NEWS FEED

What can we pencil-pushers do for Ukraine?
Opinion

What can we pencil-pushers do for Ukraine?

By the time our papers are done, the sun is up, and birds are chirping. Crossing the border to Ukraine with six cars has taken all night. During the coming weeks, mechanics will remodel the 4x4s for the front, and volunteers will repack boxes in line with hospital and front-unit needs. To me, as a Swede, one group of professionals is conspicuously absent on the volunteer side of this operation — administrators. This makes me uneasy. Who will dot the i's and cross the t's? Who will file the rep
Sweden announces 16 Gripens for Ukraine. Here's why that's a big deal
 (Updated:  

Sweden announces 16 Gripens for Ukraine. Here's why that's a big deal

The transfer would further expand Ukraine's fleet of Western-supplied fighter aircraft, which already includes American F-16s and French Mirage 2000s but remains insufficient to fully defend Ukrainian cities and infrastructure from daily Russian missile and drone attacks
Exclusive: How US envoy's preplanned trip caused a diplomatic scandal in Kyiv and Brussels
Politics

Exclusive: How US envoy's preplanned trip caused a diplomatic scandal in Kyiv and Brussels

The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said on May 28 that the U.S. embassy was the only foreign mission to evacuate Kyiv following Russian threats of a major strike. "What we heard from Ukraine yesterday was that all the embassies stayed, except one, so that also takes courage from those embassies, but yes, all the Europeans stayed, America left," Kallas told reporters. The claim was false, soon denied by Washington, and retracted by Brussels, fueling confusion over what actually happened. As t
UK spy chief reveals new estimate of Russia's massive losses in Ukraine
 (Updated:  

UK spy chief reveals new estimate of Russia's massive losses in Ukraine

The latest estimates appear to be significantly higher than figures published earlier this month by independent Russian media outlets Mediazona and Meduza that estimated 352,000 Russian men between the ages of 18 and 59 have been killed since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine war latest: Zelensky sends Trump urgent letter warning of Ukraine's critical missile defense shortages
War

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky sends Trump urgent letter warning of Ukraine's critical missile defense shortages

Key developments on May 27: * Zelensky sends Trump urgent letter warning of Ukraine's critical missile defense shortages * Ukraine fails to pass IMF-backed reforms, despite millions of dollars on the line * Ukraine to intensify middle strike drone campaign as Fedorov unveils 'logistical lockdown' against Russia * Pope Leo condemns Russian strikes on Ukraine, calls for end to 'sharp intensification' of war President Volodymyr Zelensky sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump warning abo
At site of Russia's Oreshnik strike, Putin's propaganda lies in ruins

At site of Russia's Oreshnik strike, Putin's propaganda lies in ruins

In a dusty industrial estate in the city of Bila Tserkva, a Ukrainian grandmother searches through the smouldering ruins of her storage unit for her harvest of potatoes. Two days earlier it had been hit with what is supposed to be one of Russia's most fearsome weapons — an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM). "It sounded like thunder, a very long, drawn-out thunder. And then there were six explosions in a row," Nadiia, a Bila Tserkva resident who declined to give her last name
The Balkan blockage on Ukraine's EU membership quest
Europe

The Balkan blockage on Ukraine's EU membership quest

A number of EU countries, including Austria and Greece, are holding up progress on Ukraine's membership process by insisting that countries in the Western Balkans not be overlooked and left at the back of the line. This objection comes on top of Hungary stalling the opening of Ukraine's accession talks over the rights of Ukraine's ethnic Hungarian minority, Poland flagging issues over agriculture and the trucking industry, and Ukraine's parliament slow-walking the passing of required reforms.
Are foreign embassies evacuating from Kyiv after Russian threats?
Politics

Are foreign embassies evacuating from Kyiv after Russian threats?

No foreign embassies in Kyiv have decided to evacuate staff following Russian threats of new attacks on the Ukrainian capital, the Kyiv Independent has learned. The development comes after the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a public warning about a new wave of long-range attacks on Kyiv, including strikes targeting what Moscow called Ukraine's "decision-making centers." Russia urged foreign citizens, including diplomats, to leave the city. At a United Nations meeting in New York on May 26, n
Exclusive: Zelensky sends Trump urgent letter warning of Ukraine's critical missile defense shortages
 (Updated:  Trump & Ukraine

Exclusive: Zelensky sends Trump urgent letter warning of critical missile defense shortages

President Volodymyr Zelensky sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump warning about Ukraine's worsening shortage of air defense systems, particularly anti-ballistic missile capabilities, the Kyiv Independent has learned. The appeal comes as Russia intensifies mass aerial attacks on Ukraine and publicly threatens a new wave of long-range strikes on Kyiv, including attacks on what Moscow described as Ukraine's "decision-making centers." "When it comes to air defense against missiles, we rely
Ukraine fails to pass IMF-backed reforms, despite millions of dollars on the line

Ukraine fails to pass IMF-backed reforms, despite millions of dollars on the line

Ukraine's access to billions in much-needed cash is once again hanging in the balance as lawmakers stumble on reforms. Having already missed deadlines on a long list of legislation required by the European Union, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund, Ukraine's parliament made limited progress during a plenary session on May 26 and 27 — failing to pass a new IMF tax and withdrawing other bills at the last minute for fear of a lack of votes, said lawmakers who spoke with the Kyiv Independe
Let's stop pretending drones and IT will rebuild Ukraine's economy
Opinion

Let's stop pretending drones and IT will rebuild Ukraine's economy

In the battle of ideas for the economic future of Ukraine, talk of a fledgling military industry and the focus on the prowess of a handful of IT contractors is a diversion. Both storylines are presented largely in the absence of international competition and economic realities. And here is why. Investing in defense businesses, as I've done for years, is notoriously "lumpy" because it relies on national governments making payments that are not always timely. Those few, vital clients are also pa
Europe must take Russia threat seriously, Estonia’s spy chief says
Video

Europe must take Russia threat seriously, Estonia’s spy chief says.

The Kyiv Independent’s Martin Fornusek speaks with Kaupo Rosin, director general of Estonia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, about Russia’s long-term strategy against Ukraine and Europe, the risks facing NATO’s eastern flank, and why Moscow still views the United States as its main adversary.
How Ukraine defends Kupiansk from Russian troops crawling through pipes
 (Updated:  War

Battle for pipelines in Kupiansk: 'Average lifespan of Russian soldier is 10 minutes'

KHARKIV OBLAST — The longest a Russian soldier can hope to survive for after emerging from the underground pipeline is, according to those hunting them, one single hour. "But it's usually 10 minutes, and that's it," "Tovsty," chief sergeant of a company in Ukraine's Khartiia Brigade, says at a command post in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast. Tovsty is watching live drone footage showing a scene which has been repeating itself over and over again for months now — Russian soldiers emerging from disu
Ukraine war latest: Russia's Syzran oil refinery halts operations following May 21 Ukrainian drone strike

Ukraine war latest: Russia's Syzran oil refinery halts operations following May 21 Ukrainian drone strike

Key developments on May 26: * Syzran oil refinery halts operation after May 21 Ukrainian drone strike, Ukraine's General Staff reports * Ukraine using 'secret' strike drones to devastate Russian logistics on crucial highway, Nemesis Brigade says * 'Russia's true attitude' — Iskander missile strike damages UN humanitarian warehouse in Dnipro * Lavrov warns Rubio of planned strikes on Kyiv's 'decision-making centers,' urges US embassy evacuation as EU vows to stay * Russian attacks kill 8, i