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Ukraine alarmed as US pushes peace framework aligning with Moscow demands
 (Updated:  

Ukraine alarmed as US pushes peace framework aligning with Moscow demands

U.S. President Donald Trump is mounting yet another push to end Russia's war against Ukraine, as Washington begins testing a new peace framework that has already sparked unease among Ukrainian officials. A source in the President's Office told the Kyiv Independent that a new peace plan is being crafted by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who's been in direct contact with Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's senior economic negotiator. An Axios source in the Trump administration confirmed that the U.S. i
What the $105m US-Ukraine Patriot deal actually means

What the $105m US-Ukraine Patriot deal actually means

As Russian aerial attacks show no sign of slowing, Ukraine’s ability to not just maintain, but modernize its air defense systems like the U.S.-made Patriot, has become essential for long-term survival. A new $105 million U.S. package aims to do just that — help Ukraine upgrade and sustain its most advanced air defense system in what promises to be a long and grinding war. The U.S. Department of State greenlit the potential Foreign Military Sale (FMS) on Nov. 19, following a request from the Uk
Ukraine war latest: Ukraine strike on Novorossiysk snarls Russian Black Sea oil exports
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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine strike on Novorossiysk snarls Russian Black Sea oil exports

Hello, this is Kateryna Hodunova reporting from Kyiv on day 1,365 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story so far: Ukraine’s Nov. 14 strike on Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, one of Moscow’s main oil export hubs, has delayed oil shipments by two to three days after damaging a jetty at the Sheskharis oil harbor, Reuters reported on Nov. 18, citing its sources. Novorossiysk and a neighboring Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal, which together handle about one-fift
As corruption scandal hits, Zelensky's party lawmakers side with opposition, demand answers, powers
Politics

As corruption scandal hits, Zelensky's party lawmakers side with opposition, demand answers, powers

Some lawmakers from President Volodymyr Zelensky's party called on Nov. 19 for creating a government of national unity that would include members of the opposition. Around 10 pro-government lawmakers have allegedly signed an open letter urging the president to restore the parliament's authority and the power of the cabinet of ministers, long overshadowed by the President's Office, now embroiled in the biggest corruption scandal of Zelensky's presidency. David Arakhamia, head of the governing S
Ukraine’s biggest wartime corruption scandal, explained
Video

Ukraine’s biggest wartime corruption scandal, explained.

The Kyiv Independent’s Oleksiy Sorokin sits down with Daria Kaleniuk, executive director of Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Center, to discuss Ukraine’s biggest wartime corruption scandal, which involves people from President Volodymyr Zelensky's circle and several government officials.
Serbia’s indirect arms sales to Ukraine highlight fractures in its longstanding relationship with Russia
Europe

Serbia’s indirect arms sales to Ukraine highlight fractures in its longstanding relationship with Russia

Serbia's foreign policy has long been one of multiple vectors, rooted in a balancing act between the West, Russia, and China. But the war in Ukraine and mounting pressure from both sides suggest this strategy may no longer be sustainable. Caught between U.S. sanctions, stalled EU accession, and Russian gas blackmail, Belgrade uses indirect arms sales to Ukraine as leverage — as well as a chance to fill the pockets of Serbian arms makers. Just months after freezing arms exports under pressure
Reporting from the front is getting even harder
Opinion

Reporting from the front is getting even harder

Over the past few years, I’ve spent much of my time on the road — from Pokrovsk, Kupiansk, Sudzha, and the villages and fields in between — documenting what Russia’s war looks like for the people fighting it and caught in its storm. Our trips out in front-line areas can get a bit hairy sometimes, whether it’s glide bombs hitting a few hundred meters away in Vovchansk, our driver disappearing in Selydove, or nearly falling out of a speeding pick-up truck while chased by Russian drones on our way
Why Russia cannot help but invade
Opinion

Why Russia cannot help but invade

The planned Trump-Putin summit in Budapest has been shelved. The White House says there's no point meeting unless "we're going to make a deal." Some view this as a setback for diplomacy, but it may well be the clearest moment in a long struggle to curb Russia's appetite for war. Russian President Vladimir Putin made the decision to invade first in 2014 and then again in 2022. Western policy has long assumed that peace depends on his will. Under U.S. President Donald Trump, that belief was paire
Is Zelensky finally ready to fire his notorious right-hand man, Andriy Yermak?
 (Updated:  Politics

Who is Andriy Yermak and can Ukraine’s new corruption scandal finally sink him?

President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has consolidated an unprecedented level of power within Ukraine's government — wielding influence across parliament, the Cabinet, and key state institutions. Despite his dominance, however, Yermak has remained a controversial figure, often viewed with skepticism both inside Ukraine and abroad. Yermak's reach extends into law enforcement through trusted deputies and places him at the center of high-level diplomatic meetings, frequent
Ukraine war latest: Russia has forcibly mobilized more than 46,000 Ukrainians from occupied territories, official says
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Ukraine war latest live: Congress to move on legislating Russia sanctions bill following Trump's 'blessing,' US Senator Graham says

Hello, this is Tania Myronyshena reporting from Kyiv on day 1,364 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: Russia has forcibly mobilized 46,327 Ukrainian citizens from Russian-occupied territories and annexed Crimea, Dmytro Usov, secretary of Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, said at the international Crimea Global conference on Nov. 18. As of June 1, 2025, Ukrainian authorities established that Russia drafted 5,368 people in occu
Chart of the week: Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine keep rising

Chart of the week: Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine keep rising

Last week, Russia launched a large-scale aerial attack on Kyiv, pummeling the capital with hundreds of drones and multiple missiles. At least seven people were killed, and 29 were injured. The strike came two weeks after the previous large-scale assault — an interval that, for numbed Kyiv residents, felt like a long respite from the now-routine attacks. Russia has sharply increased attacks on Ukrainian cities in 2025. With winter approaching, recent attacks have largely focused on the country'
Editorial: Zelensky can fix this crisis — but he has to change how he leads
Editorial

Editorial: Zelensky can fix this crisis — but he has to change how he leads

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing the second-biggest test of his presidency — and it may prove even trickier than leading the country's resistance against Russia. But it is this challenge that will determine whether he goes down in history as simply a brave man or a principled leader truly worthy of this country. As Ukraine is entering its toughest winter ever, Zelensky needs to urgently right several wrongs, or it could cost the country its very existence. A recent corruption
Destroy. Fix. Repeat: Russia is creating a devastating doom loop inside Ukraine’s energy system

Destroy. Fix. Repeat: Russia is creating a devastating doom loop inside Ukraine’s energy system

Within weeks of Russia's full-scale invasion, Oleksiy Povolotskiy found himself suddenly in charge of the recovery office at one of Ukraine's largest energy companies. His task: source replacements for energy equipment destroyed or damaged by Russian attacks. Povolotskiy says that at first, he and his colleagues at DTEK had to guess the email addresses of their European counterparts, whom they'd never needed to contact before. After a few successes, they began building an impressive address boo
Ukraine war latest: Russia bombed itself 8 times in 11 days, HUR intercepted call suggests
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Ukraine war latest live: 'Hell on Earth' — military releases pictures of devastated Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast

Hello, this is Yuliia Taradiuk reporting from Kyiv on day 1,363 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: A Russian woman living in Belgorod Oblast has said that Russian Forces dropped eight bombs in the area over the course of 11 days, according to an intercepted call released by Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) on Nov. 17. Belgorod oblast borders Ukraine and often comes under attack as it is one of the regions from which Russian forces launch missile and drone atta
Several law enforcement agencies come under fire over alleged involvement in Ukraine's biggest graft scheme
Politics

Several law enforcement agencies come under fire over alleged involvement in Ukraine's biggest graft scheme

Several law enforcement agencies were lambasted by a parliamentary commission on Nov. 17 for failing to investigate their employees' alleged involvement in a large-scale corruption scheme at state nuclear power company Energoatom. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has charged eight suspects with bribery, embezzlement, and illicit enrichment in the Energoatom case. The alleged ringleader is Timur Mindich, a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Law enforcement officials are