As tensions mount between Kyiv and Minsk amid Russia's war, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claims that the CIA and the SBU were behind the Machulishchy airfield explosion. Ukraine rejects involvement. Two high-profile trials come to a close, resulting in lengthy prison sentences for Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Ales Bialiatski,
Key developments on March 9 * Russia unleashes 16th large-scale missile attack * Zaluzhnyi: Russia fires 81 missiles against Ukraine * Prime Minister: Russian attack hit energy sites in 8 Ukrainian regions * Polish Defense Minister: 10 more Leopard 2 tanks transferred to Ukraine * Prosecutor General's Office: Russia shells Kherson, kills 4, injures 3
The Kyiv Independent's Illia Ponomarenko sits down with military analysts Michael Kofman, director of the Russia Studies Program at CNA, and Rob Lee, senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Eurasia Program.
Britain has been among the frontrunners in providing support to Ukraine, ranking second only behind the U.S. A month prior to Russia's all-out war, the U.K. was able to provide around 3,000 NLAW anti-tank missile systems helping Ukraine deter Russia's initial offensive. Soon, the U.K. was
Russia launched a mass missile and drone attack across Ukraine in the early morning hours of March 9, killing at least 5 people and injuring 7. Numerous critical energy infrastructure sites were targeted. Attacks were recorded in Kyiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv Oblasts.
Key developments on March 8: * Stoltenberg: Bakhmut could fall 'in the coming days' * German and Portuguese tanks to arrive in Ukraine by end of March * General Staff: Ukraine repels over 100 attacks within 24 hours * Governors: No reported civilian injuries over past 24 hours NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said
VELYKA NOVOSILKA – Lyubov Andreeva, a retired builder, helped create the small town of Velyka Novosilka with her own hands. “All that there is in Novosilka, my hands were there,” the 73-year-old recollected, sitting in one of the town’s underground shelter-communes. “We had a stonemason, a plasterer, a painter, a
Kindergarten teacher Olena Naumova was struggling to breathe as she sat in the back seat of a car driving through the streets of her hometown of Kherson on the morning of Aug. 23. There was a tight plastic bag over her head and three Russian soldiers surrounded her. Naumova knew
Key developments on March 7: * General Staff: Ukraine's military repelled over 140 Russian attacks in five areas over the past day * Officials: 1 killed, 11 injured in Russian attacks across four Ukrainian regions * UK Defense Ministry: Situation in Bakhmut 'likely stabilized' * 130 service people released from Russian captivity * Hero of
On the battlefields of eastern Ukraine, with the first days of March came the all-consuming mud. Videos of trucks and armored vehicles bogged down in fields heralded the arrival of a time traditionally known in Ukrainian as bezdorizhzhia, or “roadlessness.” Though the mud may present a brief challenge to both
Dmytro Kotsiubailo, commander of the First Mechanized Battalion "Da Vinci Wolves" and Hero of Ukraine, was killed in action near Bakhmut, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on March 7. Kotsiubailo (call sign Da Vinci) became one of the youngest Ukrainian servicemen to receive the Hero of Ukraine national title in 2021. He was 27.
The search for the identity of the alleged Ukrainian prisoner of war executed in a video that emerged on March 6 appears to be coming to an end. On March 6, a video was shared by popular Ukrainian bloggers in which an unarmed man in a military uniform with a
Welcome to Investigative Stories from Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent's newsletter that walks you through the most prominent investigations of the past week. If you are fond of in-depth journalism that exposes war crimes, corruption and abuse of power across state organizations in Ukraine and beyond, subscribe to our investigative newsletter.
Semen Kryvonos, the newly-appointed head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), has previously held jobs associated with anti-corruption reforms. Kryvonos was appointed as head of the NABU by the Cabinet of Ministers on March 6 after being selected from a shortlist of three people chosen by a commission
Editor’s note: The Kyiv Independent is not revealing the soldiers’ full names or the exact location of their deployment due to security concerns amid the ongoing war. DONETSK OBLAST – At a cottage-turned-base some two kilometers from the front lines in Donetsk Oblast, soldiers from Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade lay
Key developments on March 6: * Military: Russia throws more Wagner mercenaries on Bakhmut, fierce battle rages on * Bild: Zelensky, Zaluzhnyi have conflicting views on Bakhmut * Local authorities: Russia attacks Avdiivka with 6 guided air missiles Kh-59 over the past day * Air Force: 13 out of 15 Russian drones downed by
Key developments on March 5: * Military Intelligence Chief: Russia likely to run out of 'military tools' by end of spring * Air Force: Modern fighter jets needed to counter new Russian gliding bomb * Two people still missing after Zaporizhzhia missile strike * Couple killed in a car due to Russian artillery attack
KOSTIANTYNIVKA, Donetsk Oblast – Russia’s relentless assault on Bakhmut is sacrificing waves and waves of unprepared men being sent to their deaths. But multiple defenders of this embattled city in Donetsk Oblast feel that they are in a similar boat, according to interviews with more than a dozen soldiers currently
Editor’s Note: This is issue 77 of Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly, covering events from Feb. 25 – March 3, 2023. The Kyiv Independent is reposting it with permission. Ukrainian SOE Weekly is an independent weekly digest based on a compilation of the most important news related to state-owned enterprises (SOEs)
NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, U.S. Army General Christopher Cavoli, said that Russia has lost more than 200,000 troops since the start of its invasion in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, describing the extent of the war as "unbelievable." He added that over 1,800 Russian officers were killed or wounded, German magazine Der Spiegel reported.
Russia’s missile strike on Jan. 14 caught Kyiv residents off-guard. After nearly a year of Moscow’s repeated attacks, something unusual happened: The explosions sounded before the air raid alert went off, which is rarely the case in what is believed to be the most protected city in Ukraine.
Key developments on March 3: * Pentagon announces new military aid package for Ukraine * CNN reports Russian hit on vital bridge to Bakhmut as Wagner Group leader claims city is 'practically surrounded' * Ukraine's General Staff says Battle for Bakhmut continues * Ukraine's Ground Forces Commander comes to Bakhmut * Air Force says it
Two explosions rocked Machulishchy airfield near Minsk on Feb. 26, destroying a Russian A-50 warning and control aircraft. Belarus ups border security after explosions. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko pays a state visit to Beijing, claiming that “not a single issue in the world can be resolved without China.” Prosecutors order
Key developments on March 2: * Military says withdrawal from Bakhmut considered, but only if it is 'absolutely necessary' * Governor: About 5,000 people, including 37 children, remain in Bakhmut * Prosecutors: 4 killed, 8 wounded, 5 missing after Russian overnight missile strike on Zaporizhzhia * Russia uses drones to attack civilians lining
ZAPORIZHZHIA – Ten hours after the Russian missile attack that destroyed a five-story apartment building in Zaporizhzhia, first responders were still looking for survivors. A Russian S-300 missile hit the building around 1:30 a.m. on March 2. As of 11:30 a.m., the attack killed four people and
Just days before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February, China’s leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a “friendship without limits,” agreeing there would be no “forbidden areas of cooperation.” Unsurprisingly then, Beijing did not condemn Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine that began on
Key developments on March 1: * Belarusian dictator Lukashenko visits China, calls for ceasefire in Ukraine * Russia strikes civilian, critical infrastructure in Poltava Oblast * Russia launches 3 missile strikes on Kharkiv Oblast, injuring civilians * Blinken says 'zero evidence' Putin is ready for peace talks * US extends sanctions against Russia until the
The battle for Bakhmut has revealed a decade-long covert conflict in Russia's Armed Forces. On one side, there is the regular Russian military. On the other side, Wagner Group, Russia's most high-profile mercenary outfit. Wagner was founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a confidante of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian generals have
Key developments on Feb. 28: * General Staff: Russian forces trying to create conditions for offensive in southern Ukraine * Western-made parts are used in Russian weapons involved in war crimes, report reveals * Russia attacks Kherson Oblast, killing 4 and injuring 5 people * Putin signs law suspending major nuclear treaty with U.
Welcome to Investigative Stories from Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent's newsletter that walks you through the most prominent investigations of the past week. If you are fond of in-depth journalism that exposes war crimes, corruption and abuse of power across state organizations in Ukraine and beyond, subscribe to our investigative newsletter.
Key developments on Feb. 27: * US Treasury Secretary meets Zelensky, Shmyhal in Kyiv * Russia's war caused 'the most massive violations of human rights,' says UN chief * UN-backed commission to track down Ukrainian children taken to Russia illegally * Ukraine downs 11 drones overnight on Feb. 27 * Russia still wants to
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Russia's blockage of Ukrainian seaports triggered a global food crisis. The global food crisis was partially resolved in July when an UN-backed grain deal was reached, forcing Russia to unblock three ports in Odesa Oblast for cargo ships
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