The AfD's victory in Saxony-Anhalt represents the first far-right state government in Germany since World War II.

The Orlivka–Isaccea crossing links Ukraine’s Odesa Oblast with NATO and EU member Romania across the Danube River, which has become Kyiv's primary grain export route amid Russian attacks.

The latest peace talks in Kyiv and Moscow did not appear to yield a diplomatic breakthrough. "We expect the war will continue," Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine is counting on U.S. energy and air defense support this winter.

Key developments on Sept. 5-6: * 'The war will continue' — US peace push fails to achieve deal after Witkoff, Kushner's first visit to Kyiv * US envoys Witkoff, Kushner conclude over 3-hour talks with Putin on ending Russia's war * Russia, Ukraine agree to halt aerial strikes on each other's capitals during US envoys' visits * Russia 'deliberately' targeted Kyiv, Boryspil airports ahead of US envoys' visit, Zelensky says * Ukrainian drones strike Russia's Ryazan oil refinery, Rostov air de

Trump will consult with his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, before calling Putin and then speaking with President Volodymyr Zelensky, a U.S. official told the Kyiv Independent. The calls will likely take place on Sept. 7.

Russia's foreign minister claimed Germany has started "a real war" after his country was accused of launching explosive-laden drones at Leipzig Airport.

In this report, the Kyiv Independent's Nick Allard and Asami Terajima travel across Zaporizhzhia, a major industrial hub in southeastern Ukraine, to document how residents are adapting to increasingly frequent Russian attacks.

"I have no involvement whatsoever in covering up illegal call centers, I have not issued any instructions to facilitate such activities, and I have not used the powers of the Prosecutor General for this purpose," Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said.

"In 2026, the U.N. should not need a reminder: Crimea is Ukraine," said Ukrainian lawmaker Kira Rudik.

"If women can fight, why not?... (but) they should volunteer to fight," said Meaghan Mobbs, the daughter of Keith Kellogg and president of an NGO helping foreign soldiers in Ukraine.

Russian attacks sparked fires in the Kyiv region overnight, but officials did not report any hits in the city of Kyiv as U.S envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to arrive to discuss peace talks.

Ukraine has now downed more than half a million aerial drones since the full-scale invasion began, according to the General Staff.

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner concluded more than three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Sept. 5. No immediate details on the outcome of the talks were announced.

Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in Ryazan and targeted other cities across Russia overnight on Sept. 6, monitoring channels and authorities reported.

Russia has continued arresting members of the Yabloko opposition party, detaining two candidates on Sept. 4 as parliamentary elections approach, the party announced.

According to the fund, the 58-year-old sustained blast injuries near the village of Skvortsovo in Crimea’s Simferopol district.

Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said the strike killed nearly an entire family: a 19-year-old woman, an 11-year-old boy, and a 45-year-old man.

The announcement came hours after U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner landed in Moscow for talks with Putin.

The group allegedly received systematic bribes in exchange for allowing fraudulent call centers to operate without interference. The call centers targeted both Ukrainian citizens and foreigners, investigators said.

"Deliberately, for the first time in a long while," Zelensky said, describing the strikes as a response to discussions about the possibility of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arriving in Ukraine by plane.

An air raid alert was activated in Kyiv at around 3 p.m. local time, followed by explosions in the city center about half an hour later.

Russia attacked the city of Kamianske in the early hours of Sept. 5, killing four people and injuring five others, regional Governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported. Three of the victims have been hospitalized, with one in intensive care.

Some of the attacks came after Ukraine reportedly ordered its troops to pause hostilities for four days as U.S. envoys prepared to visit Kyiv and Moscow for talks aimed at ending the war.

The figure includes 1,260 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day, according to the General Staff.

Grain prices spiked 2.5 points in August from the previous month, partly due to "continued uncertainty surrounding Black Sea export flows," the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization reported.

In Boryspil, just 29 kilometers (18 miles) east of Kyiv, two women were injured in the attack, according to Kyiv City Administration Head Tymur Tkachenko. Both victims have been hospitalized.

Units of Ukraine's army were ordered to halt fighting Sept. 5-8, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Sept. 4, citing sources in the military, as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to visit Kyiv and Moscow over the coming days.

The criminal organization is "involved in protecting a network of fraudulent call centers and laundering illicit assets," the NABU said.

The violent standoff between Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and the military intelligence agency (HUR) on Sept. 2 exposed two dysfunctions of Ukraine's law enforcement and security system. One is the long-running conflict between the two intelligence agencies: although competition among secret services is common worldwide, shootouts that result in injuries are far more troubling than a routine institutional rivalry. The conflicts between Ukraine's two security agencies "have gotten out of co

As Russia continues its non-stop aerial onslaught against Kyiv, disinformation online alleges that citizens are fleeing in droves, painting a picture of collapse and panic.

An air raid alert was activated in Kyiv at around 3 p.m. local time, followed by explosions in the city center about half an hour later. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the attack damaged a non-residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district, without providing further details.

In this video, the Kyiv Independent’s Zhenia Doluba speaks with Kyiv residents about how they are coping with Russia’s relentless attacks and the growing exhaustion caused by the significantly increased number of air raid alerts.