Editor's Note: This article was originally published by Trench Art on July 30, 2024, and has been republished by the Kyiv Independent with permission. In his Oval Office address on July 24, U.S. President Joe Biden rightly claimed credit for being the “first president of this century to report
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, millions of Ukrainians found refuge in the European Union, with Germany and Poland alone taking in about one million refugees each. But this was always meant to be a temporary solution. The protracted war of attrition that is
In any and every corner of Ukraine, one would be very hard-pressed to find an ordinary person, civilian or military, who doesn’t want this cruel and brutal war to end. Ukrainians want nothing more than to be able to live without fear of night-time missile attacks, to see their
Russia’s arms industry and its export capabilities have long been, as Russian President Vladimir Putin put it, a point of national pride. Even after launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia claims to be able to meet growing domestic demand and continue arms exports. State-sponsored propaganda
‘With Ukraine, as long as it takes,’ we proclaimed. But in Moscow, they heard something else: the West is more terrified of Ukraine winning than losing. To dispel any doubts, the Kremlin unleashed death and destruction on Ukraine’s cities – on the eve of a NATO summit – killing dozens, including
Forensic experts identified Kh-101 missile fragments at the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, one of the sites of Russia’s mass attack on July 8, which killed 33 people in Kyiv, including five children. The Kh-101, a strategic air-to-ground cruise missile, is among the most destructive in Russia’s arsenal. First
“Trump will end the Ukraine war.” This message greeted the audience just before U.S. Senator J.D. Vance emerged to accept his party’s nomination for the vice presidency. With Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump aiming to retake the presidency after the November elections, his stance on Ukraine and
To appreciate the booming Russian fossil fuels trade, one need only go to a rooftop cafe along the Bosporus. Back in March, while sipping tea on an Istanbul terrace, I watched as, over the course of two hours, at least four tankers – later identified through open-source marine traffic websites – carried
Over the past week, several developments suggest that momentum might be building for peace talks in Ukraine. Firstly, Ukraine appears to have made significant concessions in negotiations with bondholders, indicating the prospect of a debt restructuring by September. This urgency only makes sense if there is an expectation that the
In a commentary published by the New York Times this past April, J.D. Vance, now the U.S. Republican vice-presidential nominee, proposed a strategy of “defense” for Ukraine that was nothing but a recipe for defeat. There can be no doubt that his words were closely read, and well
I know the exact moment when Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to launch his full-scale invasion of Ukraine: Oct. 1, 2021. It was the day the opera "Vyshyvanyi: The King of Ukraine" premiered in Kharkiv. I was at the event and vividly recall all the details. The premiere proved to
Liza Dmitrieva, a four-year-old girl with Down’s syndrome, was walking with her mother to a speech therapy appointment in the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia on July 14, 2022. As her mother filmed her playfully pushing her stroller, she didn’t know that those were to be the last
Avril Haines, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, recently warned that “Russia’s need for support in the context of Ukraine has forced it to grant some long-sought concessions to China, North Korea, and Iran with the potential to undermine, among other things, long-held non-proliferation norms.” How much does
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s nomination of J.D. Vance as his vice-presidential running mate has sent shockwaves across the Western alliance, particularly Ukraine, which is on the front lines of Western liberal democracy’s battle against authoritarianism. Vance has been strident in his
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on July 16, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. J.D. Vance’s selection as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s running
Over two years have passed since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the volunteer IT Army of Ukraine is more effective than ever. On June 20, 2024, the hacker group launched what they claimed to be the "largest DDoS attack in history" against Russia's banking system, crippling numerous banks and
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on July 14, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. The assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump on July 14
Not content with disturbing the peace in Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin recently signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong Un. As troubling to China’s leaders as it is to Western officials, the deal is shaking up the geopolitics of Northeast Asia and
Attracting investments through industrial parks has driven GDP growth and tripled exports in Turkey, exceeding $350 billion annually. In South Korea, enterprises in industrial parks have accounted for up to 72% of exports and employed 48% of the population. China's industrial and technology parks contribute about 23% of its GDP.
Ukraine's victory is the victory of the entire free world over dictators and tyrants. The formula for victory is well known: the strength of the Ukrainian army, the unity of the free world, unwavering long-term military and financial support for Ukraine, and, first and foremost, Ukraine's membership in NATO. One
As foreign leaders and delegates gathered in Washington for the 2024 NATO Summit this week, Ukraine learned that it will not receive a formal membership invitation. This decision comes as a significant blow to Ukraine. During the three-day gathering, critics of Ukraine’s potential NATO accession reiterated familiar concerns. They
A quick Google search on procurement in Ukraine renders pages upon pages of corruption-related headlines. “National Anti-Corruption busts Defense Ministry food procurement scheme;” “Kyiv accuses military brass of procurement graft;” “Ukraine opens arms procurement corruption investigation.” Ukraine introduced Prozorro, an electronic procurement system implemented in 2016, as part of broader
The second round of Iran’s presidential election unfolded with little fanfare last weekend. But with reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian defeating his hardline anti-Western opponent, Saeed Jalili, the world should be paying attention. At a time of deep tensions and shifting alliances, these results will reverberate across the region and
As world leaders gathered in the U.S. capital for the NATO summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was Modi's first visit to Russia not just since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but also since 2019.
Russia launched a mass missile attack across several Ukrainian cities on July 8, killing 31 people and injuring at least 117 in Kyiv alone. One of the attack sites was the Okhmatdyt hospital, Ukraine’s largest children’s medical center. While no children were killed at the center itself, four
Europe is in the midst of the largest war on the continent since NATO was founded in 1949. Russian President Vladimir Putin is attacking Ukraine with conventional forces and engaging in hybrid attacks against NATO itself. The allies know that if Russia is not defeated in Ukraine, it is highly
The United Kingdom has been a leader in rallying world support for Ukraine, and we expect that to remain the same under a Labour government. Although Keir Starmer was elected as Labour Party leader under a non-interventionist platform, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shifted U.K. politics. There is
Udmurt scholar Albert Razin ended his life in front of the Udmurt Republic’s State Council Building in Izhevsk, Russia, on Sept. 10, 2019, setting himself ablaze. His desperate act serves as a haunting emblem of Russia’s national policy under Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reign. Today, Russification has
If you speak English on the street in Ukraine, it’s not uncommon for strangers to stop and ask where you’re from. Many times when I’ve said I’m American, people (ranging from teenagers to the elderly) have thanked me for my country’s help. I’m forever
NATO’s July summit in Washington marks the 75th anniversary of the alliance’s establishment, and it comes at a critical juncture. As threats to global stability evolve beyond conventional military domains, NATO must confront the barrage of disinformation undermining its unity and values. Specifically, member countries must prevent hostile
The 2024 European Parliament elections nearly slipped off Ukraine's radar. At the time, Ukraine's primary focus was on preparing for the Ukraine Recovery Conference and the peace summit in Switzerland. However, the resultant compositions of the European Parliament and the European Commission will play crucial roles in the organization’s
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on June 27, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. When the explosions hit the thermal power plant, senior machinist Ihor* was at
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