In the fifth year of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the Russian pavilion is set to return to the Venice Art Biennale with a “musical festival come to life” that serves as “a space for dialogue and exchange.” The pavilion was effectively canceled in 2022 after the artists and curator chosen to represent Russia withdrew in protest of the invasion. At the time, the organizers of the Biennale released a statement praising the decision and condemning “all those who use violence to prevent

A leader of the anti-government 2020 protests in Belarus, Maria Kalesnikava, reemerged from prison with a message that has polarized many: Europe must reengage with Belarus’s dictator, Alexander Lukashenko. Human lives, Europe’s security, and Belarus’ future are at stake, Kalesnikava argues. After suppressing nationwide protests in 2020, and turning to Russia’s Vladimir Putin for support while doing so, Lukashenko became an international pariah — one whose isolation only deepened as Belarus bec

Russia attacked Kharkiv, Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles and drones overnight on March 7, targeting energy infrastructure.

The units of Ukraine's military intelligence and the Armed Forces have stopped Russia's advance toward the city of Zaporizhzhia as part of a three-month defensive operation in the country's south, HUR claimed on March 7.

Ukrainian forces targeted a Russian site used for the storage, preparation, and launch of Shahed-type drones with Western long-range missiles near the airport in occupied Donetsk, the General Staff reported on March 7.

Russia launched 480 drones, including Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles, and 29 missiles, including hypersonic Zircon anti-ship missile and Iskander-M ballistic missiles, overnight, the Air Force reported.

The number includes 1,010 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on March 6 that Washington is considering lifting some sanctions on Russian oil to address a global supply shortage linked to recent military operations in Iran.

"At the moment, they are already safe and have crossed the Ukrainian border," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.

Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces confirmed that two Russian Black Sea Fleet frigates, Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov, were damaged during a Ukrainian strike on the Russian naval base in Novorossiysk on March 2.

One unnamed U.S. official described the support as "comprehensive," the Washington Post reported.

The War Crimes Investigations Unit of the Kyiv Independent marks its third anniversary today: three years of documenting, exposing, and investigating war crimes committed during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced the program with Ukrainian real estate developer Stolitsa Group on March 6.

Key developments on March 6: * Ukraine secures release of 300 POWs, 2 civilians in second stage of exchange with Russia * 'Russians preparing spring offensive' — Zelensky visits Donetsk Oblast, meets commanders amid risk of new Russian push * Ukrainian drones successfully hit Russian aircraft repair plant in occupied Crimea, SBU says * Ukraine's HUR releases video of strikes on Russian military assets in occupied Crimea Ukraine has secured the release of 300 prisoners of war and two civili

At the moment the grey mass of radio static gives way to a clear image on the drone detector screen, the hunter still seems deceptively far away. Looking down on the central neighbourhood of Kherson from a bird’s-eye view, it remains unclear where the Russian drone is coming from or who it is stalking. Catching the analog radio signal of the first-person-view (FPV) drone’s video transmitter, the detector shows exactly what the Russian pilot sees through his goggles as he flies from the occupi

"The Russians are not abandoning the war, and here, in Donetsk Oblast, they are preparing an offensive for the spring," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"It doesn't matter to us what they have done in the past in the combat field," International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons said.

Editor's note: This article is a shortened on-site version of KI Insights' public newsletter, The Week Ahead, covering events from March 9-15. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events delivered directly to your inbox every week. Audio version of The Week Ahead is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. The crisis in the Middle East is likely to intensify next week, with serious implications for Ukraine due to critical shortages of missile intercep

The long-range drones hit the production workshops of the Yevpatoria Aircraft Repair Plant, located in western Crimea, as well as two Pantsir-S2 systems near a Russian military airfield in Dzhankoi, which sits in the peninsula's northeast, according to the SBU source.

Americans like to believe they are exceptional — a pioneer nation born in revolution, animated by liberty, individual freedom, and committed to the democratic separation of powers. In the spring of 2022, at a refugee camp on the Polish-Ukrainian border, I began to suspect that this belief, while powerful, may no longer describe us as accurately as we assume. I was at the Medyka crossing for only two weeks, but the experience changed me forever. Decades earlier, I had been a Soviet Studies majo

Peter Magyar, the leader of the Tisza Party, urged EU leadership to "sever all ties with Ukraine until President Zelensky clarifies his words and apologizes to all Hungarian citizens for his statements."

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian courts have convicted thousands of people of collaboration and treason. The Kyiv Independent’s Kateryna Hodunova and Olena Zashko report from a penal colony in southeastern Ukraine that holds women who sided with Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 5 he hopes the blocking of a 90 billion euro ($107 billion) European Union loan for Ukraine by "one person" will end, warning that otherwise he could give that individual's address to Ukraine's military.

Since Dmytro Volynets studied mechanical engineering at university over a decade ago, he's worked in retail, call centers, and on a warehouse floor. Unable to join the army due to a spine injury, the 35-year-old has struggled to find a coherent career path related to his studies — even as several industries offering high paying jobs face labour shortages. In large part because of Russia's full-scale invasion, Volynets' story is typical right now in Ukraine — despite possessing some of the high

"We have stopped gasoline shipments to Ukraine, we are not delivering diesel either; we are still supplying electricity for now, and we will also stop the goods important to Ukraine that pass through Hungary," Orban said on Kossuth Radio.

The youngest freed serviceman is 26, captured at 22 in 2022, while the oldest is 60.

Among the reported targets were a Project 22460 patrol ship.

Ukrenergo told the Kyiv Independent that Ukraine resumed electricity exports on March 5 for the first time since November 2025.

Russian forces launched 141 different types of drones against Ukraine overnight.

The number includes 950 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Sergei Kiriyenko, a powerful Kremlin aide, has reportedly been tasked with overseeing the Russian operation in Hungary, applying the same set of methods deployed during Moscow-backed meddling in Moldova.

The Kyiv Independent’s separate analytical unit, KI Insights, is excited to announce the launch of its podcast, Ukraine Insights — a show dedicated to unpacking Ukraine’s politics, security, economy, and international relations through in-depth, expert-driven conversations.