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Putin's pressure campaign on Trump exposes Kremlin’s limits
Russia

Putin's pressure campaign on Trump exposes Kremlin’s limits

by Oleg Sukhov

Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January, Russia has used a wide range of tools to sway him to its side. "It's a mixture of flattery (Trump deserved the Nobel Prize), threats (Tomahawks will mean a new level of escalation and do serious damage to U.S.-Russia relations), promises (great trade and economic deals are just waiting around the corner once there is peace), and manipulation (Ukraine and Europe are playing Trump and have undermined the positive momentum after the Alaska

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Ukraine Reforms Tracker Weekly — Issue 41

Editor’s note: This is issue 41 of Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak’s weekly "Ukraine Reforms Tracker" covering events from Oct. 30–Nov. 6, 2025. The digest highlights steps taken in the Ukrainian parliament related to business, economics, and international financial programs. The Kyiv Independent is republishing with permission. IMF benchmarks and soft commitments Customs head selection process moves forward The selection commission for Ukraine’s new head of State Customs Service ha

Russia’s new drone threat making it harder than ever for journalists to cover Ukraine war

With incessant Russian drones flying all over areas near the front that once were safer, it has become increasingly difficult for journalists covering the war in Ukraine to keep doing their jobs. In October alone, three journalists were killed and five were wounded while working in eastern Donetsk Oblast. The Russian attacks happened relatively far from the front, sometimes more than 20 kilometers (12 miles) away. “October 2025 showed a new risk for journalists with an increase in Russian firs

One night with interceptor drone squad hunting Russian Shaheds

As winter approaches and Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system intensify, a small unit from the 3rd Army Corps spends sleepless nights hunting long-range Shahed drones on the front line in Kharkiv Oblast — before they reach Ukrainian cities.

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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Ukraine’s defense of Pokrovsk on a knife-edge as high command resists calls to withdraw

Ukraine’s defense of Pokrovsk on a knife-edge as high command resists calls to withdraw

Ukrainian forces continue to stubbornly defend the pocket around Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, despite relentless Russian assaults in and around the two cities, leading to an ever-increasing threat of encirclement. Over two weeks since Russian soldiers were filmed breaking into the urban area of the mining city in Donetsk Oblast en masse, the city has descended into a deep gray zone, in which the concept of territorial control is lost in a fog of chaotic movement. "The situation hasn't changed that

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