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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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UK issues Russian oil sanctions as expert warns Kremlin will see 'weakness'

The United Kingdom on May 19 quietly issued a new license for imports of diesel and jet fuel made from sanctioned Russian oil, as well as a separate license for the maritime transport of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG). The move comes a day after the United States once again extended its own sanctions waiver on Russian oil, in an effort to stabilize skyrocketing fuel costs amid the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. The first license permits imports of diesel and jet fuel made from Russian oil

The war of the cities: The new edition

Large-scale combat had been ongoing in Ukraine for several years, and the war had taken on a predominantly positional character. Any advance on the front proved insignificant and came at a disproportionately high cost in casualties. The bet was then placed on massive strikes against Russia's rear cities. No, this is not a brief description of the current Russian-Ukrainian war. This is roughly what the grueling eight-year standoff between Iraq and Iran looked like from 1980 to 1988. It was duri

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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