The Kyiv Independent's Kate Tsurkan sits down with Ukrainian writer Oksana Zabuzhko to discuss the role of writers and intellectuals in wartime, the importance of decolonization in Ukraine’s education, and why she wouldn't share a stage with Russian artists until Ukraine's victory.
Formally a brigadier general, Oleksandr Potiy is today tasked with guarding Ukraine on the civilian side — far from the battlefield but right at the front line of Russia’s cyber war. Potiy is in camo fatigues when he addresses the crowd of IT workers and foreign investors for the keynote
Germany braces for major changes as incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz seeks to reshape the country’s role on the continent. The Kyiv Independent sat down with Jörn Fleck, senior director with the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council, to discuss what the new German government means for Ukraine and beyond.
Instead of approaching the war in Ukraine from a geopolitical or moral perspective, U.S. President Donald Trump is framing his policy on Russia through the lens of his personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton. “Trump thinks Putin is
The Kyiv Independent’s Kate Tsurkan sat down with former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton to discuss why U.S. President Donald Trump considers Putin “a friend,” and why a ceasefire at this time would not be favorable for Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent's Chris York sits down with Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia and political scientist, to discuss the Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations, U.S. President Donald Trump's approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the ideological parallels between Putinism and MAGA.
Earlier this week, British lawmaker Graham Stuart raised the possibility that the president of the United States, Donald Trump, had been groomed by the Kremlin’s security services over a period of decades. In this interview Stuart explains what prompted him to make such an extraordinary public statement, and what it means both for the future of Ukraine, and the continent as a whole.
Since Russia began its full-scale invasion more than three years ago, the demands on social services have multiplied. Millions are internally displaced, the number of people with disabilities has risen by 10%, and more than 13,000 children have been orphaned. Populations who were already vulnerable are often hit harder
U.S. President Donald Trump entered the White House promising to bring a swift end to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and his first few weeks in office have proven he’s determined to follow through. While his endeavour to fulfil a campaign promise in itself is not too surprising, the way he is approaching the issue has stunned not only Ukraine, but also the U.S.’s long-term global allies, who are now scrambling to adjust to a world in which Washington cannot be viewed as a reliable security partner. The Kyiv Independent spoke to George Barros, Russia team lead at the Institute for the Study of War, who explains why America’s global adversaries will be “salivating” at what is currently unfolding on the global stage.
The U.S. has suspended military aid to Ukraine as part of a pressure campaign to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky toward negotiations with Russia, U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Jason Miller said on March 4. It’s just the latest in a series of developments since Trump took office that mark a dramtic shift in the U.S.’s relationship with not only Ukraine, but Europe, and the rest of the world. The Kyiv Independent spoke with Timothy Ash, associate fellow at the Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia Programme, who told us that what is unfolding right now amount to “teutonic shifts in alliances that I don’t think anyone could quite have imagined.”
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders sat down with the Kyiv Independent on Feb. 27 to share his concerns about Trump’s growing alignment with Russia and other authoritarian regimes, what a possible U.S.-Russia alliance would mean for the American people, the role of billionaires like Elon Musk in shaping both domestic and international political discourse, and why defending Ukraine is crucial for the future of global democracy.
As Ukraine enters the fourth year of Russia's full-scale invasion, shifting political dynamics in the U.S. threaten to influence the course of the war. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly misrepresented the war’s origins, excluded Ukraine from initial negotiations, and advocated for what many see as an
As Ukraine entered its fourth year of Russia’s full-scale war, it was geopolitics, not the war itself, that dominated headlines, as Kyiv’s relationship with new U.S. President Donald Trump nosedived over a proposed minerals deal. In the meantime though, the battlefield continues to rage on multiple fronts,
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sits down with Rob Lee, former U.S. marine infantry officer and senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia Program. They discuss the evolving battlefield realities as Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its 4th year and why peace negotiations are unlikely to bring results any time soon.
After the Trump administration accused European allies of not pulling their weight in the support for Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent sat down with the EU's first-ever defense commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, to discuss whether Europe is ready to step up.
Editor's note: The interview has been edited for clarity. Storm clouds are intensifying in Europe as Ukraine approaches the fourth year of the full-scale war with Russia. Initial hopes that U.S. President Donald Trump's new administration might adopt the "peace through strength" approach towards Moscow are beginning to unravel
The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York speaks with Kurt Volker, the former U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations, about the upcoming U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia and why he thinks Ukraine should not be overly concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump's first steps toward peace negotiations
Russia has resorted to a "shadow fleet" to transport its oil and gas to get around Western sanctions and price caps. The Kyiv Independent spoke with Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Transatlantic Security Initiative, to find out what options the West has and how dangerous the shadow fleet actually is.
Editor’s note: The transcript of this interview has been edited for length and clarity. Poland holds a special position among Kyiv's partners — with a shared history of Russian oppression and conquest, its leaders have left no room for doubt that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine represented an existential threat
French point man for foreign trade, Laurent Saint-Martin, came to Kyiv during a turbulent time. As U.S. aid to Ukraine was drying up, President Donald Trump had made public his desire to get a hold of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in return for a new influx of American
Somewhere in the streets of Russian-occupied Simferopol, the capital of Crimea, a woman puts a sticker on the wall. It’s a short message, but if she is seen doing it, she will face arrest, prosecution, and likely, torture. The message is: "Soon, we will be home again." On another
The Kyiv Independent's Martin Fornusek sat down with Poland's charge d'affairs in Kyiv, Piotr Lukasiewicz, to discuss why Poland stands out among Ukraine's allies and how to approach the most painful chapters of the shared Polish-Ukrainian history.
In times of war, the fundamental questions of survival, morality, and identity not only dominate the discourse but also expose the fissures in global political ideologies. Amid the clamor of media narratives and entrenched partisan frameworks, a few voices manage to rise above the fray, offering incisive critiques and grappling
Editor's note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. It was a month-long mission with one primary goal — capturing a North Korean soldier alive. One of the biggest obstacles facing the Ukrainian forces tasked
After numerous attempts, Ukrainian forces operating in Russia’s Kursk Oblast have finally captured two North Korean soldiers. Watch this video to find out why capturing North Korean soldiers is so challenging — and how Ukrainian forces ultimately succeeded.
The Russian opposition is an odd bunch. While not supporting Russia's brutal all-out war against Ukraine and its people, the leaders of the so-called opposition don't want their country to lose. A number of those who oppose Russian President Vladimir Putin and his regime have petitioned for the West to
The Kyiv Independent’s Kate Tsurkan discusses with Garry Kasparov, Russian chess grandmaster and political activist based in the U.S., the current state of Russia, its continued pursuit of empire and the failures of the Russian opposition to create meaningful change.
As Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine nears its fourth year, a worsening battlefield situation and the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency signal that the war could soon be entering a volatile and unpredictable endgame. In anticipation of a potential Trump-negotiated ceasefire, Kyiv is looking to
As Ukraine and Europe enter 2025 with a worsening situation on the battlefield and the incoming Trump administration hoping to quickly reach some kind of peace in Russia’s all-out war, the first months of the year look to be fundamental in deciding the outcome of the war. While much
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine inches toward the three-year mark, all eyes are on a potential peace agreement to end the war. If the parameters of any peace deal are likely to remain obscured for months to come, Ukraine’s ex-Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says one thing is clear
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sat down with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze to look back at 2024 and discuss the country’s support for Ukraine amid political uncertainty before the inauguration of Donald Trump in the U.S. and Russia’s gains on the frontline.
The return of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to political life has raised uncomfortable questions about the future, not only within the U.S. but also on the global stage. This is particularly true for countries like Ukraine, which relies on U.S. aid as it’s locked in a
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