"What is this, if not an open act of terrorism? (Russia) is a country murderer, a terrorist country," said President Volodymyr Zelensky in a response to the Vinnytsia missile attack.
Delegations from Ukraine, Russia and Turkey met with United Nations representatives in Istanbul on July 13 for the first time to discuss the safe export of grain, as Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports persists and fears of a global food crisis continue to mount. After much anticipation, Turkey’s
The stakes are becoming increasingly high for the companies that have refused to pull out of Russia following its brutal invasion of Ukraine. A quarter of the world’s 200 largest companies are at risk of having key assets seized by the Russian government, according to a new report from
Ukrainian-born U.S. Congresswoman Victoria Spartz has recently come out with sweeping accusations against President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak. The accusations, published on July 8 and July 9, range from corruption and sabotage of reforms to allegedly serving Russian interests. Yermak hasn't commented on the accusations.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began simultaneously from four main directions, one of them involving Belarusian territory. Soon after, Belarusian troops were expected to join the war directly. However, four months into Russia’s war, Belarus' autocrat Alexander Lukashenko continues to hold out on sending his soldiers to war.
Russian missile attacks hit several regions of Ukraine on the morning of July 11, killing dozens and damaging or destroying homes and infrastructure. Attacks were reported in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Odesa oblasts. In Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, Russian missile strikes resulted in a total of at least six
On a warm day in mid-May, Ukrainian Tetiana Lastovych, 29, was getting ready to be discharged from the maternity hospital in the city of Zaporizhzhia after giving birth to her third child, a baby boy Illia. As she approached the glass doors to the hospital, Lastovych froze in shock: There
Editor's Note: The village of Vysokopillia, Kherson Oblast, was reported to have been liberated on Sept. 4. Most of Ukraine's southern Kherson Oblast was occupied by Russia in the early days of the all-out war. KRYVYI RIH, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast – Olena Butiaeva could never have imagined the only wish she would
Ukraine’s State Investigation Bureau destroyed secret materials in several major criminal investigations immediately after Russia launched its all-out invasion on Feb. 24, the Prosecutor General’s Office said, as cited on July 8 by Iryna Romaliyska, a journalist at Prague-based television channel Current Time TV. The Prosecutor General’s
Leaders of the world condemned the July 8 assassination of Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japan’s history. Abe was fatally shot during a campaign speech in Nara, a city popular with tourists near Kyoto. The gunman was arrested by the police and admitted to shooting the politician.
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. Ukraine was again at the center of Belarus’ domestic agenda. Belarus' Independence Day was marred by allegations from the country’s
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors. Oleg Sukhov is a staff writer at the Kyiv Independent. He has been covering the judicial corruption and judicial reforms in Ukraine since 2014. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was a wake-up call for
It is an almost everyday occurrence in the Russian-occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine. Russia’s ammunition depots blow up, with large fires erupting as tons of ordnance detonate for hours. Some of these incidents cause giant blasts with a radius of hundreds of meters. Now that Ukraine has
Will the end of Boris Johnson’s tenure as the UK’s prime minister significantly impact Britain’s commitment to help Ukraine fight off Russia? Probably not, believe experts and UK officials who spoke to the Kyiv Independent. They pointed out that, with few exceptions, there’s a cross-party consensus
Mayor of Sloviansk Vadym Liakh on July 6 urged remaining residents to evacuate, as the city appears to be Russia’s next target in its plans to capture Donetsk Oblast and civilian evacuation becomes increasingly difficult. After seizing the city of Lysychansk on July 3, Ukraine’s last major stronghold
Early on the morning of June 26, Kyiv resident Bogdan Lega was awoken to the loud whistling sound of a missile flying toward his apartment. A split second later, the first missile struck the apartment building. Lega told the Kyiv Independent that the powerful blast threw him out of his
Although Russia surpasses Ukraine in terms of weapon capabilities, the number of troops it has committed to Ukraine is insufficient for the full-scale war it’s waging. Russia’s hawks have urged Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to introduce martial law and to initiate full or partial mobilization to expand the
Ukrainian farmers begin the July harvest knowing there may be nowhere to store their grain or export it, as Russia’s naval blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports enters its fifth month. According to Ukraine's estimates, 22 million tons of grain already stockpiled across the country remain in their silos.
Russia will focus on capturing all of Donetsk Oblast after seizing Lysychansk in neighboring Luhansk Oblast, Governor of Luhansk Oblast Serhiy Haidai said on July 4. Ukrainian forces were forced to withdraw from Lysychansk, Ukraine’s last holdout in Luhansk Oblast, on July 3, after months of fierce fighting. Both
One cold day in late March, a Russian shell hit a small barn behind an unremarkable two-story house in then Russian-occupied Bucha in Kyiv Oblast. The powerful blast partially destroyed the barn, broke the house's windows, and cracked the entrance door, letting out a small black dog. It rushed down
Russian forces have captured Lysychansk, the final Ukrainian holdout in Luhansk Oblast, after heavy fighting, both sides confirmed on July 3. The General Staff of the Ukrainian military reported in the evening that its troops were forced to withdraw from Lysychansk after fierce fighting, a significant victory for Moscow whose
The Kyiv Independent joined forces with journalists Frédéric Ploquin and Maria Poblete to publish “The Kyiv Independent: Diary of Ukrainian Resistance” ("Carnet de bord de la résistance ukrainienne"), a first-hand account of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. In the book, the Kyiv Independent newsroom recounts reporting on Russia's preparations
Ukrainian traditional beetroot soup, borshch, is now inscribed on UNESCO’s list of endangered intangible cultural heritage. On July 1, UNESCO approved a decision to add borshch to the list after Ukraine requested the agency fast track the procedure amid Russia’s war. The UN cultural agency said in a
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. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for the sixth time this year, taunting the world with
Since Russia illegally annexed and occupied Crimea in 2014, nearly all forms of dissent on the peninsula have been crushed. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has imposed a new layer of censorship as repressions have increased and ways of resisting have diminished. In this episode of “Did the War End?
Ukraine has pushed Russian forces to abandon the Snake Island, a small but strategic outpost in the Black Sea, the Operation Command South said on June 30. According to the Ukrainian military, "the enemy hastily evacuated the remnants of the garrison in two speedboats and probably left the island." Russia's
Russia is attempting to sow hatred between Belarusians and Ukrainians, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said in a statement on June 28. “We cannot be divided, as it only helps the enemy,” Tsikhanouskaya said in her public response to an earlier address by President Volodymyr Zelensky. "Belarusians will do everything
As part of its new strategic vision, NATO members have pledged to further step up their support for Ukraine, agreeing on a strengthened military aid package. During a three-day summit held in Madrid from June 28-30, NATO heads of state and governments endorsed a new NATO 2022 Strategic Concept outlining
Vitallia Mazur, 32, with her then 1-month-old daughter, escaped to Italy in early March, a week after Russian missiles began raining down on Ukrainian cities. Two months later, they returned to Vinnytsia: “My daughter has been growing up so fast. She started to get used to the environment, to people
KHARKIV – Oleh Puteshenko walked through the ruins of his former workplace, a restaurant in Kharkiv, barely holding back tears. The 46-year-old, who used to work as a security guard, spoke proudly of the restaurant as he showed the terrace where he spent most of his days taking care of the
The death toll continues to grow after the Russian missile attack on the shopping mall Amstor in Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, on June 27. At least 20 people were killed in the attack, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's office. At a briefing on June 28, Interior
After Russia began its brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, many multinational companies have announced that they are voluntarily curtailing or halting their business there. Some, like Nestle or PepsiCo, were pressured into making the decision after facing pushback from their employees in Ukraine, customers around the globe,
