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Politics

Poroshenko returns to Ukraine, faces possible arrest

Poroshenko returns to Ukraine, faces possible arrest

by Olga Rudenko

Ex-President Petro Poroshenko returned to Ukraine on Jan. 17 after a one-month absence. He is facing arrest in a treason case. Poroshenko left Ukraine promptly on Dec. 18, after the State Investigation Bureau detectives tried to hand him a summons. Two days later, he was charged with high treason. Poroshenko

Zelensky’s address to parliament: What you need to know

Zelensky’s address to parliament: What you need to know

by Max Hunder

On the morning of Dec. 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky gave his annual speech to Parliament. Here are the key points from his address: Dialogue with Russia Zelensky’s headline-grabbing statement was that Ukraine “cannot end the war (in the Donbas) without direct dialogue with Russia.” The president said that Ukraine’

Thousands of protesters demand Zelensky’s resignation

Thousands of protesters demand Zelensky’s resignation

by Oleg Sukhov

Several thousand protesters gathered in central Kyiv on the evening of Dec. 1 to demand President Volodymyr Zelensky’s resignation over what they see as his concessions to the Kremlin. The protesters zeroed in on Zelensky’s statement earlier the same day that he’s not afraid of direct negotiations

West promises consequences if Russia invades Ukraine

West promises consequences if Russia invades Ukraine

by Oleg Sukhov

Any aggression from Russia against Ukraine would trigger “serious consequences,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Nov. 30. Blinken told a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Riga that Russia is combining military movements along Ukraine’s border with internal efforts to destabilize the country. NATO Secretary-General

Ukraine’s judicial reform, explained

Ukraine’s judicial reform, explained

by Oleg Sukhov

Why is the reform needed? Ukraine’s judiciary remains corrupt, dysfunctional and politicized. Its governing bodies — the High Council of Justice and the High Qualification Commission — are discredited because they have protected tainted judges. The previous High Qualification Commission was disbanded in 2019 by a law introduced by President Volodymyr

Lawyers say Zelensky illegally appointed Constitutional Court judges

Lawyers say Zelensky illegally appointed Constitutional Court judges

by Oleg Sukhov

Zelensky said he had appointed Oksana Hryshchuk and Oleksandr Petryshyn as Constitutional Court judges. They are supposed to replace Constitutional Court chairman Oleksandr Tupytsky and judge Oleksandr Kasminin. Tupytsky has been charged with bribing a witness, and both Tupytsky and Kasminin were later fired by Zelensky as a “threat to

NGOs call on Zelensky not to appoint corrupt judges

NGOs call on Zelensky not to appoint corrupt judges

by Oleg Sukhov

Civil society groups on Nov. 25 urged President Volodymyr Zelensky not to appoint judges who do not meet ethics and integrity standards. The groups include DEJURE, the Anti-Corruption Action Center, AutoMaidan and others. On Nov. 18, the High Council of Justice, the judiciary’s main governing body, nominated 135 candidates

Pro-Kremlin lawmaker pays bail for Odesa mayor Trukhanov

Pro-Kremlin lawmaker pays bail for Odesa mayor Trukhanov

by Oleg Sukhov

On Nov. 24, pro-Kremlin lawmaker Vadym Novynsky said that he had paid Odesa Mayor Hennady Trukhanov’s bail of $1.1 million. In October the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine brought organized crime and abuse of power charges against Trukhanov and Vladimir Galanternik, the mayor’s former ally and an

Why is Ukraine still missing a chief anti-corruption prosecutor?

Why is Ukraine still missing a chief anti-corruption prosecutor?

by Oleg Sukhov

This very important seat has been vacant since August 2020, when the previous top anti-corruption prosecutor Nazar Kholodnytsky resigned. Attempts to replace him have been repeatedly delayed and sabotaged by officials. The next meeting of the panel choosing the chief anti-corruption prosecutor is scheduled for Nov. 25. Here’s what

President Zelensky leads by 10% in new poll

President Zelensky leads by 10% in new poll

by Sergiy Slipchenko

If elections were held soon, President Volodymyr Zelensky would have the support of 23.1% of decided voters, while ex-President and European Solidarity party leader Petro Poroshenko would trail with 13.3%, according to a new poll from Rating Group. In the first round of the 2019 election, Zelensky and

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6:04 PM

Chornobyl isn’t safe anymore... again.

Chornobyl disaster occurred in the early hours of April 26, 1986, in Soviet Ukraine. Nearly 39 years after the worst nuclear disaster in history, Russia’s brazen attack on the $2 billion New Safe Confinement (the sarcophagus enclosing the destroyed reactor) in February 2025 poses a new potential radioactive danger as engineers race to repair the damage. The Kyiv Independent’s Kollen Post dives into why the restoration is not as simple as it may seem.
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