STOCKHOLM – Strange as it sounds, the European Union’s most successful policy ever has been deeply unpopular in Brussels for the past decade. But now, the view from the bloc’s political and governing institutions is changing. EU enlargement is back on the agenda, and it will remain there. The
In a move that delivered a significant setback to Putin, Erdogan has publicly expressed his support for Ukraine's aspirations to become a member of NATO, allowed the release of Azov commanders, and halted opposition to Sweden's NATO accession. Turkey is beginning to capitalize on Russia's vulnerability after the Wagner Group’
Understanding Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine as part of an imperial war begun in 2014 has become increasingly commonplace in Euro-Atlantic foreign policy-making circles and amongst a wider group of countries concerned with ending the war. Yet the full range of imperial conceits which underpin the Kremlin’
On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia, the world’s last remaining empire, a great power, and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, launched a full-scale invasion against Ukraine, its smaller neighbor and former colony, to overthrow its democratically elected government, annex its sovereign territory, and plunder its resources.
Russia’s full-scale war exposes the terrifying horrors that come as no surprise, given the long history of Russian atrocities committed against Ukraine. The deliberate infliction of severe physical and psychological pain and suffering by the Russian army upon Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war reveals the expansion of Russia's
Now it seems to me like I always knew Vika Amelina. This past week has been hellish – a mix of anticipation, knowing, and the impossibility of reconciling with this knowledge. How can I imagine life without her now? Where do I even begin? We met in 2014 in New York
Editor’s note: Editorials are articles that present the opinion of the editorial team of the Kyiv Independent. When one looks at the history of the West supporting Ukraine in the fight against Russia, one pattern shines through: missed opportunities. The whole war is ripe with opportunity for NATO. The
Not everybody is fortunate enough to get a second chance. However, during the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 11-12 July, NATO will have another chance to correct the monumental geopolitical blunder it committed 15 years ago at the 2008 NATO Summit in Bucharest, Romania. During the NATO Summit
This month’s NATO summit takes place at a time of both peril and opportunity for the future of European security. The Wagner Group’s June 24 sprint from Rostov to the gates of Moscow dealt a fresh blow to criticism of NATO’s decision to extend a Membership Action
No nation can single-handedly cover all of Ukraine's reconstruction needs, and nor should it be expected to, considering the existence of frozen Russian assets worth billions worldwide. These funds will serve as the primary source for Ukraine’s recovery. To better grasp the situation, it is worth examining the numbers.
This June was meant to be all about the great Ukrainian counteroffensive. After months of waiting, dozens of public statements from exasperated Ukrainian officials bound to silence, and even more analyses from experts and commentators in the media, the moment finally came when Ukrainian soldiers on their Leopards and Bradleys
Last week, the U.K. co-hosted the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London. Held on June 20-21, the event was dedicated to mobilizing the public and private sectors for Ukraine’s recovery. While a lot of brilliant plans were voiced, the elephant in the room remained the question of who will
When NATO accepted the new strategic concept last June at the Madrid Summit, there was no mention of digital assets in the new concept paper. At the same time, in light of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, all members agreed to boost their defense spending to counter the
Our video reporter Iryna Matviyishyn speaks about some of the common misconceptions about Ukraine that are spread by Russian propaganda. We launched "Ukraine's True History," a series to explain Ukraine’s past and present without distortions. The first episode debunks the 10 most common misconceptions about Ukrainian history. Watch it
The Russian army’s blow-up of the Kakhovka dam, a strategically important facility providing water to southern Ukraine, Crimea, and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, shocked Ukraine and the world. Another shocking development that did not go unnoticed by Ukrainians and the country’s officials was the only tweet by
MADRID – Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s weekend rebellion has shone a harsh spotlight on the apparently fragile state of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime. While Prigozhin soon agreed to stand down, and ordered his mercenary army to halt its advance on Moscow, the warlord-led uprising highlights, yet again,
The Wagner Group’s armed rebellion has displayed little evidence of being a successful challenge to Putin’s regime, but it has created a strong argument in support of Ukraine’s accelerated accession to NATO. The military drama that unfolded in Russia from June 23 to 24, orchestrated by Wagner
WARSAW – In his address to the Russian people in the wake of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mutiny, Russian President Vladimir Putin alluded to the events of 1917, when General Lavr Kornilov’s infantry rebellion opened the way for the Bolsheviks to seize power and unleash a five-year civil war. From the
Disinformation is an instrument for deliberately propagating false information with the intent to mislead. Therefore, disinformation and its sources should not be treated in the same way as fact-based news reporting. Disinformation is not one of the sides of a story. It is a falsehood that must not be accorded
“Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, is dead.” Such was the false message spread by Russia’s propaganda machine in early May – even Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin joined in. Kyiv was quick to dispel the claim as an intentional effort to “demoralize Ukrainian forces” and undermine
Successful economic planning for any nation contains this crucial question: How can we replace imports, which funnel vital capital out of Ukraine, with local production and exports, which bring foreign capital and new employment opportunities to our national economy? With respect to the import and export of energy, this question
American author Elizabeth Gilbert ignited a heated online debate when she decided to postpone the release of her new novel, “The Snow Forest,” which is set in Russia. Many Ukrainians (and not only) thought that it was insensitive for a bestselling author to choose Russia as the backdrop to their
Early in the morning of June 6, the massive Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River, under the control of Russian occupying forces, was destroyed in the largest attack on vital civilian water infrastructure since World War II. The dam and the reservoir behind it were built in the mid-1950s to
STOCKHOLM – As Ukraine’s counteroffensive gets underway, Western countries must help liberate all Ukrainians living under Russian occupation. But Western assistance must not end once Russia is defeated. Ukraine’s supporters must also help its postwar recovery. The Ukraine Recovery Conference in London on June 21-22 is an opportunity to
OSLO – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has elevated global nuclear tensions to a level not seen since the height of the Cold War. Absent any signs of responsible leadership from Russian President Vladimir Putin, it is incumbent on the leaders of other nuclear-armed countries to take practical and prompt action
COPENHAGEN – Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has caused unspeakable human suffering, including war crimes committed against thousands of innocent men, women, and children. The attacks on Ukraine’s cities and infrastructure have forced millions to flee their homes and resulted in damage estimated to total hundreds of billions
Late last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin moved ahead with his threat to deploy nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil. Echoing prior condemnation of this planned action, the U.S. State Department’s spokesman added: “we have seen no reason to adjust our strategic nuclear posture or any indications that Russia
The U.S. State Department recently announced its support for the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian crimes of aggression against Ukraine in a hybrid “internationalized” format. This move echoes the myopic policies of Western countries toward Ukraine and has very little legal grounding. From a legal standpoint,
“Some told you … that you were missing opportunities to keep quiet – but I believe we sometimes missed opportunities to listen. That time is over.” - French President Emmanuel Macron at GLOBSEC’s 2023 summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, on May 31, 2023, in reference to a statement made by then-President Jacques
BERKELEY/KYIV – When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, few expected resistance to last longer than a few days. In both Russia and the West, Russian troops were expected to sweep into Kyiv, parade uniforms in hand, install a proxy government, and effectively end Ukrainian statehood.
On the morning of June 6 at around 2:50 a.m., an explosion erupts at the center of the Kakhovka dam, leading to its destruction and the flooding of much of Kherson Oblast. Having been mined by Russia over the course of last year and timed exactly to disrupt
The Kremlin’s push for a “long war” against Ukraine may have a snowball effect on domestic insurgency within Russia. In the early morning of June 1, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) and the Free Russia Legion (LSR) crossed the Russian border from Ukraine once again. They engaged in combat
(Updated: )
