Ukraine's Air Force lost contact with an F-16 fighter jet during a combat mission on July 29 after the aircraft experienced an in-flight emergency, the military said.

The escalating tensions between Ukraine and Iran over the past few days have prompted fears of a military conflict between the two countries. Kyiv and Tehran have many reasons to be at odds with each other. Iran has supported Russia's war effort against Ukraine since 2022, while Ukraine responded recently by backing the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. The most recent escalation was prompted by a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea on July 25. However, analysts say that ne

Key developments on July 29: * Ukraine's General Staff announces audit of unit staffing, manpower allocation, as Drapatyi takes charge * Major oil refinery, Wildberries warehouse hit in Ukrainian strikes on Russia's Ryazan Oblast * Putin no longer holds upper hand in war, still won't budge on ceasefire, Zelensky says * Russian forces kill bread van driver in Kherson as attacks injure 30 across Ukraine over past day * Death toll from Russian strike on Kyiv arms exhibition rises to 12, Prose

President Volodymyr Zelensky rarely misses a daily address. Nearly every evening, he sits behind the desk in his office, a wall of military chevrons behind him, and delivers a video monologue to the nation through his social media channels. What he rarely offers, however, is a dialogue with the Ukrainian people and answers to the most pressing questions. Zelensky has proved to be an effective communicator on the international stage, but domestic politics has long been his weak point. The presi

Andrey Cherezov was attacked in the entrance of his apartment building, where an assailant fired three shots before fleeing the scene.

"The key goal is to assess the actual state of manning in brigades, regiments, and corps, analyze the effectiveness of personnel distribution among units, and identify ways to improve personnel management," the General Staff's announcement read.

Editor's Note: This story is part of the "Hidden Canon"  – a special series celebrating Ukrainian classic literature and aiming to bring it to a wider international audience. The series is supported by the Ukrainian Institute. One late morning in May 1933, the 39-year-old Ukrainian author Mykola Khvylovy excused himself from the guests in his apartment, telling his fellow writers that he would fetch his new manuscript to read to them. Instead, upon entering his study, he shot himself in the he

The Kyiv Independent’s Jimmy Rushton speaks with MAGA influencer Laura Loomer during her visit to Kyiv about the dramatic shift in her stance on Ukraine after years of opposing U.S. military aid to the country, spreading Russian propaganda narratives, and cooperating with Russian state media outlets such as Russia Today (RT).

The visit is President Volodymyr Zelensky's first to Poland since President Karol Nawrocki revoked the Ukrainian leader's honorary Order of the White Eagle.

The strike hit a site where an arms exhibition was taking place, killing civilians and injuring more than 100 people, many of them representatives of Ukraine’s defense industry.

In the summer of 2016, Russia's security services gained unprecedented access to citizens' private calls, messages, and photos. The so-called Yarovaya laws demanded that telecoms companies store user data and hand it over to Russia's security services on request — even without a court order. For activists, the danger of such laws was obvious. The illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea had taken place two years prior; politician Boris Nemtsov had been gunned down in view of the Kremlin in 2015,

President Volodymyr Zelensky's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump took place in what Ukrainian officials described as a warm atmosphere, but it produced few results for Kyiv, people familiar with the discussions told the Kyiv Independent. The one breakthrough may have been persuading Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — Trump's two main envoys on Russia and Ukraine — to finally visit Kyiv after months of shuttling to Moscow. One U.S. official familiar with the planning cautioned that the tr

Editor's note: This article has been adapted from stories we shared on social media and via email for the launch of the Kyiv Independent's first vyshyvanka, one of the items featured in the Old Patterns, New Stories: Embroidered Collection. You can see the collection here, and sign up to get updates on new collections and special discounts from our store here. Ukrainians have worn vyshyvankas — traditional embroidered shirts or dresses — throughout history, particularly for special occasions li

The fatality was reported during Thursday morning rush hour, when a drone struck a bread delivery van in central Kherson and killed its driver.

The figure includes 1,310 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

"The President and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"Now, the initiative is not in the hands of Putin," Zelensky said in an interview with Fox News following his White House meeting on July 28.

Ukraine launched "a massive drone attack" against Ryazan on July 29, local officials said. Residents reported large-scale fires at the Ryazan Oil Refinery and a Wildberries warehouse complex.

The current draft of the sanctions legislation represents a watered-down version of the measures originally proposed by Graham. It also targets Iran, per Trump's demand.

A major iron mining complex in Kryvyi Rih has suspended excavation work amid Russian strikes on maritime logistics, the company announced July 28.

"I emphasised the necessity to refrain from any escalatory steps, as well as to end any support for Russia's war against Ukraine. This war is illegal, and it must end," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.

Key developments on July 28: * Ukraine strikes Russian fuel storage facility of 'national importance' in Udmurt Republic, General Staff says * Moscow Oblast industrial plant reportedly struck by Ukrainian drones, blackout in occupied Crimea * Zelensky says meeting with Trump was 'good,' covered Patriot licenses, diplomacy * 2 Skelia soldiers charged with torturing comrades as abuse investigation widens * Ukraine brought back almost 50 children from Russian-occupied territory in July Ukrai

"However, thousands of children remain trapped under occupation, where they are forced to forget their roots and are openly being prepared for war. But we will not stop," a Save Ukraine statement read.

Russia's war on Ukraine has yet to end because Russia keeps waging it. It is shocking, though regrettably unsurprising, that in the fifth summer since the 2022 escalation by the aggressor, and 12 years since Russia first invaded Ukraine, pundits, scholars, and unscrupulous politicians still offer "solutions" to resolve a "conflict," pointing up and calling it down while ignoring basic facts and laundering the Kremlin's lies in plain sight. To offer blood, sweat, and tears would be decidedly ou

The investigation followed a report by the Ukrainian outlet Babel, which alleged widespread abuse within the regiment and documented at least 26 noncombat deaths among recruits between late 2025 and spring 2026.

The claim by Iraq, where Iran wields significant political and military influence, comes amid heightened tensions between Kyiv and Tehran.

"Support the entrepreneurs with an order," the billboard read, according to footage published by Crimean Wind Telegram channel.

The stretch of road, part of the pan-European E40 highway, is also one of the two main logistics routes from Kyiv to front-line areas in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian drones targeted a Moscow Oblast steel fabrication plant, and a blackout was reported in occupied Crimea amid overnight strikes on July 28, according to monitoring channels.

In an overnight assault, Russian forces launched 131 drones across Ukraine, the Air Force said. It added that Ukrainian air defenses downed 107 drones over the north, south, center, and east of the country.

U.S. conservative influencer Laura Loomer says she spoke with President Donald Trump from Ukraine after interviewing President Volodymyr Zelensky, offering a rare glimpse into how one of Trump's closest informal advisers is reassessing her views on Kyiv. In an interview with the Kyiv Independent, Loomer said she called Trump after meeting Zelensky and plans to brief him again upon returning to Washington, sharing what she witnessed firsthand during Russia's full-scale invasion. "I spoke to the

The General Staff said the strike hit the target, triggering a fire at the site. It added that the facility lies more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from Ukraine's border.