Russia news

US peace efforts make full circle, as Putin tells Trump Ukraine out to kill him

by Oleksiy SorokinDecember 30, 2025

Donald Trump’s peace negotiations have seemingly made a full circle. After U.S. pressuring Ukraine to accept an unfavorable peace settlement, Kyiv spent over a month renegotiating the offer and getting close to receiving Trump's blessing on a revised proposal. Then Vladimir Putin called. Twice. A few hours before the second call, on Dec. 29, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Ukrainian drones had allegedly attempted to strike Putin's state residence with 91 drones in Russia's No

Russia shares dubious 'evidence' of Ukrainian drone attack 3 days after claiming Kyiv tried to assassinate Putin

by Abbey FenbertDecember 31, 2025

Poll shows 55% of Russians expect war to end in 2026 — and want life back to 'normal'

by Tim ZadorozhnyyDecember 24, 2025

Azerbaijan's president cites 'busy schedule' to skip Russia summit despite Kremlin expecting his attendance

by Tim ZadorozhnyyDecember 22, 2025

Russia captured over 4,300 square kilometers of Ukraine in 2025, DeepState reports

by Dmytro BasmatJanuary 2, 2026

Lions injured, birds killed — Russian attack strikes eco-park near Kharkiv

by Dmytro BasmatJanuary 1, 2026

'Welcome back to life' — Ukraine's HUR faked death of top anti-Putin Russian commander, claimed Kremlin bounty money

by Tania MyronyshenaJanuary 1, 2026

Putin's New Year speech lauds Russia's war, makes no mention of peace in Ukraine

by Tania MyronyshenaJanuary 1, 2026

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Friday, January 2

12:00 AM

Russia captured over 4,300 square kilometers of Ukraine in 2025, DeepState reports

Russian forces occupied 4,336 square kilometers (1,674 square miles) of Ukrainian territory in 2025, accounting for less than 1% of the country, the Ukrainian open-source mapping project DeepState reported in an year-end assessment published on Jan. 1.

12:19 PM

CIA rejects Putin's claim of Ukrainian attack on his residence, as Russia hands over alleged 'evidence'

The report confirms Ukraine's original denial and undercuts claims made by the Kremlin.

08:37 PM

Lions injured, birds killed — Russian attack strikes eco-park near Kharkiv

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, over 100 animals and five people, including employees and volunteers, have been killed by Russian forces on the eco-park's grounds.

05:57 PM

Zelensky, European leaders to meet on Jan. 6 in France following high-level meetings

Ukraine is preparing to host a new round of high-level security discussions with Western partners in early January, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Dec. 30, signaling an effort to maintain diplomatic momentum.

06:47 PM

Ukraine enters EU's single mobile roaming zone

Ukraine formally joined the European Union's single roaming zone on Jan. 1, allowing Ukrainian citizens to use their mobile phone service across the European bloc without incurring additional charges.

05:59 PM

Ukraine deploys two additional Patriot air defense systems, Defense Ministry reports

Patriot is one of the world's most advanced air defense systems, capable of intercepting aircraft as well as cruise, ballistic, and hypersonic missiles.

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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War

'We can't just withdraw from our territories' —Zelensky says following his meeting with Trump

Zelensky tells Fox News' Bret Baier that Ukraine has demonstrated concrete steps toward peace over the past month and raised the possibility of a referendum on the peace plan. At the same time, a referendum would not legitimize withdrawing from Ukrainian territory, given the current security realities.

Politics

Editors' Picks

Children take part in Malanka celebrations in Krasnoilsk, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukraine, on Jan. 14, 2022.

Russia news

US peace efforts make full circle, as Putin tells Trump Ukraine out to kill him

Russia shares dubious 'evidence' of Ukrainian drone attack 3 days after claiming Kyiv tried to assassinate Putin

Poll shows 55% of Russians expect war to end in 2026 — and want life back to 'normal'

Azerbaijan's president cites 'busy schedule' to skip Russia summit despite Kremlin expecting his attendance

Russia captured over 4,300 square kilometers of Ukraine in 2025, DeepState reports

Lions injured, birds killed — Russian attack strikes eco-park near Kharkiv

'Welcome back to life' — Ukraine's HUR faked death of top anti-Putin Russian commander, claimed Kremlin bounty money

Putin's New Year speech lauds Russia's war, makes no mention of peace in Ukraine

More from Russia

Ukraine сonfirms strike on Russia's Ilsky oil refinery, multiple military targets in New Year attack

Russia launches New Year’s Day drone attacks across Ukraine

'We want the end of the war — not the end of Ukraine,' Zelensky says in New Year address

Finland detains Russia-linked ship suspected of sabotage

Ukraine damages major Russian oil assets in New Year's Eve strikes, military reports

Russia shares dubious 'evidence' of Ukrainian drone attack 3 days after claiming Kyiv tried to assassinate Putin

General Staff: Russia has lost 1,207,910 troops in Ukraine since 2022

'Russia is targeting civilians' — Casualties, outages reported following Russian drone strikes on residential buildings in Odesa

NewsLetters

News Feed

Russia captured over 4,300 square kilometers of Ukraine in 2025, DeepState reports

CIA rejects Putin's claim of Ukrainian attack on his residence, as Russia hands over alleged 'evidence'

Lions injured, birds killed — Russian attack strikes eco-park near Kharkiv

Zelensky, European leaders to meet on Jan. 6 in France following high-level meetings

Ukraine enters EU's single mobile roaming zone

Ukraine deploys two additional Patriot air defense systems, Defense Ministry reports

About Russia

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'We can't just withdraw from our territories' —Zelensky says following his meeting with Trump

Exclusive: 'Be careful' — European leaders warned Zelensky to assess Trump's real stance at Mar-a-Lago

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Trump 'very angry' about alleged Ukrainian attack on Putin residence

US peace efforts make full circle, as Putin tells Trump Ukraine out to kill him

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Malanka: Ukraine's winter ritual of masks, mischief, and good fortune

2025 in 25 stories from the Kyiv Independent

Carol of the Bells: the song that made the world speak about Ukraine

With his right-hand man gone, Zelensky learns to rule Ukraine alone