As the U.S. tries to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree that appears to present Ukrainians living in occupied territories with a choice — submit to Russian law by Sept. 10 or face punishment. The decree, published by the Kremlin
The "referendums ... were completely fraudulent and at gunpoint," European Commission spokesperson Anita Hipper said on March 24.
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce refused to say whether the Trump administration believes Russia has a legitimate claim to occupied Ukrainian lands. "There's a lot of conversations happening," she said.
The decree mandated that Ukrainian citizens "illegally" staying in Russia must obtain Russian documents of leave before Sept. 10. The intelligence added that Russia "erroneously and illegally" defines both occupied and unoccupied Ukrainian territory in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as Crimea, as part of Russia.
According to President Vladimir Putin's decree, Ukrainian citizens residing in Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories must leave by Sept. 10 or "regulate their legal status."
Ukrainian citizens residing in Russia and Russian-occupied territories must leave by Sept. 10 or "regulate their legal status," according to an official decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and published on March 20.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stressed that Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty are non-negotiable, reaffirming that Kyiv will never recognize Russian-occupied territories as part of Russia.
"It is not reasonable to demand that, for example, Zaporizhzhia or Kherson be fully handed over — that sounds like a f*** off to us," a high-level Ukrainian official said.
"Yeah, we’ve had conversations," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said when asked about potential discussions regarding Ukraine ceding territory.
A Russian woman, Olga Dorokhina, took a 4-year-old girl from the occupied part of Kherson Oblast and plans to adopt her, according to an investigation by Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne published on March 10.
"We have not received such proposals," spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said during a press briefing, downplaying the significance of "certain formulations that could be heard in the media."
For Viktoriia Hrinienkova, life came to a standstill in June 2023. Three of her family members — her mother, father, and grandmother — died in their own home in Hola Prystan, a Ukrainian town in the Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast. They were killed in the aftermath of Russia’s destruction of
Key developments on Feb. 25: * Ukraine, US reach agreement on minerals deal * Russia's war objectives 'not yet achieved,' Kremlin's ambassador says * Reclaiming occupied territories possible but 'not easy' for Ukraine, Trump claims * Ukraine needs $524 billion for recovery, reconstruction after 3 years of Russia's full-scale war * Russia's Ryazan oil
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Feb. 24 that he believes Ukraine might be able to reclaim some of its territories occupied by Russia, but it would be challenging.
Elon Musk on Feb. 21 questioned why Ukraine was still actively defending itself amid the ongoing Russian full-scale invasion, suggesting the country's fight against the Kremlin's imperialist ambitions was, in fact, a giant money-making scam. "What are they dying for? What exactly are they dying for? The line of engagement
Yulia Svyrydenko's comment comes as Kyiv and Washington negotiate a deal for Ukraine’s natural resources in return for support and security guarantees.
"In 2024, Russia had to mobilize thousands of people from the newly occupied territories and those who had previously been under occupation. According to HUR, this plan has been fulfilled by 104%."
According to Reuters, one source familiar with Moscow discussions said Russia could agree to allocate up to two-thirds of frozen assets for Ukraine's reconstruction, provided accountability guarantees.
The intelligence agency accused Yevgeny Bogdanov, deputy head of Berdiasnk's occupation administration, of committing multiple war crimes against Ukrainian citizens.
Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014, as well as the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts in 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law banning "childfree propaganda" in November last year.
Somewhere in the streets of Russian-occupied Simferopol, the capital of Crimea, a woman puts a sticker on the wall. It’s a short message, but if she is seen doing it, she will face arrest, prosecution, and likely, torture. The message is: "Soon, we will be home again." On another
Around 38% of Ukrainians are open to conceding some of the territories while preserving independence in order to end the war with Russia as fast as possible, according to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) survey published on Jan. 3.
Editor's note: We asked members of the Kyiv Independent community to share the questions they have about the war. Here's what they asked and how we answered. Join our community to ask a question in the next round. Our community funds our journalism. Question: I know it's a big question,
Nearly half of Ukrainians support Ukraine joining NATO even if some territories remain under Russian occupation at the time of accession, according to a new poll.
Moscow has already built a 40-kilometer-long segment between the Russian city of Taganrog and occupied Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Their statements during this visit about opposing colonialism, made on Ukrainian land illegally seized by Russia in the course of its neocolonial war of aggression against Ukraine, are completely absurd," the Foreign Ministry said.
A Russian-controlled court in occupied Donetsk Oblast sentenced 20-year-old Mikhail Karimov, a resident of Mariupol, to 11 years in a strict regime penal colony, Mariupol City Council reported on Dec. 12.
Russian occupation authorities in the Donetsk Oblast city of Yenakiieve announced evacuations from parts of the city on Dec. 10 amid reports of explosions.
Since February 2022, at least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted from Russian-occupied territories and sent to other Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine or to Russia itself.
Yevhenii Matvieiev, the mayor of the occupied Dniprorudne town, was tortured to death in Russian captivity, Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Ivan Fedorov said on his Telegram channel on Dec. 4.
The study showed that Russian Aerospace Forces and military aircraft transported multiple groups of children in 2022 under Putin's orders.
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