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'Just a show for Putin' — Inside the 2026 St. Petersburg Economic Forum
Once billed as a rival to Davos, the forum now draws far-right influencers and conspiracy theorists.
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Friday, June 5
Ukraine war latest: Russian drone base destroyed at occupied Donetsk Airport
Editor's note: Got an opinion on anything you've read in the Kyiv Independent so far? Send it to letters@kyivindependent.com, and it may appear in our Letters section. Key developments on June 5: * Ukraine destroys Russia's drone base at occupied Donetsk Airport * 185 Ukrainian POWs return from Russian captivity in latest exchange * 'Enough of the war' — Zelensky throws down gauntlet to Putin in open letter * 5 Russian cargo ships targeted by Ukrainian drones, Azerbaijan reports deaths of
Ukraine's Supreme Court sides with Kyiv Independent in libel case
Ukraine's Supreme Court has rejected a libel lawsuit filed by the late Andriy Portnov, a former top official who served pro-Kremlin ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, against the Kyiv Independent, according to a ruling obtained by the Kyiv Independent on June 5.
Macron plans to meet Zelensky in E3 format to structure future peace talks
"We are here both to organize support within the framework of the coalition of the willing and to put that support in place," Macron said.
Inside the US-Ukraine mission to reconstruct faces of wounded soldiers
The Kyiv Independent visited a Ukrainian military hospital where American and Ukrainian surgeons work together as part of the "Face-to-Face" mission to reconstruct faces damaged by explosions from strikes and landmines.
Why Zelensky's letter wasn't about Putin as Kremlin rejects meeting
President Volodymyr Zelensky's letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin was never meant only for the man whose name was written at the top. According to a senior Ukrainian official familiar with the planning, the message was aimed at a much wider audience, including Putin's inner circle, Russian elites increasingly weary of the war, and even ordinary Russian citizens. The letter, sent on June 4, marked the first direct outreach from Zelensky to Putin since 2022. In it, the Ukrainian presiden
Stray Ukrainian naval drone explodes at Romania's Black Sea port
The Ukrainian Navy confirmed that it lost control of one of its drones in the Black Sea due to electronic warfare, causing the unmanned vessel to drift to the Romanian coast.
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The Kyiv Independent’s coverage of news on Russia. Spanning eleven time zones across Eastern Europe and Asia, Russia has an estimated population of 146 million people. Russia’s capital city is Moscow, which is home to almost one in 10 Russians. Russia’s official currency is the Russian Ruble.
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"Almost half of your 26 years of power in Russia you have spent in the war against Ukraine," Zelensky wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Whatever you say about NATO, geopolitics and the Russian language, this war is your personal choice — a war without a real reason. This is how history will remember it."
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Why Zelensky's letter wasn't about Putin as Kremlin rejects meeting
'Just a show for Putin' — Inside the 2026 St. Petersburg Economic Forum
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