First, after his defeat in the 2019 U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump was written off as a political failure. But he didn’t give up — he got back up, ran again, and won four years later. Lesson: Never, ever give up, even if everyone around you says your cause
Ahead of Election Day, there were signs of optimism for the United States' allies in Europe. Polls had indicated a tight race since support for Kamala Harris leveled off in August, but expectations to outperform the polls and blind faith in humanity kept the Harris campaign and its millions of
Donald Trump should be pleased. Not only is he on his way back to the White House, but he could return as one of the most powerful U.S. presidents in decades: The Supreme Court aligns with his vision, the Republican Party has been reshaped around loyalty, and both the
History will likely judge U.S. President Joe Biden poorly. He set himself a singular mission: to save democracy. But the risk is that his own ego may have jeopardized that very cause — not only in the U.S. but across the West. Given his age, Biden was expected to
In 2022, Russia launched long-range strikes deep into Ukraine, confident that Ukraine could not retaliate in kind. By 2023, that situation changed. Ukraine received medium-range HIMARS rockets from the U.S., Storm Shadow and SCALP cruise missiles from the U.K. and France, and developed long-range attack drones of its
While the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) recently expressed “high appreciation” for the United Nations’ cooperative relations during the commemoration of UN Day, a troubling incident unfolded 3,000 kilometers away from The Hague in Kazan, Russia. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, smiling and bowing his head, shook hands
As Americans cast their ballots in the Nov. 5 presidential election, we, the staff of the Kyiv Independent, ask voters in the “beacon of democracy” to consider once again why the iconic Statue of Liberty stands on an island in New York Harbor. It was gifted to the U.S.
The question of Nikolai Gogol’s “belonging”—especially now, as Ukrainian and Russian cultures, long bound by an imperial past, are severing their ties before our eyes—remains a deeply painful issue for Ukrainians. Gogol, one of the most gifted writers ever born on Ukrainian soil, loved Ukraine profoundly as
As of June, more than 50,000 Ukrainians have lost one or more limbs in Russia’s war against Ukraine, and more than 3 million people—10% of the population—live with a disability. In theory, Ukraine has a legislative framework to protect people with disabilities and ensure their inclusion
I am one of more than 120,000 Pennsylvanians of Ukrainian heritage who will vote on which presidential candidate best serves our interests. Since only 80,000 votes separated the presidential candidates in 2020, our community's vote could be key to deciding who wins Pennsylvania's 19 electoral votes in November:
In Georgia’s 2012 election, then-President Mikheil Saakashvili’s pro-Western party was defeated by Georgian Dream, a party led by the Russian-backed oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili. Though widely hailed at the time as a democratic triumph, astute observers warned against celebrating. One such observer was Georgia’s former economy minister, the
Another week of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has gone by, and Moscow has crossed yet another line with its aggression against Western targets. This time, the violation came in the form of a parcel bomb in the hold of a German aircraft. The device exploded on the ground at
One year after a coalition led by Donald Tusk defeated Poland’s right-wing ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS), the mood in the country is subdued. While a victory by pro-democracy parties in a free, but decidedly unfair, election was necessary, it was not sufficient to eliminate the illiberal populist
I recently watched a YouTube video of a Ukrainian performance on “America’s Got Talent.” A friend sent me the link, promising it would amaze me – and it did. You can find the video by searching “Amazing holographic 4D cube show AGT.” However, when the show’s host, Howie Mandel,
A short trip to Germany instead of the planned state visit. A four-way meeting in the Chancellery instead of the conference in Ramstein to coordinate future aid for Ukraine with some 50 participating states, including numerous heads of state and government. With Hurricane Milton in Florida preventing U.S. President
Russia shot down one of its own drones — a large and stealthy S-70 — after it flew uncontrolled into Ukrainian territory in early October, sparking speculation about how Moscow lost control of this valuable asset so publicly. It’s an unforced error that will be keenly felt in Moscow, whose high
Thirty years ago, in a Ukrainian churchyard where my Russian ancestors are buried, I knelt beside a very old woman leaning on a stick, her hair covered in a black kerchief. Behind us stood the Russian church that my great-grandfather built on his estate and where he lies buried. The
Last month, a Russian missile blew apart an apartment building in the center of Lviv. I sent a message to a friend who lives there: Was everyone okay? “Yes, we were lucky,” he replied. “Our friends who live just next to us, a young woman and her three daughters, are
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meets tomorrow, Oct. 22, and is expected to once again debate Russia’s blacklisting. That Russia, a clear state sponsor of terrorism, hasn’t been ousted from an intergovernmental body that sets global standards to combat terrorist financing, money laundering, and related financial crimes,
Moldovans headed to the polls on Oct. 20 to elect their next head of state and vote on the future of the country’s European Union integration. With over 99% of the votes counted on Monday, the “yes” vote edged ahead at 50.43%, while the “no” camp, which had
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on Oct. 17, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to The Counteroffensive, click here. Last year, Mykola Horishnyi was declared clinically dead – twice. The Ukrainian soldier suffered
The following opinion piece accompanies the Kyiv Independent's War Crimes Investigations Unit's newly released documentary, "Shadows Across the River." Watch the documentary by clicking here. “Let Russia retain control over occupied Ukrainian territories to finally freeze this war!” This refrain, repeated in media and political discourse worldwide, has become a
Imran Khan, cricket star and then-prime minister of Pakistan, visited Russia on Feb. 23-24, 2022 – the first visit by a Pakistani leader to Russia in over two decades. On the second day of his visit, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Some political analysts suspected that Khan’s visit
“What’s the point of a world without Russia in it?” asked a well-known politician, now a wanted war criminal, back in 2018. A less prominent Russian figure echoed this sentiment in 2024, though less threateningly, when he remarked, “The disintegration of Russia would be a catastrophe, not only for
When a country goes through a war, documentarians often feel empowered to capture reality with the aim of creatively reflecting the pain on both a national and personal level. As the history of documentary cinema shows, such conditions can be the birthplace of groundbreaking films that shape the genre. Yet,
Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance might consider himself a genius for proposing “neutrality” for Ukraine as the centerpiece of his plan to end Russia’s war. For Vance, this appears to be a true eureka moment. Unfortunately, the concept of neutral status for Ukraine is not new. Vance
Referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine simply as “Putin’s war” is quite common, but this framing is misleading. It oversimplifies the invasion, affects allies’ perceptions, and fuels Russian propaganda. By focusing solely on the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, blame for this brutal aggression is shifted away
Victory in war is sometimes easy to define. World War II ended with Allied troops in control of Berlin and Tokyo, and with the German and Japanese leadership removed. The Vietnam War, on the other hand, ended in a clear defeat for the United States: North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam
During the last decade, Western governments, analysts, and media personalities have struggled to understand Russia’s actions and renewed imperial aggression in Ukraine – especially as the invasion has turned into a quagmire that the Kremlin appears unable to escape. Since 2022, one-third of Russia’s prized Black Sea Fleet has
Two and a half years after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian economy seems like a riddle wrapped in an enigma of competing narratives. If you want to argue that the economy has been hobbled by Western sanctions, by the Kremlin’s prioritizing of
Two years ago, a Georgian pro-Kremlin fringe channel aired a fabricated story featuring photoshopped images of several NGO representatives, including myself, in handcuffs at a fictional trial. This scenario, supposedly the result of a meeting between then-Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Russian President Vladimir Putin, was laughable at the
This article contains descriptions of physical and sexual violence, which may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised. Forced nudity during “welcome beatings,” naked “crouch walking,” and gratuitous stripping and body cavity searches are but a few examples of the abuse Viktor Lakhno, 26, a former prisoner of
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