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Yulia Latynina in an unnamed location, on Feb. 9, 2013.
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The Russian commentators living in Europe who justify Moscow's war against Ukraine

by Oleg Sukhov

Correction: Leonid Ragozin's travel data has been corrected. Latvia's decision last week to declare Russian-born journalist and blogger Leonid Ragozin persona non grata has drawn attention to a broader trend: Russians who once presented themselves as opponents of Vladimir Putin are now accused of echoing Kremlin narratives. Some now live in Europe, taking advantage of the freedom and security that their adopted countries provide to broadcast their views. Ironically, some of them blame the Eur

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Putin’s two-war advantage over Trump

Two wars are testing U.S. President Donald Trump's ability to shape world events — and Russia is using the situation to its advantage. As the U.S. pushes Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow is also involved in the war between the U.S. and Iran. Major news outlets have reported that Russia is sharing military intelligence with Tehran, even as Trump has praised Moscow for staying out of the fighting. The contradiction was clear last week. During high-level talks in St. Petersburg, U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump in Fort Myers, Florida, U.S., on Oct. 23, 2026.

What 'Putin's strikes' tell us about Russia’s war in Ukraine

The Kremlin has instructed loyal Russian media to describe attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure as "Putin's strikes," and to portray them as far more effective than Ukrainian attacks on Russia, according to an Oct. 21 report by Meduza. So far, few outlets have picked up the phrase, according to an analysis of Russian media and Telegram channels conducted by Join Ukraine, a Ukrainian organization researching Russia's military machine, for the Kyiv Independent. But the instructions come as

A firefighter extinguishes a fire after a Russian drone strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 28, 2026.

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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