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Exclusive: We discovered what's going on inside Russia's shadow fleet
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Exclusive: We discovered what's going on inside Russia's shadow fleet

by Tanya Kozyreva

The vessels are old, their hulls streaked with rust, and their ownership obscured behind layers of shell companies. Yet the tankers that make up Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, the armada used to move sanctioned oil across the globe, are kept running with modern Western technology including Starlink, an investigation by the Kyiv Independent can reveal. To gain an insight into how the shadow fleet operates, the Kyiv Independent spoke to two Ukrainian sailors who claim they unwittingly became p

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What's a FOP, and why are the IMF and Ukraine fighting over it?

Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared in the Ukraine Business Roundup, our weekly newsletter on what's shaping Ukraine's businesses and economy. Sign up here. After months of failing to pass a range of measures needed to unlock billions in stalled donor funding, Ukraine’s parliament made a small dent in the long list of reforms this week. But there was one piece of regulation conspicuously absent from the agenda. As part of a new $8.1 billion International Monetary Fund loan

Ukraine tempers expectations as Hungary's election nears

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Russia's rhetoric on the Iran war reveals it's losing

At a March meeting on Operation Epic Fury, European Council President Antonio Costa said, "There is only one winner in this war: Russia." Europe is right to be worried about Russian gains in this war. But this analysis is short-sighted and overlooks a central fact: the Kremlin is watching a key chess piece slip from the board, and its anxiety, not Europe's, should dictate the terms of this conflict. Despite its modest effort to aid Iran, Russia has failed to meet operational objectives on the

Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, on March 26, 2026.

Key Ukraine events (13-19 April): Easter ceasefire, security agreements with Gulf countries

Editor's note: This article is a shortened on-site version of KI Insights' public newsletter. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events delivered directly to your inbox every Friday. The Week Ahead Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. The week ahead will be shaped by uncertainty around a proposed Easter ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Diplomatic activity may intensify, including a potential visit of U.S. envoys to Kyiv. At the same

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (left) and U.S. businessman Jared Kushner (center) in Davos on January 19, 2026.

About Russia

The Kyiv Independent’s coverage of news on Russia. Spanning eleven time zones across Eastern Europe and Asia, Russia has an estimated population of 146 million people. Russia’s capital city is Moscow, which is home to almost one in 10 Russians. Russia’s official currency is the Russian Ruble.

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Editor’s Note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first name and call sign only. ZAPORIZHZHIA OBLAST – For tonight's clearing mission on the cold windy steppe of southern Ukraine, the munition of choice is the Spear. In a cramped dugout less than eight kilometers from Russian forces, Ukrainian soldiers prepare the bombs, taping wires and tail fins onto long tubes of black steel fitted with menacing iron spikes

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