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Lukashenko trades prisoners for sanctions relief — and keeps the upper hand
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Lukashenko trades prisoners for sanctions relief — and keeps the upper hand

by Maria Yeryoma

As dust settles from a historic deal that saw Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko free 123 political prisoners in exchange for a partial U.S. sanctions relief, the main question remains unanswered — what now? Trump’s newly appointed special envoy, John Coale, arrived in Minsk on Dec. 12 and secured the biggest prisoner release so far, with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and leading opposition figures Viktar Babaryka and Maria Kalesnikava walking free the following day. The inc

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Friday, December 19

Putin says Russia never attacked Ukraine, outlines conditions for war with Europe

Russian President Vladimir Putin used his annual end-of-year press conference on Dec. 19 to reaffirm the Kremlin's maximalist demands for ending Russia's war in Ukraine, rejecting territorial compromise while repeating false claims about the invasion. Opening the tightly choreographed event, Putin said Moscow remains willing to engage in peace talks only on the terms he first outlined last year, insisting that Ukraine has shown no readiness to discuss territory. "We are ready and willing to en

Investigation: Sick Ukrainian children exploited in fraudulent charity campaigns linked to US, Israel

Editor's note: This story is a collaboration between the Kyiv Independent and Factcheck Bulgaria. Key findings: * A network of nonprofits runs large-scale fundraising campaigns claiming to support Ukrainian children with cancer, yet less than 1% of funds raised appear to reach the children. * These organizations are mostly based in the U.S. but maintain ties to Israel — reflected in Hebrew names and connections to a namesake organization in Israel. * Fundraisers frequently use false inform

A network of nonprofits has raised millions in the name of sick Ukrainian children, but less than 1% reach the children.

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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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Russia's strong currency puzzles economists, signals economic woes

Moscow International Business Center in Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 3, 2025.

Since early December, the Russian ruble has continued to strengthen against global currencies: on Dec. 7, it reached a value of only 76 rubles for one U.S. dollar, a figure unseen since May 2023. It soon dropped to 79 rubles per U.S. dollar, an exchange rate close to one seen on the eve of Russia's full-scale war. Ruble's strength came despite increasing sanction pressure by the Trump administration, which began targeting Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft in October. The measures, which f

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