To see some of the horrors Russia’s war has brought to Ukraine, one just has to click on the #RussiaIsATerroristState hashtag on social media. Given the scale of Russia’s ongoing attacks, which have left entire cities blacked out and destroyed, and thousands of people killed, the hashtag is
When Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, attacking the country from multiple fronts and the sky, Ukrainian actress Ivanna Sakhno was thousands of kilometers away. She has been living in the U.S. for nearly 10 years at that point, ever since deciding to pursue her dream of acting
The Kyiv Independent's Masha Lavrova sat down with Ukrainian Hollywood actress Ivanna Sakhno to discuss her experience of watching the war unfold in Ukraine from the U.S., and her advocacy mission to keep bringing the world's attention to Ukraine.
In March 2024, Sweden became NATO’s 32nd member state after a lengthy application process triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Joining the alliance comes at arguably the most turbulent time in European security since the end of the Cold War, with Russia scaling up its military industrial
Despite Russia’s incessant attacks on Ukraine’s energy system throughout its now more than two-year-old invasion, the country’s oil and gas giant Naftogaz just celebrated its first heating system without any gas imports. It is the “greatest moment in Ukraine’s energy history,” Naftogaz CEO Oleksiy Chernyshov told
Editor's Note: The Kyiv Independent is exclusively re-publishing an interview with Dmytro Vovk prepared by Forum for Ukrainian Studies, a research publication for experts, practitioners, and academics to discuss, explore, reflect upon, develop, and transform international understanding of contemporary affairs in Ukraine. This platform is run by the Canadian Institute
Europe needs to make great strides in increasing the capacity of its defense industry, and can only do this by working together within the EU and with Ukraine, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren told the Kyiv Independent on March 20. The ammunition initiative, launched by Czechia in February amid increasingly
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently weaponized and distorted history throughout his time in power since 2000. In a recent interview with U.S. far-right commentator Tucker Carlson, Putin went back more than 1,000 years to justify
The start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was an unlikely place for investment. Russian attacks all over the country were destroying critical infrastructure, factories, and homes. The economy took a major hit, with GDP falling 29% that year. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which has been
Deputy Defense Minister Dmytro Klimenkov has been given one of the most sensitive jobs of his incoming team: reforming and managing Ukraine’s troubled military procurements. His overloaded daily schedule barely hints at the scope of the issue. Former Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and his entire team were fired after
The West doesn’t spend enough time analyzing its miscalculations in the Russia-Ukraine war, Kurt Volker, a former U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations, said in an interview with the Kyiv Independent. “We have made many mistakes, from just before Russia's invasion and throughout. The biggest mistake was holding
Editor's Note: The Kyiv Independent is exclusively re-publishing an interview with Rajan Menon prepared by Forum for Ukrainian Studies, a research publication for experts, practitioners, and academics to discuss, explore, reflect upon, develop, and transform international understanding of contemporary affairs in Ukraine. This platform is run by the Canadian Institute
Josep Borrell, the European Union's top diplomat, held a two-day visit to Ukraine to meet with a variety of the country’s top officials in what has now become a regular tour of support. Visiting Ukraine for the fourth time in two years, Borrell has been sharp in urging his
Business is good for Ukrainian banks. Last year, the country’s banks brought in record profits of Hr 130 billion ($3.5 billion) with the five top state-owned banks making 61.5% of the total. One of these banks is Oschadbank, the country’s second-largest state-owned bank after PrivatBank. In
Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 did little to shake German pharmaceutical and agricultural giant Bayer’s commitment to its business in Ukraine. Operating in Ukraine since 1992, Bayer today employs around 700 people in the country, and last year, announced a 60-million-euro investment from 2023 onwards in its
Getting around Ukraine’s major cities like a true local means having the Uklon ride-hailing app on your phone, and maybe even digitally bartering for the price you want to pay. Ukraine’s leader in the ride-hailing market, Uklon — originally named Ukron for the web version “Ukraine Online” but changed
Put active community organization and rapid digitalization together and you get the story of contemporary Ukrainian society. You also get Monobank— Ukraine’s hugely popular mobile-only bank that has facilitated nearly $1 billion in donations to fund the war effort since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Estonia has been one of Ukraine’s most reliable allies since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion. A small Baltic country of just 1.3 million people that also shares a border with Russia, Estonia has provided
Stanislav Haider was hired to fix the defense ministry’s institutional problems just as Ukraine entered the most difficult period of the war to date. The 37-year-old deputy minister looks youthful but for his graying strands of hair and he whimsically refers to the invading Russians as “the northern tribes.
Sitting down with the Kyiv Independent for an interview in Kyiv, Ukraine's top diplomat is sharply dressed and in a good mood. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is among the last Ukrainian top officials who still prefers a suit to a military-style garb. He's happy with the work his ministry has
After being pruned by the Russian invasion, Ukraine's largest supermarket chain, ATB-Market, is fighting to grow back bigger and better. Like the German chains Aldi and Lidl, ATB prioritizes low prices and big selections. This proved popular with shoppers — the company entered the full-scale war with over 1,300 stores.
Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s largest private delivery company and domestic analog to FedEx or DHL — stands head and shoulders above all other private parcel firms in Ukraine. When Russia’s invasion in 2022 forced millions of Ukrainians to flee to EU countries, the company, now known abroad in English as
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Netherlands has taken a leading role in providing Ukraine with what it needs to survive. Seven years after voting down an EU Association Agreement with Ukraine in a referendum, effectively delaying it for a year, the Netherlands now ranks eighth in terms
Gael Veyssiere (Gaël Veyssière) started his work as French ambassador to Ukraine in August 2023, having previously served as the ambassador to Croatia. He succeeded Etienne de Poncins, who was moved to a posting in Poland after serving as the ambassador in Ukraine for four years. Veyssiere arrived in Ukraine
Werner Hoyer, the head of the European Investment Bank (EIB), and its vice-president Teresa Czerwinska visited Kyiv on Nov. 27 to announce a new 450-million-euro package ($493 million) to Ukraine and inaugurate the bank’s new regional hub in the capital. The sum, approved by the EIB on Nov. 15,
Ten years after Ukrainians took to the streets their dissatisfaction with what many saw as a nail into the coffin of the country's European future, the European Council president was in Kyiv promising that Ukraine would soon begin accession talks. "My goal is to do everything to make a positive
As a Harvard historian, Serhii Plokhy comfortably analyzes timelines that span centuries. But in his work on the war in Ukraine, keeping up with monthly developments has been a challenge. After finishing his latest book “The Russo-Ukrainian War” early this year, Plokhy wrote a new afterword at the end of
Bulgaria has had to walk a fine line, trying to covertly support Ukraine without provoking Russia. The Balkan state has been historically influenced by Moscow. Opinions on Ukraine are split among its 6.7 million people, many of whom buy into Kremlin propaganda. The new coalition government elected in June
One of Ukraine's worst fears appears to have come to pass: a key ally announced a halt to military aid. Slovakia, Ukraine's small eastern neighbor of 5.4 million people, gave generously from its Soviet-era arsenal and welcomed Ukrainian refugees after the full-scale war began. Now, a recent election handed
In order to rebuild the country following Russia’s brutal invasion, Ukraine will have to attract billions to its private sector. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) — the investment arm of the World Bank — believes that if Ukraine manages to reform some of its key sectors and liberalize its markets, it
Ukraine is now one step closer to its strategic goal of becoming a member of the European Union. On Nov. 8, the European Commission published its annual enlargement report. In it, the commission confirmed that Ukraine had completed enough of the steps laid out in seven recommendations it received from
Almost 43,000 women are now serving in Ukraine's military, according to the country’s Defense Ministry. They volunteered to fight, as unlike with men, there is no obligatory conscription for women in Ukraine.
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