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Russia's drone machine grew while the West watched
Opinion

Russia's drone machine grew while the West watched

During the war in Ukraine, there is a sound that cannot be mistaken for anything else. It is the monotonous buzzing of the engine of an Iranian Shahed attack drone — the same one Russia has been using en masse since the fall of 2022 to strike Ukrainian cities. Ukrainians often call these drones "mopeds" because of the distinctive engine noise that resembles the sound of an old scooter. When that sound appears over a city at night, it means only one thing — a drone is flying somewhere nearby. O
These Ukrainians bomb Russian positions... from an office
Video

These Ukrainians bomb Russian positions... from an office.

Drone warfare has become one of the defining technologies of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent's Kollen Post and Nick Allard spent a night with a drone team from Nemesis, one of Ukraine’s elite drone units, as they carried out bombing missions against Russian positions.
Peter Magyar’s Ukraine problem
Europe

Peter Magyar’s Ukraine problem

As Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has effectively drawn Ukraine into his domestic fight for reelection, his main competitor has found himself in a tricky situation. Peter Magyar, a 44-year-old former insider in Orban's Fidesz party, has pledged to mend ties with European partners, ending an era of obstructionism that has often hampered assistance to Ukraine. His Tisza party has also taken aim at the Hungarian government's tilt toward Moscow and vowed to undo the growing dependence on Ru
'Self-defense' — Russia blames UK for Storm Shadow attack, London refuses to bend
 (Updated:  Attacks on Russia

'Self-defense' — Russia blames UK for Storm Shadow attack, London refuses to bend

Officials in the U.K. dismissed accusations from Russia that London was responsible for what Moscow described as a "terrorist attack" after Ukraine struck a military-linked plant in Russia's Bryansk region with Storm Shadow cruise missiles. British officials told the Kyiv Independent that the Kremlin's accusations are unfounded. The comments follow threats from Moscow warning of a "new level of destruction and human casualties" after the Ukrainian strike on the facility. Russian authorities c
Ukraine war latest: 'Fuel tanks are burning' — Major Russian oil hub hit in Ukrainian drone strike in Krasnodar Krai
War

Ukraine war latest: 'Fuel tanks are burning' — Major Russian oil hub hit in Ukrainian drone strike in Krasnodar Krai

Key developments on March 12: * 'Fuel tanks are burning' — Major Russian oil hub hit in Ukrainian drone strike in Krasnodar Krai, SBU source says * World’s largest oil producer Aramco in talks to buy Ukrainian interceptor drones, WSJ reports * Hungary's unrecognized Druzhba delegation arrives in Kyiv amid 'absurd' standoff * Ukraine, Romania sign strategic partnership declaration, set to co-produce drones Ukrainian forces struck infrastructure at the Tikhoretsk oil pumping station in Russi
Russia tightens control over abortion in Ukraine's occupied territories

Russia tightens control over abortion in Ukraine's occupied territories

Russian-controlled authorities in occupied Ukraine are increasing restrictions on women's reproductive rights, effectively preventing them from accessing abortions, according to the NGO East Human Rights Group. "The (Russian) regime needs children to be born, even if the child is unwanted, without proper conditions to grow up in," Vera Iastrebova, the head of the East Human Rights Group, told the Kyiv Independent. "These children are then being raised to become future soldiers, as evidenced by
On Russian oil, the US has already blinked — Europe must not do the same
Opinion

Is Europe really about to buy Russian gas again?

Vladimir Putin is feeling generous. With tankers stalled in the Strait of Hormuz and European energy prices spiking, the Russian president has offered to resume long-term gas supplies to the continent his missiles are helping to destabilize. Before anyone in Brussels or Berlin reaches for the phone, they might pause to recall what energy dependence on Russia actually costs. While Ukrainian cities are shelled and soldiers die, Western governments are looking nervously at the price of oil, wonder