The operator of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline registered a subsidiary in Germany to bring the project closer to certification. The new company, registered in Schwerin, will own and operate the 54-kilometer section of the pipeline in German waters, as well as the landfall facility in Lubmin, according to a
As the Kyiv Independent team develops its new media start-up while working around the clock amid an ever-growing threat of Russian invasion, the company needs to create a corporate culture that protects morale and productivity. Episode #7 of our origin story podcast “Media in Progress” is out: Media in Progress
The U.S. has not caved in to Russia’s demands to halt potential NATO expansion eastward, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news briefing on Jan. 26. “We will uphold the principle of NATO’s open-door policy,” he said. NATO followed suit, saying that it
Representatives of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany met on Jan. 26 in Paris for low-level talks amid Kremlin's growing military buildup. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak praised the renewed talks between the Normandy Format countries upon his arrival to Paris. In Paris, Yermak met with Russian
Germany and possibly other European countries want exemptions for the energy sector in any sanctions targeting Russia if it further invades Ukraine, Bloomberg reported, citing documents and unnamed sources. The report reveals continued disagreement among Western allies about how to punish Russia, which has 120,000 well-equipped troops on Ukraine's
The treason case against ex-President Petro Poroshenko has polarized Ukrainian society. Some see it as the realization of the public demand for justice and for holding politicians accountable. President Volodymyr Zelensky was elected in 2019 due to a backlash to the alleged corruption and abuses committed under Poroshenko. But Zelensky’
From an artist’s response to his city’s water mismanagement in 1995 to a work reflecting the world decline in 2022 – the "Fountain of Exhaustion" by Pavlo Makov has come a long way. Its ultimate destination is the oldest international Venice Art Biennale, where it will represent Ukraine in
Four European airlines have stopped parking their planes overnight at an airport in Kyiv as fears mount over a possible all-out Russian invasion. Germany’s Lufthansa, Dutch KLM, Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Airlines have made sudden changes to their Kyiv flight schedule so that their planes and crew would
The U.K. began to recall non-essential staff from its embassy in Kyiv on Jan. 24, amid growing fears of a full-scale Russian invasion. The U.K. Foreign Office had issued a statement saying that “some embassy staff and dependents are being withdrawn from Kyiv in response to growing threat.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new proposed financial assistance package of 1.2 billion euros ($1.35 billion) to Ukraine on Jan. 24. “This package will help Ukraine now to address its financing needs due to the conflict,” von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels. The
Editor's note: This is an analysis by the Center of Defense Strategies' experts Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Alina Frolova, Oleksiy Pavliuchyk. It was originally published in Ukrainian by Ukrainska Pravda. The Kyiv Independent has translated it and is republishing it with permission. Many politicians and observers report that a significant escalation of
The U.S. State Department has authorized the departure of non-essential employees and the family members of diplomats stationed at the Kyiv embassy, on Jan. 23, citing potential Russian military escalation. “There are reports Russia is planning significant military action against Ukraine," the statement reads. "The security conditions, particularly along
The British government has accused the Kremlin of seeking to install a pro-Russian leadership in Ukraine, in a statement on Jan. 22. "We have information that indicates the Russian government is looking to install a pro-Russian leader in Kyiv as it considers whether to invade and occupy Ukraine," the statement
Kyrgyz investigative journalist Bolot Temirov was arrested on Jan. 22, days after publishing exposes on allies of President Sadyr Zhaparov. He is facing drug charges, which he says are falsified. The move is an alarming development for Kyrgyzstan, which has fared well in terms of free speech until recently, compared
A selection panel on Jan. 21 effectively launched Ukraine’s long-awaited judicial reform process, starting a contest for jobs at the High Qualification Commission, a judicial governing body. The panel was created in September, but its work has been delayed due to obstruction by Ukraine’s judiciary and uncertainty over
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has asked the State Department to authorize the departure of all non-essential staff and their families, CNN reported on Jan. 22, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter. The move comes amid an escalation of Russia’s aggressive rhetoric against Ukraine. The Kremlin is
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint on Jan. 20, with the intention of seizing $6 million from Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky's businesses, allegedly obtained with money stolen and laundered from PrivatBank. Federal prosecutors say Kolomoisky's businesses received the $6 million as proceeds from the sale
President Volodymyr Zelensky concluded a two-day visit to Poland, where he met with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Jan. 20. After being brought up to date on Russia's looming threat of invasion, Duda pledged to stand with Ukraine. "In the face of the (Russian) threat, Ukraine can count on Poland's
As Russia continues fueling a war crisis threatening a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more European nations consider and decide on providing Kyiv with defense aid, while traditional big backers like the U.S. and the U.K. render major additional packages of weapons and equipment. Over just the last few
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Jan. 21 in Geneva for high-stakes talks amid mounting fears that the Kremlin could be about to invade Ukraine. As they had predicted earlier, the top U.S. and Russian diplomats made no major breakthrough in
The Russian parliament will consider a motion to recognize two Kremlin proxy groups in the Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine’s Donbas as independent states. The move comes amid an escalation of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The Kremlin is stepping up its bellicose rhetoric and amassing troops around Ukraine’s
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in a Washington Post interview on Jan. 20 that he believes Russia could occupy Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkiv and thus start a large-scale war. "If Russia decides to enhance their escalation, of course they are going to do this on those territories where historically there
A large number of Russian soldiers in the eastern part of the country have been sent on mysterious 6-9-month missions toward Ukraine, according to the Moscow-based Conflict Intelligence Team’s report published on Jan. 19. The report comes as Russian troops, which moved from the country’s far east to
The High Council of Justice, the judiciary’s highest governing body, accepted the resignation of two of the council’s most controversial members on Jan. 20. The resignation of Oleksiy Malovatsky, acting head of the council, and Pavlo Grechkivsky will take effect on Jan. 26. They face numerous accusations of
Officials in Kyiv reacted to U.S. President Joe Biden's Jan. 19 statement that Russia's "minor incursion" into Ukraine would provoke a different response to a full-scale invasion. Responding to Biden's remarks, President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter that there was no such thing as a minor incursion when it
The U.S. Department of the Treasury updated its list of sanctioned individuals on Jan. 20 by including four Ukrainian pro-Kremlin politicians to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. The Kremlin-linked individuals were sanctioned because they “engaged in Russian government-directed influence activities to destabilize Ukraine,” according to the
One early September 16 years ago, U.S. Presbyterian minister Robert Gamble got off the train in Odesa, Ukraine’s biggest port city, where he had chosen to spend his sabbatical. He did not speak any Ukrainian or Russian, and had neither relatives nor friends in the region. His only
Ukraine’s reform record has been bleak over the past month. Pro-government members of a selection panel have refused to appoint the winner of the contest for the chief anti-corruption prosecutor. Another contest – for the State Investigation Bureau’s head – was seen by civil society as rigged. Ukraine’s two
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Jan. 19 that he thought that Russia would invade Ukraine, giving the strongest acknowledgment of the invasion threat so far. "I'm not sure that (Russian President Vladimir Putin) is certain what he's going to do. My guess is he will move in. He
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kyiv on Jan. 19 and met with Ukraine's top officials, amid the ongoing Russian threat. Blinken met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and discussed military aid, Ukraine's slowly-moving reforms, and the possible sanctions against Russia should it further
The White House has confirmed on Jan. 19 that Russia has embassy evacuation plans from Ukraine, amid Kremlin's ongoing military escalation. “We have information indicating that the Russian authorities were preparing to evacuate family members of diplomats from their (Kyiv) embassy in late December and early January,” Jen Psaki, White
Kyiv’s Pechersk District Court made its long-anticipated ruling on the pre-trial arrangements of ex-President Petro Poroshenko. On Jan. 19, the court ordered Poroshenko to sign a writ of personal recognizance, which is a pledge by the defendant to attend court without posting bail. The court chose not to place
