Stolar fled abroad more than a month ago and faces the charges of organized crime, embezzlement, corporate raiding, forgery, and hacking.

Key findings: * A Ukrainian state-owned bank, seized from a Russian owner in 2023, was allegedly turned into a tool for insider corruption. * A senior aide to President  Volodymyr Zelensky, Iryna Mudra, pressed to install a favored, conflicted candidate on the bank's oversight board. * Two officials who vetted him warned he had ties to a previous bank failure and a conflict of interest, but he was appointed anyway. * The bank's rushed, low-scrutiny nationalization made it easier to quietly

This is the third attack on a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova in the last two weeks.

"We recall that rule of law and the fight against corruption is an essential element for any country to join the European Union," European Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert told the Kyiv Independent on Aug. 25.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told parliament on Aug. 24 that Yerevan will soon launch its bid to join the European Union, as the country seeks to further distance itself from Russia.

Speculation about another mobilization has intensified in recent months as Russia’s battlefield gains slow and its voluntary recruitment system struggles to compensate for mounting losses.

Robert Kocharyan, Armenia's president from 1998 until 2008, leads the Armenia Alliance, one of the main Moscow-friendly political forces opposing Armenia's pro-EU Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

He said that "it is very important for women, as part of society, to serve," adding he saw no problem with the idea "personally or professionally."

Dan Negrea, a U.S. envoy to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, instead called upon "both sides" to cease any strikes that might pose a risk to civilian vessels.

The High Anti-Corruption Court on Aug. 25 placed Iryna Mudra, a former deputy head of the President's Office, in custody for two months in a graft case and set bail at Hr 20 million ($448,000).

Polish diplomat Michal Miarka underscored recent violations of the Polish, Romanian, and Latvian airspace, saying they cannot be accepted as the "new normal."

The figure includes 1,230 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham and other European leaders plan to lobby U.S. President Donald Trump next month to provide Ukraine access to U.S. stockpiles of Patriot missiles, Burnham said on Aug. 24.

Ukraine's military launched an attack on Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on Aug. 25, reportedly striking the Afipsky Oil Refinery, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

Bradley Townsend, 33, was reportedly killed by an FPV drone in Donetsk Oblast two months after he joined the Russian military.

Concepts included "civic volunteerism" from the U.S., the British idiom "keep calm and carry on," and Ukraine's "sophiynist" — a philosophy of resilience that involves translating emotional and intellectual understanding into action.

The new agreement gives the U.K. access to Ukraine's AI Avengers Labs, which contains a trove of real-world battlefield data for training AI defense systems. The U.K. will be the first foreign partner to access the dataset.

The president revealed that Ukraine produces about 200-300 drones a day — but needs to churn out over three times that number to stay competitive with Moscow.

For years, NATO countries have watched Russian drones breach their airspace, reluctant to shoot them down for fear of escalation. That restraint is now beginning to erode. After Russian drones injured civilians in Romania, while Russian electronic jamming continued diverting Ukrainian drones toward critical infrastructure in the Baltic region, NATO fighter jets finally began shooting intruders down. But using expensive air-to-air missiles to destroy cheap, one-way Geran and Gerbera drones is h

"They began recruiting me, threatening me in every possible way, humiliating me, saying some very unpleasant things, threatening to kill my family, and telling me that I would never in my life be able to prove who killed my mother," Rita Flores said.

Key developments on Aug. 24: * Russian drone strikes residential building in central Chernihiv, injuring at least 20, including 3 children, on Ukraine's Independence Day * Ukraine hits Ozon logistics centers, rocket fuel plant, MiG-29 fighter jet in Russia, military says * Russia reacts to UK sharing Storm Shadow blueprints with Ukraine * 10 Ukrainian soldiers believed missing return home from Russian captivity in 'special exchange' * EU greenlights $7 billion in defense loans on Ukraine I

"That's the war of Russia against the West, the EU, and NATO, as we've seen," Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said on Aug. 24.

As Ukraine captures global attention with dramatic strikes on Russia’s oil infrastructure and e-commerce giants Wildberries and Ozon, Russia has unleashed its most devastating campaign yet against Ukraine’s economic infrastructure.

U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to formally announce the decision during his visit to Kyiv on Ukraine's Independence Day, his first overseas trip since taking office.

Two had been considered missing since 2024, while the other eight had been missing since 2025, Ukraine's Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said.

Editor's note: Because both authors were direct participants in the events described, they are referred to by their first names — Nadia and Robert — throughout, to distinguish their individual roles and recollections. Neither the United States nor any other country recognized Ukrainian independence when, on Aug. 24, 1991, the Verkhovna Rada adopted its Act of the Declaration of the Independence of Ukraine. That fact is worth remembering. Why? Because passage of the Declaration reflected a shar

"Cynical strike by Russian terrorists on a residential building in Chernihiv. Right in the middle of the day — on Independence Day," Chernihiv Oblast Governor Viacheslav Chaus said.

At the center of Berlin's Pariser Platz, home to the Brandenburg Gate and meters away from the German Parliament, stands a large anti-drone net, there to highlight just how fragile Ukraine's air defenses can be.

Three Ozon warehouses were hit in Dagestan, Stavropol Krai and Adygea, Russian independent media outlet Astra reported. Ozon shares fell 12% following the Ukrainian strikes, according to the report.

As Ukraine celebrates its 35th Independence Day on Aug. 24, 2026, the staff of the Kyiv Independent share their favorite fact about Ukrainian history, culture, their hometown, or a famous Ukrainian — some of whom, you might be surprised to learn are from Ukraine. 1. The geographic center of Europe is in Ukraine A stone monument near the village of Dilove in Zakarpattia Oblast marks the spot officially recognized by Austro-Hungarian cartographers in 1887 as the geographical center of Europe. Th

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has no further details, and the information that was made public was sufficient to dismiss Iryna Mudra as deputy head of the President’s Office.

Russia launched two Oniks anti-ship missiles, six Kh-31P and Kh-59 guided air-launched missiles, as well as 143 drones and other aerial targets overnight on Aug. 24, according to Ukraine's Air Force.