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Russian President Vladimir Putin, during the Russia-ASEAN Summit in Kazan, Russia, on June 18, 2026.
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A predetermined vote in an increasingly unpredictable Russia

by Karol Luczka

In Russia, where elections offer little real uncertainty, the Kremlin still stages the ritual of competition — a carefully managed exercise designed not to choose leaders but to reinforce President Vladimir Putin's claim to legitimacy. With the upcoming parliamentary elections set for Sept. 20, the first since the start of the all-out war against Ukraine, the Kremlin's political wing is tasked with a risky endeavour — mustering up high numbers for Putin's United Russia party in a country stuck

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Thursday, July 2

Ukraine war latest: 'Serious destruction' — massive Russian missile, drone attack on Kyiv kills at least 22, injures nearly 90

Key developments on July 2: * 'Serious destruction' — massive Russian missile, drone attack on Kyiv kills at least 22, injures nearly 90; * Ukraine urgently appeals to nearly 40 allies for Patriot interceptors * Russia's overnight attack destroys around 800,000 Ukrainian books * Ukraine strikes major Russian oil refinery, railway bridge in Russian-occupied Luhansk Oblast, General Staff says * Ukraine's Brave1 signs first major Western defense industry partnership with Airbus Waves of Russ

Meteor missile: The 'long arm' Ukraine's air force has sorely needed

Soon, Ukraine will have a new weapon: Swedish Gripen fighter jets carrying Meteor missiles, which can hit targets farther away than any missile Ukrainian pilots have now. That extra range could help blunt one of Russia's most destructive weapons by pushing Russian pilots to drop guided bombs from farther behind the front line — shrinking how far those bombs can reach, Ukrainian military aviation expert Andrii Kharuk told the Kyiv Independent. "Here there are two factors: material, or physical,

About Russia

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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How Ukrainian and Belarusian entrepreneurs have set new standards in Warsaw’s café scene

How Ukrainian and Belarusian entrepreneurs have set new standards in Warsaw’s café scene

WARSAW, Poland — Walk into Milk Bar in central Warsaw, and you'll find the new face of the city's café scene. The lines are clean, the lighting deliberate, and the cakes arranged with gallery-like precision. Without an ear for accents, you might never guess that for its owners and staff, it is a second home, rebuilt after war in Ukraine and political repression in Belarus that forced many of them to start over in Poland. Anna Kozachenko launched the original Milk Bar in Kyiv 12 years ago. She

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