NEWS FEED

Kyiv unlocks $3.2 billion after reform push

Kyiv unlocks $3.2 billion after reform push

Despite initially making good progress on a lengthy list of reforms required by the EU since 2024, Kyiv slowed down last year and has now missed deadlines on almost 20 required changes.
Surviving the Russian 'human safari' in Kherson
Opinion

Surviving the Russian 'human safari' in Kherson

Olena Naumova is our partner from the Patriot Charity Foundation in Kherson. This southern Ukrainian city remains under constant monitoring of Russian drone operators looking for their next prey. On April 4, a shell hit a transport stop 50 meters (164 feet) from Olena. A 55-year-old nurse died on the spot. At least five more were wounded. Within the hour, ten artillery strikes landed in Olena's block. She sat in her hallway and prayed. "Prayed that it wouldn't hit the house, or if it did, that
Moscow walks away with billions as Trump's Russian oil waiver expires
 (Updated:  Russia

Moscow walks away with billions as Trump's Russian oil waiver expires

U.S. sanctions on Russian oil have resumed after the Trump administration allowed a temporary waiver on certain sales to expire on April 11, the Kyiv Independent has learned, ending a short-lived effort to stabilize markets during Washington's war against Iran. The waiver, introduced in March, came as the U.S. sought to increase available supply after the war rattled energy markets. The decision has drawn bipartisan criticism in Washington, particularly as Russia has supported Iran in the war
Using Christianity for political power is wrong, Mr. Trump
Opinion

Using Christianity for political power is wrong, Mr. Trump

A person recently reached out to me and said that I am too critical of U.S. President Donald Trump and the current administration. As a Christian, they suggested, I should be more uplifting — less negative, more encouraging. It is difficult to understand this argument. Of course, we live in a time when people are tired, overwhelmed, and often anxious, and it is natural to want words that comfort rather than confront. But it is precisely because I follow Jesus that I cannot remain silent in the
Another Orban? Here's why you should care about Bulgaria's upcoming elections
Europe

Another Orban? Here's why you should care about Bulgaria's upcoming elections

A new Russian-friendly leader may soon emerge in the EU and NATO — this time, in the Balkans. A week after Kremlin ally Viktor Orban lost his reelection campaign in Hungary, Bulgaria's former President Rumen Radev is poised to win the April 19 snap parliamentary election. Radev, Bulgaria's two-term head of state, resigned in January to lead his new Progressive Bulgaria coalition into the country's eighth parliamentary elections since 2021, quickly surging in the polls. As president, Radev has
'Ukraine is becoming a global player' amid Iran war, European defense deals

'Ukraine is becoming a global player' amid Iran war, European defense deals

Ukraine is riding high on a series of deals that promise to intertwine  its wartime defense-tech industry, now known for producing drones in high demand worldwide, with European arms makers. “The general idea is that we as an industry have to become part of a pan-European defense industry,” Ihor Fedirko, director of the Ukrainian Council of Defense Industry, a government-aligned trade association for Ukrainian weapons makers, told the Kyiv Independent. Fedirko, a former adviser to the now-shut