The Kyiv Independent is celebrating its fifth anniversary by launching its biggest-ever membership campaign, with a goal of welcoming 5,000 new members worldwide to strengthen its journalism and support ambitious new initiatives in 2027.

U.S. President Donald Trump's former Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had a "troubling" back-channel with Andriy Yermak, the controversial former head of the President’s Office, the Kyiv Independent can exclusively reveal. The back-channel began after Trump's inauguration in January 2025, when President Volodymyr Zelensky tasked Yermak with establishing contacts with high-level American officials. Yermak and Wiles spoke frequently in the following months, two Ukrainian officials told the Kyiv Indepe

The developments come amid growing pressure on Ukraine's defenses in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's food supply chains in recent months. In August, Russian strikes hit distribution centers belonging to major supermarket chains, including Silpo and Novus, leaving some Kyiv stores with empty shelves and shortages of everyday products such as vegetables, dairy, and meat.

Daryl Fladung, a 38-year-old security guard from Queensland, traveled to Moscow in April despite having no previous military experience or known family ties to Eastern Europe.

Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence chief Rustem Umerov earlier said that "the agenda includes key questions related to ending hostilities and moving closer to peace."

In total, 249 MPs supported Bill No. 14327-d, which brings Ukrainian regulation in line with EU standards, in its first reading, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak from the Holos Party reported on his Telegram channel.

"The main priority is our security and strengthening our defense. There will be new steps to enhance Ukraine’s defense capabilities — a strong defense package from Denmark,"

The bill is a necessary step toward completing Ukraine's accession to the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions (OECD).

Editor's note: We asked members of the Kyiv Independent community to share their questions about Russia's war on Ukraine. Here's what they asked and how we answered. Join our community to ask a question in the next round. Question: The Trump-Putin agreement on diesel exports doesn't seem like good news for Ukraine, but 125,000 barrels a day doesn't seem like a big win for Russia either. Will these funds actually help Russia's economy and its war machine? Is it mostly propaganda ahead of the U.

Russian forces launched one Iskander-M ballistic missile and 162 long-range attack drones at Ukraine overnight on Nov. 9.

The number includes 2,220 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

"Our key priorities are ending the fighting, securing reliable postwar security guarantees, ensuring Ukraine's economic recovery and development, and taking humanitarian steps," Foreign Intelligence chief Rustem Umerov said.

"It came to our knowledge that Vadym Golda has already been transferred to the medical-correctional facility in Russia's Tambov region, placing his health — both physical and mental — at an even more serious risk," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.

The attack may have targeted the 123rd Aircraft Repair Plant in the town of Staraya Russa, according to the Exilenova+ Telegram monitoring channel. The facility specializes in repairing and maintaining Russian military transport aircraft.

The remarks come ahead of U.S.-mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for Nov. 10–11.

Centrenergo, Ukraine's state-owned energy company, claimed that the impact of the latest Russian strikes appears significant, though the extent of the damage is not yet clear and will require further inspection.

"Providing this support is an indivisible responsibility shared by us all," Merz said.

In a separate incident, an employee at the nearby Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant was also killed by a drone, according to the IAEA.

The joint operation targeted the drone base in the occupied city of Berdyansk, in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The base was located 107 kilometers (66 miles) behind the front lines.

Sjava reaches into his pocket for his phone using what remains of his hands. He lost all but one thumb during a mission on the front lines of the war in Ukraine. His friend Francouz is video calling him, and as Sjava answers, a voice from the other side of the screen barks a swashbuckling command: "Why don’t you stand up when you speak with me?!" Sjava convulses with laughter in his electric wheelchair, careful to keep what remains of his legs still. One is missing below the knee. His other th

Key developments on Nov. 9: * 2 soldiers a minute — Russia suffers record losses on Nov. 8, General Staff says * Ukrainian parliament backs creation of Space Forces in first reading * Russia imposes gasoline sales restrictions amid Ukrainian oil refinery attacks, Russian media report * Ukraine strikes St. Petersburg plant producing missile fuel, General Staff says * Police identify 30 of 55 bodies recovered from Komyshuvakha airstrike Russia suffered a record-breaking number of casualties

Ukraine's wartime experience is becoming a source of practical lessons for countries trying to strengthen their own resilience and defense. In today's Europe, talk of a wider war no longer sounds remote or unlikely. The anxiety is real, and governments are reassessing their security and defense. That's where Ukraine's experience is becoming both a warning and a guidebook, showing what happens to a modern society under sustained attack, what systems come under pressure first, and what helps a co

Time is running short for Ukraine to pass the anti-money laundering laws it needs to join the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), a network that makes euro transfers faster and cheaper, as lawmakers remain divided over who should have access to bank account information.

It will come on top of a separate pledge of 45 billion euros that the bloc is set to provide Ukraine in 2027 as part of the 90 billion euro ($100.7 billion) loan put together in April 2026.

The strikes come amid growing concerns over Ukraine's reliance on Starlink for military communications.

"It is important that India identify what steps it can take and what dialogue it can pursue with other leaders to help bring the war to an end," Zelensky said after a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Food security could be one such area."

For years, the Samarsky family lived in the embattled, occupied Oleshky alongside neighbors no one wished to have — Russian soldiers. Serhii Samarsky, his wife Olha Liutikova, and their son Vladyslav remained in the town after Russian forces occupied it during the early stages of its full-scale invasion until October 2026, when a humanitarian mission, mediated by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, allowed them to be evacuated. Together, they survived relentless air attacks, cold winters without he

About 2,800 troops from 11 nations will take part in Exercise Koalicja, running from Nov. 9 to Nov. 22 and largely taking place in Poland.

Nineteen more bodies could still be under the rubble, according to the regional police.

The proposal comes amid concerns over Ukraine's reliance on foreign satellite communications.

The new sanctions target 38 entities and 24 individuals, ranging from players in Russia's ballistic missile production to crypto exchanges.