The U.S. House of Representatives just voted on sweeping new sanctions aimed at putting further pressure on Russia's economy and its war machine, including measures targeting Moscow's energy sector, defense industry, "shadow fleet" and foreign networks helping it evade sanctions. The effectiveness of these measures, however, will ultimately depend on how consistently they are enforced and how actively and responsibly U.S. President Donald Trump uses the authorities they provide. The legislatio

Two An-26 transport aircraft, one An-12 transport aircraft, and three helicopters were hit, according to the General Staff.

Media reports suggest Kovalsky could ultimately be appointed prosecutor general, rather than merely serving in an acting capacity.

Russia struck the Zaporizhstal Iron and Steel Works with two ballistic missiles on the morning of Sept. 17, according to Metinvest, the plant's owner and Ukraine's largest steel producer.

The threat of another Russian incursion into Polish airspace prompted the Polish Air Force to scramble fighter jets.

The Kyiv Independent has won a 2026 Online Journalism Award for Innovation in Revenue Strategy in the Medium Newsroom category.

Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukrainian cities, using ballistic and cruise missiles, Shahed-type one-way attack drones, and Oniks anti-ship missiles, the Air Force said.

Russia launched a drone and missile attack on Kyiv on the night of Sept. 16-17, damaging an education facility and injuring at least 20 people in Ukraine's capital, officials reported.

The strikes took place overnight on Sept. 16-17, according to the statement.

"Building an open, well-functioning, democratic Ukraine is crucial to the country’s future in Europe," said Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.

According to the Sept. 16 report, Russia “created a student visa scheme to camouflage North Korean laborers as students,” generating revenue for Pyongyang’s “unlawful weapons programs.”

Citing Russian authorities, the headquarters said the bodies "belong to Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel."

TASS identified the woman killed as Elena Astanina, the "chairperson of Precinct Electoral Commission No. 394," a so-called electoral body established by the Kremlin in the occupied city of Tokmak.

"This is not an act of hostility towards Ukraine. We can continue to train their soldiers, their armies; we can continue to provide them with equipment so they can defend themselves," the co-leader of the French far-right National Rally (RN) party, Marine Le Pen, said on Sept. 16.

"Despite the extraordinary complexity of its subject matter, ("Traces") employs a delicate and compelling cinematic language that does not alienate the viewer, but instead allows them to draw closer to the protagonists, hear them, and empathize with them," the Ukrainian Oscar Committee said.

The ruling comes amid media reports that Yermak kept his political influence on Zelensky after resigning in November amid a corruption investigation. The move also followed an earlier court ruling that eased the restrictions on Yermak.

The bill passed with 262 votes in favor and 159 against.

The figure includes 1,960 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

A person matching the description of Kyrylo Budanov, head of the President's Office, allegedly asked his deputy, Iryna Mudra, to launder cash to pay bail for former Energy and Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko.

"On the day of my speech, I was barred from entering the European Parliament. I directly attribute this to Zelensky's sanctions," Former press secretary Iulia Mendel said.

Ukraine’s biggest private energy firm, DTEK, has secured an 85 million euro ($97 million) loan from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation for a critical battery storage project, marking the DFC’s largest wartime transaction, DTEK announced on Sept. 16. With Russia continuing to target Ukraine’s energy facilities, particularly power plants, ensuring a reliable energy supply has become a major concern in Ukraine. During the war, Ukraine has increasingly searched for investors to

Key developments on Sept. 16: * 'In his nighttime lair' — Russian general eliminated in occupied Donetsk Oblast, military says * Partisans claim sabotage at Russian plant producing missile components * 40% of Ukrainians ready to relocate if conditions deteriorate 'significantly' this winter, poll reveals * Russia plans new prison complex in occupied Kherson Oblast among wider prison expansion * Ukraine approves more than 80 companies for private air defense * Ukraine hits Russian bomber i

Ukraine is included in four of the five projects, which aim to address "urgent strategic capability shortfalls in key areas including air defense, maritime security, space, drone, and counter-drone capabilities, and monitoring of the EU's eastern flank," a European Council Presidency spokesperson said.

In February 2026, a group of women stood outside Kenya's parliament in Nairobi holding photographs of their sons and brothers. One, Winnie Rose Wambui, was looking for her brother, Samuel Maina, who had left for Russia believing he had a job as a mall security guard; the last she heard was a distress voice note recorded from a forest. Winnie's story is part of a bigger effort of illegal military recruitment conducted by Russia. At least 3,000 Africans from 37 countries have been recorded figh

The Kyiv Independent's Kateryna Denisova speaks with Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s former foreign minister, about Russia’s war against Ukraine, growing pressure on the Baltic states, and Europe’s response to Russian hybrid attacks.

According to Gradus polling, safety is the main factor that would prompt Ukrainians to relocate. However, only one in five respondents said they would consider going abroad – the rest would look for temporary relocation within Ukraine.

Air raid alerts were issued for residents of the Lublin and Podkarpackie regions this morning, as Polish fighter jets scrambled preventively amid Russian drone attacks on Ukraine

As Russia shifts its bombardment tactics to near-hourly drone attacks throughout the day, increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure, more businesses are joining the program.

This story was produced by Grist and co-published with the Kyiv Independent. On a spring day earlier this year, 10 men stood on the rooftop of a door manufacturing facility in the central Ukrainian town of Bila Tserkva, surveying the rows of solar panels that surrounded them. Since Russia invaded in 2022, the town has endured repeated attacks, triggering mass power outages. For the factory, which supplies doors to homes and businesses, keeping production going had become extremely challenging.

Apart from occupied Kherson Oblast, Russia plans to build the complexes in Kaluga, Astrakhan, and Tyumen oblasts, Buryatia, and Zabaykalsky Krai, while the first is expected to open in Tatarstan by 2030.

Ukrainian forces also struck three ground control stations for Russian drones, alongside other targets, the General Staff said.

"Our agent, after a long study of the facility, detailed planning, and searching for weak points, managed to infiltrate an electrical substation near the VZPP-Sborka plant," Atesh said.