On April 12, the Security Service of Ukraine captured the country’s most high-profile pro-Kremlin politician Viktor Medvedchuk, who had fled from house arrest in February after Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested exchanging Medvedchuk for Ukrainians held in Russian captivity. Commenting on Zelensky's offer,
Kyiv Oblast was among the first regions hit by Russia's full-scale invasion. Starting from late February, towns and villages near the Ukrainian capital had been suffering from the Russian shelling and bombing, as well as atrocities of the Russian troops, including rape and summary executions. The Russian troops withdrew from
CHERNIHIV OBLAST – After Russian troops have withdrawn from Ukraine’s northmost region, an expected, yet no less horrific destruction was uncovered. Russian airstrikes targeted both high-rise buildings in Chernihiv and small houses in nearby villages, leaving many people in the regional capital and its suburbs dead, injured, and without a
Ukrainian marines defending Mariupol came out with a public statement criticizing President Volodymyr Zelensky and the army command. The 36th Marine Brigade accused the country’s leadership of abandoning them in the besieged port city with no ammunition left, saying that it might be their last day of fighting. “For
Ukraine's Azov regiment said on April 11 that Russia had used a poisonous substance against Ukrainian troops in Mariupol, a besieged port on the Sea of Azov. Azov leader Andriy Biletsky said that three people have clear signs of chemical poisoning. He added that there are no "disastrous consequences" for
After Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, businessman Vasyl Yabryk, rushed to help temporarily displaced Ukrainians with housing and humanitarian aid. But soon he learned that it takes more than a desire to help to be an effective volunteer. Yabryk says that the more experienced volunteers,
With her husband’s dependence on cancer treatments, the war is the worst thing that could have happened to Bucha resident Halyna Opalat. “He needs to be on an IV, but we weren’t able to make it to Kyiv,” said the 69-year-old, whose travel was blocked by Russians, then
Borodyanka, a town of 12,000 people 40 kilometers northwest of Kyiv, has suffered some of the worst destruction seen by any place in Russia's war against Ukraine. More than 10 apartment buildings in the heart of the town were destroyed by Russia's bombs in early March. Only recently, when
BUCHA, Kyiv Oblast – Just a bit over a month ago, Bucha was a comfortable, cozy, and rapidly growing suburb just northwest of Kyiv. The town was a place of middle-class apartment complexes and houses, surrounded by woods. Today, Bucha is a synonym of horror known worldwide. Russia’s defeat in
BORODYANKA, Kyiv Oblast -- Burned and shattered, high-rise residential buildings in the center of Borodyanka, a town 40 kilometers northwest of Kyiv, hide even more horror underneath. Around 200 people have been buried alive in the basements when Russian bombs destroyed the buildings, local authorities estimate. “Hope dies last,” said
The battle of Kyiv is over, with Ukraine as its victor. After nearly 40 days of fierce hostilities, by April 1 Russian forces had withdrawn from battlefields in northern Ukraine within just days. Despite a massive effort, Russia failed to encircle the Ukrainian capital and install a blockade. After sustaining
Ukrainian intelligence has claimed that a coup is being prepared against Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Although such intelligence claims may be dubious, analysts can assess the possibility of a coup d’etat by taking into account the economic and political situation in Russia. Some of them argue that a coup
April 4 marks 40 days of Russia's barbarous war in Ukraine. The extent of Russia's cruelty against Ukrainians, however, was discovered just two days ago. On April 2, Ukrainian forces regained control of Bucha, a town northwest of Kyiv, revealing the many horrific atrocities of Russia's weeks-long occupation. Hundreds of
Editor's Note: Natalia Datskevych is a journalist with the Kyiv Independent. An endless feeling of fear that seems to never go away. Every loud sound, every sudden spark in the sky, causes panic. My life, together with the lives of millions of Ukrainians, turned into hell when Russia launched a
From the early days of the war, Ukrainian Railways, or Ukrzaliznytsya, has become central to the country’s life and defense. Ukrzaliznytsia has been helping the army by producing anti-tank hedgehogs and transporting the uncollected bodies of Russian soldiers killed on the front lines. Its role in helping civilians is
When the war began, Anton Dovgopol, the 36-year-old director of the Irpin City Polyclinic, got a phone call early in the morning. He learned that Ivankiv, a little village some 80 kilometers northwest of Kyiv, was under a Russian attack. He told his wife to get their go-bag ready, reached
While international designers may be busy doing shows at Milan and Paris fashion weeks, Ukrainian designers are making clothes for war. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Ukrainian designers have decided to use their sewing skills to support the Ukrainian army. Instead of fashionable shoes
Ukraine is seeking security guarantees that are stronger than NATO's Article 5, David Arakhamia, the leader of President Volodymyr Zelensky's faction in the parliament and head of the Ukrainian delegation during the ongoing peace negotiations with Russia, said on March 29. Arakhamia was speaking following a round of peace talks
Editor’s Note: The Kyiv Independent used false names for all sources who spoke from Kherson Oblast for this story, for the sake of security. Life is getting worse in the city of Kherson, which has been occupied by Russian forces for nearly a month. The near-total absence of critical
“Saint Javelin” became a rallying sign of Ukraine’s resistance since Russia invaded on Feb. 24. An Orthodox Madonna clad in green and cradling a Javelin anti-tank missile, the viral meme found a new use in the hands of Christian Borys, a Toronto marketer who was a journalist in Ukraine
In a speech wrapping up his two-day visit to Poland, U.S. President Joe Biden blasted Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for unleashing an all-out war in Ukraine and strangling democracy at home. “For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," Biden said at the end of the speech he
Russia’s all-out war in Ukraine has subverted a lot of prophecies — doomsday omens and bright hopes alike. It has now been a month of this new reality since Russia’s attacks began early in the morning on Feb. 24, 2022. Yes, the Kremlin really did launch a World War
Seven people gathered on March 14 in a tiny church in the hitherto flourishing downtown neighborhood of Podil. The normally packed and bustling area stood eerily empty, like a set of a post-apocalyptic film. A frigid silence hunkered down over the district, interrupted occasionally by the faint thunder of the
A large demonstration took place in Brussels on March 24, with protesters gathering to demand tougher sanctions against Russia on the occasion of U.S President Joe Biden’s visit to Brussels for a summit on Ukraine. The event, organized by Ukrainian-led advocacy group Promote Ukraine, took place in front
One month ago, just after 4:45 a.m. Kyiv time on Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin went on television to announce what he called a “special operation” to “disarm and de-Nazify” Ukraine. His address was immediately followed by missile strikes on major Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, and multi-directional
STOYANKA-2, Kyiv Oblast – In the village of Stoyanka-2 outside Kyiv, a half-dozen cars line the road, riddled with holes, their bodywork mangled by bullets and an explosion. Their windows, bearing handwritten Ukrainian signs saying “Children” are perforated or shattered. The suitcases inside the vehicles appear to have been searched. The
As Russian bombs and rockets land on Kyiv’s residential buildings, the city’s utility services’ workers drudge overtime to clear the streets of the damage, debris and garbage left behind in the wake of Russia’s attacks. As many as 4,000 homes across Ukraine have been damaged by
LVIV – At first glance, the city of Lviv seems almost normal. In sharp contrast with war-torn parts of Ukraine, the western regional capital is bustling with life. People are walking down the cobbled streets in its downtown area and eating out in the city’s famous vibrant restaurants and cafes.
A city at war needs more than just weapons. To survive, a city needs uninterrupted access to food, medicine and other critical goods. While Kyiv has avoided the worst of Russia’s depredations, which have come close to razing Mariupol and Kharkiv to the ground, the capital city remains the
Oleh Baturin, a journalist for the Novy Den, a newspaper in Ukraine’s southern Kherson Oblast, was kidnapped by the Russian military on March 12. Baturin lives in Kakhovka, a city of 35,000 people 90 kilometers to the west from the regional capital Kherson. For many years he has
LVIV – Days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, local authorities started banning all alcohol sales. The measure is part of martial law. Although it was imposed on the nationwide level, it leaves local authorities the right to decide on the alcohol sales ban. By early March,
Editor’s Note: The following is a personal account of the Kyiv Independent’s journalist describing spending a day with a small group of volunteers helping people get out of some of the most dangerous areas outside Kyiv. IRPIN AND STOYANKA, Kyiv Oblast – A clear, frigid day rises over Irpin.
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