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Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, on April 21, 2026.
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Russia's foreign minister Lavrov cut out of Ukraine peace talks, officials say

by Tim Zadorozhnyy

Russia's top diplomat Sergey Lavrov has been almost completely sidelined from Moscow's most important foreign policy track — negotiations on ending Russia's war against Ukraine, two Ukrainian officials and one U.S. official told the Kyiv Independent. For decades, Lavrov served as the public face of Russian diplomacy and one of the Kremlin's most recognizable hardliners. Since the start of Russia's all-out war, he has remained one of the loudest voices defending Moscow's maximalist demands, reg

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The anniversary of Russia's long-forgotten genocide

For millions of Europeans, the era of Russian domination over the nations east of the former Iron Curtain remains a vivid, living memory. But while the Kremlin's tide receded across most of Central and Eastern Europe, others remain stuck within Russia's borders, yearning for the freedom of national expression that has yet to materialize. European history is littered with tales of one nation's brutality towards another, but very few nations have experienced what can truly be called a genocide —

Federation of Caucasian Associations at the 159th anniversary of the Circassian exile in Ankara, Turkey, on May 21, 2023.

Ukraine war latest: Russia's Syzran oil refinery hit by 'another long range sanction'

Key developments on May 21: * 'Another long-range sanction' — Ukraine strikes Syzran oil refinery, more than 800 kilometers from border * Russia allegedly delivers nuclear warheads for joint exercises with Belarus * Ukraine strikes Russian FSB headquarters in occupied Kherson Oblast, killing and injuring nearly 100 troops * Ukraine developing new low-cost way to down Russian Shahed-type drones * Russian drones hits apartment buildings in Dnipro injuring 15, including 13-year-old boy Ukrai

Is Belarus about to enter the Russian war?

With much of the focus on Ukraine being placed on the stagnant state of U.S.-led peace talks and recent successful Ukrainian drone strikes against Russia's oil refineries, Western policymakers should not overlook Ukraine's northern border with Belarus. This week, Belarus is participating in alarming Russian-led nuclear warfare exercises. Last week, President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly raised concerns about the possibility of Belarus entering the war from the north in support of Russia. None o

Russian President Putin (L) and Belarusian President Lukashenka (R) in Moscow, Russia, on Feb. 26, 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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First known Russian recruited from university dies in Ukraine, exposing Russia’s student recruitment campaign

Russian servicemen in Moscow, Russia, on May 7, 2025.

When 23-year-old Russian student Valery Averin signed a military contract in January after being recruited into Russia’s drone forces campaign targeting students, he was told he would train as a drone operator. Three months later, he was dead near Luhansk after reportedly being sent into an assault unit despite having no military experience. His case, reported by the BBC Russian Service, appears to be the first known death linked to Russia’s growing campaign to recruit university and college st

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