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Just hours after being bombed, we asked people in Kyiv about Witkoff's praise of Putin

Just hours after being bombed, we asked people in Kyiv about Witkoff's praise of Putin

On Oct. 21, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff gushingly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for being a "humanitarian." Just a few hours later, Kyiv once again came under a fresh barrage of devastating Russian missiles, killing at least one person and injuring over 20. "We thought this was a war and the destruction of Ukraine, but it turns out to be an act of humanity," Nataliia Stativko, a former journalist, told the Kyiv Independent on a street devastated by one of the missiles. . "Now
On Borrowed Time: Ukraine's Economy in the War's Fifth Winter – KI Insights monthly briefing

On Borrowed Time: Ukraine's Economy in the War's Fifth Winter – KI Insights monthly briefing

Ukraine is heading into 2027 with a rising fiscal gap. Growth forecasts have been cut, inflation is rising, and the need for external financing seems to just keep going up. The economy is being squeezed by a labor market drained by mobilization and emigration, energy infrastructure has been decimated, and the IMF is pressing to increase revenues. How these pressures are managed over the coming months will shape not only Ukraine's fiscal stability but also its ability to keep financing the war.
Inside the institution where Ukraine races to counter Russia's evolving drones

Inside the institution where Ukraine races to counter Russia's evolving drones

In a government office, researchers of drones and electronic warfare gather around a small metal device recovered from a Russian Geran drone. Its purpose —  to measure the Earth’s magnetic field for navigation. "This is the most recent component we found, about a week or two ago," said one of the researchers. Outside, a Russian drone’s jet engine roared — a sound that has become almost constant in Kyiv in recent months as advances in drone technology allow Russia to strike farther, more often
How Ukraine outmaneuvered Russian troops in Operation Vivaldi
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Inside Ukraine's secret counteroffensive in heavily fortified Donbas

Editor's note: Most of the Ukrainian soldiers and commanders interviewed are identified by their callsigns, in accordance with military protocols. KHARKIV OBLAST — Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr had already narrowly survived crossing a mine-strewn field and a river in the crosshairs of Russian artillery when the swarm of first-person-view (FPV) drones began hunting him. "If I'm honest, I was convinced they were going to kill us," the 37-year-old told the Kyiv Independent while chain-smoking cigar
New Poland-Ukraine dispute looms as local authorities move to honor UPA military leader
Poland

New Poland-Ukraine dispute looms as local authorities move to honor UPA military leader

Warsaw has denounced Lviv Oblast authorities' plans to honor the World War II-era Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and its military leader, Roman Shukhevych. The move signals a fresh rift in the already strained Kyiv-Warsaw ties just days after President Volodymyr Zelensky said the relations had finally improved. The council of the western Ukrainian region adopted decrees on Oct. 20 symbolically declaring 2027 as the Year of the UPA, the Year of Shukhevych, and the Year of Oleh Olzhych, a Ukrain
Ukraine war latest: Zelensky supports resuming trilateral peace talks with US, Russia after Putin claims Kremlin readiness

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky supports resuming trilateral peace talks with US, Russia after Putin claims Kremlin readiness

Key developments on Oct. 21: * Zelensky supports resuming trilateral peace talks with US, Russia after Putin claims Kremlin readiness * 'Everything was in ruins' — At least 2 killed, 2 injured in Russian drone attack on Kyiv * Russian Su-30 fighter jet crashes in Kaliningrad Oblast during training exercises, Moscow says * Lockheed Martin delegation meets Ukraine's defense chiefs in Kyiv amid severe Patriot shortage * Denmark guarantees $113 million loan for Ukrainian defense company Fire P
Stay or flee? Kyiv mothers torn on how to keep children safe as Russian attacks step up
Human toll

Stay or flee? Kyiv mothers torn on how to keep children safe as Russian attacks step up

Anna Lodyhina, a mother of a 5-year-old, spent many nights on the cold floor of Kyiv's metro, driven there — like many others — by relentless Russian attacks. As her child slept, she watched over him, exhausted by the constant threat and lack of sleep. This is just a glimpse of what Ukrainian mothers have been facing daily as Russia intensified its drone and missile campaign against Kyiv over the summer and early autumn. Mothers are now confronted with the same question they faced almost five
The net gun built for civilians in Ukraine’s kill zone

The net gun built for civilians in Ukraine’s kill zone

At a training with the Ukrainian National Guard’s Omega unit, engineers from the defense tech company BlueBird Tech describe how to use their net gun, named Chipa, to entangle an approaching drone’s propellers. The soldiers rehearse encounters with approaching first-person-view (FPV) drones, monitoring a handheld detector as they walk. Once they spot a drone, one soldier who goes by the callsign Poliak (Ukrainian for "Pole"), pulls the safety pin and takes aim with the net gun, while the others