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The tanker "Eventin," part of Russia's "shadow fleet," off the coast of the island of Rügen, Germany, on March 24, 2025.
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What an Iran oil spike would mean for Russia

by Tim Zadorozhnyy

As markets opened on March 2, Russian officials were quick to frame the escalating Middle East crisis as an economic opportunity for the Kremlin. Within hours of the first U.S. and Israeli strikes, Russian Envoy Kirill Dmitriev quickly posted on X about crude potentially hitting "$100+" per barrel. Brent crude futures on the London ICE exchange initially had risen 13.04%, peaking at $82.37 per barrel — the highest level in over a year. Prices later eased to $79.38. The spike followed Iran's M

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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine brings home 300 POWs, 2 civilians in 2nd stage of major prisoner swap

Key developments on March 6: * Ukraine secures release of 300 POWs, 2 civilians in second stage of exchange with Russia * 'Russians preparing spring offensive' — Zelensky visits Donetsk Oblast, meets commanders amid risk of new Russian push * Ukrainian drones successfully hit Russian aircraft repair plant in occupied Crimea, SBU says * Ukraine's HUR releases video of strikes on Russian military assets in occupied Crimea Ukraine has secured the release of 300 prisoners of war and two civili

Inside Russia's everyday manhunt of Ukrainians in Kherson

At the moment the grey mass of radio static gives way to a clear image on the drone detector screen, the hunter still seems deceptively far away. Looking down on the central neighbourhood of Kherson from a bird’s-eye view, it remains unclear where the Russian drone is coming from or who it is stalking. Catching the analog radio signal of the first-person-view (FPV) drone’s video transmitter, the detector shows exactly what the Russian pilot sees through his goggles as he flies from the occupi

Workers install anti-drone netting over a street in Kherson, Ukraine, on Nov. 21, 2025.

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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 experience priceless as Iran war sees long-range strike drones go global

Ukrainian mobile air defense during night patrol in Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine, on Dec. 2, 2024.

The Trump administration's move to launch a large-scale strike operation in Iran has seen state-on-state war return to the Middle East with a vengeance. Hours after the first U.S. and Israeli strikes began hitting the country on Feb. 28, Tehran — despite its leadership being decapitated on the first day of the fighting — retaliated with large-scale missile and drone attacks across the region, with a focus on U.S. military bases and embassies. On top of its arsenal of ballistic missiles, Iran's

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