sky.” Belarus continues to expand its military facilities and serve as a co-belligerent in Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, helping Moscow restore its combat aircraft to circumvent Western
A nearby fire sparked by Russian shelling disconnected the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the Ukrainian grid for the first time in its history, Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom reported on Aug. 25. The two operating reactors at the plant suffered a "complete disconnection” from the grid, according to
The combat effectiveness of Russian forces in Ukraine’s southern Kherson Oblast will be noticeably affected by Ukrainian strikes on the bridges and crossing points there, military analysts said. With multiple recent strikes against three main bridges across the Dnipro, Ukraine’s largest river, Russian forces in Kherson Oblast were
NIKOPOL – On nights when he hears them, Mykhailo Kling runs to his panoramic ninth-floor balcony in Nikopol to watch Russian rockets being fired at his hometown. “See the reactor buildings there,” he said, pointing across the wide expanse of the Dnipro River at the eerie shapes of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear
There were no regular celebrations on Ukraine's 31st Independence Day this year, as Russia continues to wage its brutal war against the country. On Aug. 24, Ukraine’s air defense was put on high alert. Local authorities across the country extended curfews, and Kyiv banned mass gatherings. Russia carried out
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include the new number of casualties. A Russian missile strike hit a railway station in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on Aug. 24, killing at least 15 people and wounding about 50 others, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his address to the UN Security Council.
Editor’s Note: The Kyiv Independent is paying tribute to the Ukrainian soldiers who have been killed defending their country in the six months since the start of Russia's all-out invasion on Feb. 24. We don’t know how many have been killed, since the government doesn’t disclose the
Shock and awe roared over Kyiv Oblast in the early hours of Feb. 24, 2022. Dozens of Russian Ka-52 and Mi-8 helicopters rushed south at low altitude over the Dnipro River, carrying 200-300 elite stormtroopers with the 11th Guards Air Assault Brigade. Some of the helicopters were downed and fell
Editor’s note: Editorials are articles that present the opinion of the editorial team of the Kyiv Independent. This Aug. 24, Ukraine is marking its most special Independence Day. Exactly six months ago, on Feb. 24, Russia launched a full-scale invasion seeking to bring an end to Ukraine’s independence.
Each year, on Aug. 23, Ukraine celebrates the Day of the National Flag. According to the official version of the events, a group of Soviet Ukraine lawmakers, from the pro-independence Democratic Bloc, brought the historic blue and yellow flag into parliament on Aug. 23, 1991. The group demanded the Communist
As Ukraine marks its Independence Day amid some of the most dangerous and terrible moments in the country’s history, some may succumb to despair. But if Ukraine's history teaches something, it is that there is always a silver lining. The ongoing full-scale Russian war isn’t the first time
As Ukrainian soldiers fight Russia on the front lines, workers at Ukraine’s state employment centers are fighting their own battle: finding jobs for the hundreds of thousands of people who are now unemployed as a result of Russia’s war. The war has forced the country’s unemployment rate
Maksym Butkevych, a well-known human rights defender in Ukraine, has had anti-militarist views all his conscious life. But when Russia launched a brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, he put pacifism aside and joined the Ukrainian army. "There are times when one needs to be ready to defend
The Kyiv Independent is continuing to provide readers with a weekly roundup to help explain current events in Belarus. To receive the Belarus Weekly newsletter subscribe via this LINK. Maxar Technologies publishes satellite imagery identifying newly deployed Russian weapons and aircraft in the aftermath of explosions at the Belarusian Ziabrauka
Even with a semblance of normalcy returning to liberated areas around Kyiv, burial ceremonies continue for unidentified victims killed under Russian occupation early in the full-scale war. Another 21 bodies of unidentified victims were buried in Bucha on Aug. 17. Instead of names, they were put to rest with number
Sometimes, it just makes sense to admit that clairvoyance is a rare gift. And that not too many people can explain the future. Especially concerning things as complex as the largest European war since WWII. Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine is about to cross the six-month point. It feels
Added on Dec. 1, 2022: In November, the Kyiv Independent ran a follow-up to this investigation. This second story looks into other alleged misconduct of the leadership of the International Legion, including light weapons misappropriation and physical threats toward soldiers. Read it here. Disclaimer: The Kyiv Independent is publishing this
There is a dilemma dividing Ukrainian society: whether to allow the country’s male tech specialists to temporarily leave the country during the war. Martial law, introduced on Feb. 24 and extended until Nov. 21, prohibits Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country, except
