Editor's note: This essay was originally published in the Kyiv Independent's first-ever print edition, titled "The Power Within," in July 2025. You can order a copy in our e-store. Soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names only due to security reasons. In the fall of 2023, I remember sitting in a circle with Ukrainian soldiers whom I had come to call friends. It was getting chilly outside, but the leftover coals from the barbecue and the constant laughter kept us warm. We

Ukrainian forces downed 39 out of the 52 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Thirteen drones struck nine different locations, according to the statement.

The number includes 900 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day, the General Staff said.

"The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country," Donald Trump said on Truth Social.

Zelensky told reporters that his government "reboot" applies to various institutions, including Ukraine's Armed Forces, but added that "replacing the commander-in-chief is not envisaged at this time."

"I'm not thrilled with Putin. He's killing too many people," Trump told reporters on Jan. 3 during a news conference announcing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's capture.

As 2026 opens, Vladimir Putin projects the image of a calm, confident leader. Although political maskirovka comes naturally from his KGB background, Putin very likely believes he is in a position of strength.  He has good reason to, unfortunately, having sized up his foreign opponents and found them wanting. He sees no credible domestic threats to his power and thinks time is on his side. Accordingly, as he perceives it, Putin is in no mood to compromise. His strategy is to continue what he ha

Any future security guarantees for Ukraine must include the physical presence of foreign troops on Ukrainian territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 3, stressing that forces from France and the U.K. are essential for peace.

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister, will be appointed deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

Editor's note: This story was originally published in The Kyiv Independent's first-ever print edition, titled "The Power Within," in July 2025. You can order a copy in our e-store. Billions of flowers grow every year in Ukraine, but it only takes one to tell the story of its people in wartime. As a single rose grows and is nurtured, blossoms, and then is cut to be transported and sold in any one of Ukraine’s numerous flower shops, it encounters many lives and surroundings as it makes its journ

Zelensky announced on Jan. 3 that his team was finalizing a list of new heads for Vinnytsia, Ternopil, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, and Chernivtsi oblasts.

"We held consultations with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, and I count on lawmakers' support," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 3.

"A busy working day lies ahead: security and economic issues, work on framework documents, coordination of further steps with partners," National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov said.

Russia launched 95 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said.

The bodies of a 3-year-old boy and a woman, likely his mother, were found in the rubble of an apartment building following Russian strikes. Search and rescue operations are still active at 3 a.m. local time, according to governor Syniehubov.

The number includes 750 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day, the General Staff said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed appointing Mykhailo Fedorov as the country's new defense minister. Fedorov, 34, currently serves as Ukraine's deputy prime minister and digital transformation minister. He is one of the very few officials who have been with Zelensky's team since the start of his political career in 2019 and the only minister to survive all the government reshuffles. The decision was announced on Jan. 2 as part of a major political shake-up, following several key appoin

The news comes a few hours after Zelensky announced he would appoint Kyrylo Budanov, head of the military intelligence, to take charge of the President’s Office.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Kyrylo Budanov, the military intelligence chief, to take charge of the President's Office on Jan. 2. "Now, Ukraine needs more focus on security issues, the development of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the diplomatic track in negotiations, and the President's Office will serve primarily to fulfill such tasks," Zelensky said. Budanov accepted the offer. "For me, it is an honor and a responsibility to focus on critically impo

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko will soon give the president a list of possible candidates to replace Serhii Deineko as head of Ukraine's State Border Guard Service.

HUR has published video footage of Kapustin's staged "death," which the agency used to collect a $500,000 bounty. The video shows a drone strike on a minibus shortly after Kapustin is seen entering the vehicle.

Along the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine, the front line has remained largely static, but fighting continues every day. The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko embedded with Ukraine’s forces in Kherson Oblast, following FPV drone and night bomber teams tasked with defending river islands.

The poll also revealed that 69% of Ukrainians support a peace plan that would freeze the war with security guarantees, as long as Ukraine is not forced to officially recognize Russian-occupied territories as part of Russia, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology said.

In an authoritarian society, it’s free thinkers who are targeted by those in power. A book, a social media post, a private conversation — anything can be used against those who refuse to conform in a country ruled by intimidation, lies, and outright violence. This is why, in a world where authoritarianism appears to be on the rise, a free press is more important than ever. Few understand this reality better than Igor Pomerantsev, a veteran radio broadcaster, poet, and former Soviet dissident. H

Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service warned on Jan. 2 that Russia may be preparing a provocation as part of its efforts to disrupt the U.S.-mediated peace talks.

Earlier on Jan. 1, Volodymyr Saldo, a Ukrainian politician turned top Russian proxy head of Russian-occupied parts of Kherson Oblast, accused Kyiv of launching three drones at a hotel and a cafe on the Black Sea coast. Saldo claimed that the alleged New Year drone strike on the village of Khorly killed 24 people, including a child, and wounded more than 50.

The number includes 910 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day, the General Staff said.

Russian forces occupied 4,336 square kilometers (1,674 square miles) of Ukrainian territory in 2025, accounting for less than 1% of the country, the Ukrainian open-source mapping project DeepState reported in an year-end assessment published on Jan. 1.

The report confirms Ukraine's original denial and undercuts claims made by the Kremlin.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, over 100 animals and five people, including employees and volunteers, have been killed by Russian forces on the eco-park's grounds.

Ukraine is preparing to host a new round of high-level security discussions with Western partners in early January, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Dec. 30, signaling an effort to maintain diplomatic momentum.

Ukraine formally joined the European Union's single roaming zone on Jan. 1, allowing Ukrainian citizens to use their mobile phone service across the European bloc without incurring additional charges.