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Russia's war crimes
Ukraine's fight to bring Russian leadership to justice puts legal systems to ultimate test
In pursuit of justice for Russia's many war crimes, Ukraine is actively seeking the establishment of an international tribunal. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has already launched investigations into alleged Russian war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Ukraine. However, the ICC lacks jurisdiction to prosecute a crime of
This Week in Ukraine Ep. 4 – Russia's strategy of evil: 80,000 war crimes in Ukraine
Episode #4 of "This Week in Ukraine" is dedicated to Russian war crimes in Ukraine and beyond, the culture of violence within the Russian military, and the attempts to keep Russia accountable for the crimes committed in Ukraine.
Ukraine war latest: Zelensky visits front-line Avdiivka, Putin reportedly visits occupied territories
Key developments on April 18: * Zelensky visits front-line Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast * Putin reportedly visits Russian-occupied Luhansk, Kherson oblasts * Macron wants China to help bring Ukraine, Russia to negotiating table, Bloomberg reports * Former Wagner Group mercenary admitted killing POWs, says "he knows more" atrocities committed President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the
Here are the victims of Russia's brutal strike on apartment building in Dnipro
A Russian missile killed 46 people after smashing straight into an apartment building in the city of Dnipro on Jan. 14. It was one of the deadliest single Russian attacks on Ukraine and the deadliest one for Dnipro, a central Ukrainian city with a pre-war population of nearly 1 million.
Covered by dead bodies of his relatives, 4-year-old boy survives Russian attack
When Russian forces opened fire on the peaceful village of Oskil, Kharkiv Oblast, on March 27, Svitlana Voshchana realized her friend’s home was under attack. When the attack stopped, she rushed to their home, hoping the family had managed to hide. Stepping into their yard, she saw the house
Ukraine war latest: US plans to send Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine, officials say
Key developments on Dec. 13: * Allies pledge over €1 billion winter aid for Ukraine after Zelensky’s plea * Ukraine repels Russian attacks near 16 settlements in the east * Belarus conducts sudden inspection of troops’ combat readiness * Russia rules out withdrawal from Ukraine by end of 2022 The U.S. President
Ukraine war latest: Russia prepares new mass missile strikes, says Zelensky
Key developments on Dec. 12: * Ukraine’s embassy in Greece receives ‘bloody package’ in latest act of intimidation * Russian attack on Hirnyk in Donetsk Oblast kills 2, injures 10 * Ukraine needs $1 billion to restore energy sector, says PM. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address that Russia is
The little victims: Russia’s war killed these children
On a warm day in early September, Anastasiia Kolchyna took her nine-year-old sons, twin brothers Ruslan and Denys, for a walk. They went to a small park in their native Zelenodolsk, a town in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, where many locals would gather on the weekends. The family was enjoying the outdoors
Departing EU diplomat: Civilian casualties in Ukraine may be 3 times higher than UN estimates
From the indiscriminate killings of civilians in Bucha, Izium and Mariupol, to the everyday terror of long-range missile strikes, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world in its devastation and brutality. Behind the tragic headlines, Ukrainian state institutions are faced with the mammoth task of documenting and
Ukraine downs 60 Russian missiles amid another mass strike on energy system
Editor's Note: This article was updated at 10 p.m. to include the recent number of casualties. Russia unleashed another mass missile barrage on Ukraine on Dec. 5 targeting energy infrastructure across the country. Out of the 70 missiles launched by Russia, 60 have been intercepted, the Ukrainian Air Force
Ukraine war latest: Multiple Ukrainian embassies receive blood-stained parcels with animal parts
Key developments on Dec. 2: * Ukraine's military repels Russian advances near 14 settlements in eastern Donetsk, Luhansk regions. * Russia has lost over 90,000 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, General Staff says. * EU makes final decision to cap Russian seaborne oil prices at $60 a barrel.Ukraine's Embassy in
Pregnant medic spent 5 months in Russian captivity: 'I feared they would take my child away'
Days before giving birth to her first child, Ukrainian military medic Mariana Mamonova was made to board a plane in the Russian city of Taganrog. She was blindfolded, and her hands were bound with rope. “Do you know where they’re taking us?” she heard a man sitting next to
Ukraine war latest: Millions still without electricity after Russia's Nov. 23 mass strikes
Key developments on Nov. 24: * Largest steel company suspends operation in Ukraine due to power outages. * Ukrainian nuclear power plants begin resuming operations after Russia's Nov. 23 strikes. * Russia attacks liberated Kherson Oblast almost every hour, says Zelensky. * Ukraine brings back 50 prisoners of war from Russian captivity. Power supply
Ukraine war latest: Kherson under Russian fire after liberation
Key developments on Nov. 21: * Russia has lost over 8,000 units of military equipment since Feb. 24. * Polish prosecutors won’t allow Ukraine to join the investigation of the Przewodow blast, Polish media outlet Rzeczpospolita reports. * Russian forces strike civilian infrastructure in liberated Kherson on Nov. 21, one person
Ukraine war latest: Half of Ukraine’s energy system disabled, says PM
Key developments on Nov. 18: * Ukraine repels Russian advances near 9 settlements in east * Zelensky discusses grain deal with Erdogan after the Turkish president spoke with Putin * Nord Stream explosions came as a result of ‘gross sabotage,’ Swedish Security Service says * Nearly 30% of Ukrainian territory is mined, according to
Ukraine war latest: Russian-controlled proxies downed MH17, says Dutch court
Key developments on Nov. 17: * ‘Horrific’ scale of torture in recently liberated Kherson, says ombudsman * Ukraine grain deal extended for another 4 months * Russia’s attack on Dnipro, injures 23 people * Biden disputes Zelensky’s comments that missiles hitting Poland weren’t Ukrainian. The Hague District Court qualified the Russian
Kremlin propaganda more aggressive as Russia steps up attacks
As Russia is escalating its war against Ukraine and using massive missile and drone strikes to destroy infrastructure, Kremlin propaganda is becoming even more bloodthirsty. The earlier disappointment of propagandists with repeated Russian defeats on the battlefield has been replaced with a feeling of schadenfreude. They are gloating over the
Russia attacks Kyiv with 28 drones: ‘Seeing it turning toward me was terrifying’
KYIV — For the second Monday in a row, central Kyiv awoke to the sound of explosions caused by a Russian attack. Five blasts interspersed with Ukrainian defenders’ frantic small arms fire echoed through this downtown district early in the morning on Oct. 17. A week ago, Russia struck the same
Flashbacks of first day of war as Russia strikes central Kyiv
KYIV — The morning of Oct. 10 in Kyiv was like no other since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Starting just after 8 a.m., explosions were heard throughout Ukraine’s capital, and it was soon apparent that not all incoming missiles were being shot down
Zaporizhzhia responds to Russia’s annexation claims: ‘We have broken up with Russia forever’
ZAPORIZHZHIA – On Sept. 30, residents of Zaporizhzhia woke up to the horrendous news of a bloody Russian strike on a convoy of civilian cars in their city overnight. The attack with S-300 missiles killed 31 civilians and wounded 88 more. Though the deadliest to date, it wasn’t the first
Life near Russian-occupied nuclear plant: ‘I don’t know if tomorrow will come’
Editor’s Note: The Kyiv Independent talked to residents who are still in Russian-occupied Enerhodar and those who recently left but still have family in the city. For their safety, we do not disclose their identities. When Russian soldiers captured Enerhodar, the satellite city of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
Zaporizhzhia engulfed by terror as recent Russian strike takes 31 lives
ZAPORIZHZHIA — Guarding a quiet turnoff from the road heading south out of Zaporizhzhia city to the territories occupied by Russia, two Ukrainian police officers were approached by a middle-aged woman in a state of near despair. “My friend was killed here yesterday,” she said to the officer as she got
Father loses 5 family members to Russian airstrike: ‘They were killed physically. I was killed mentally with them’
Volodymyr Obodzinskyi was at work when a sudden call from his neighbor in Zhytomyr Oblast shook him to his core. "There were loud explosions somewhere around your house just now," the neighbor told him. At the time, Obodzinskyi worked in Kyiv, about 100 kilometers away from his home, the village
People under Russian occupation cut off from internet, mobile connection
Editor’s Note: This story includes interviews with people living under Russian occupation. Their full names are not disclosed to protect their identity as they have shared sensitive information that could place them and their families in danger. Every time Ukrainian engineer Yevhen wants to connect to the internet, he
Wife of Izium mass grave victim learns of husband’s death from viral photo
Warning: This story contains graphic images and descriptions that some readers may find disturbing. Scrolling through photos from the mass burial site in Izium, Oksana Sova immediately recognized her husband's bracelet on a corpse's wrist. "I immediately knew it was him," Sova, 37, told the Kyiv Independent. It was that
Ukraine war latest: Staged secession voting begins in 4 occupied regions
Key developments on Sept. 23 * Staged voting begins in occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as the Kremlin seeks to claim the invaded areas as parts of Russia * Police find 18 torture chambers in liberated Kharkiv Oblast. * 436 bodies exhumed at Izium’s mass burial site; 30 with traces
Russian torture chambers survivor: 'Every inch of me was in agony'
WARNING: This article contains very graphic scenes that readers may find disturbing. KOZACHA LOPAN, Kharkiv Oblast — Ten days have passed since his town was liberated from Russian troops, but Vitaliy Oliia is still afraid to leave his home at night. “I never go any further than the next house, that’
Ukraine war latest: Kremlin plans to hastily annex occupied regions as Russians rush abroad in wake of mobilization
Key Developments on Sept. 22 * Russia attacks Zaporizhzhia’s telecommunication facility ahead of sham “referendums.” * Russia launches 4 missile strikes, 17 airstrikes against Ukraine. * Ukrainian forces continue inflicting logistical damages in occupied Kherson Oblast. Russia's hastily-planned sham "referendums" in occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine are set to start
Ukraine war latest: Putin orders mobilization, West plays it down as sign of desperation
Latest developments on Sept. 21 * Putin declares ‘partial mobilization’ in Russia * Shoigu says 300,000 reservists to be drafted * Russia launches 5 missile strikes, 11 airstrikes across Ukraine * 338 bodies exhumed so far at Izium’s mass burial site Ukraine and its Western allies played down Moscow’s mobilization announcement,
Ukraine war latest: Russia attacks a nuclear plant in Ukraine as counteroffensive reportedly moves into occupied Luhansk Oblast
Key developments on Sept. 19 * Russian missile strike hits nuclear plant in Mykolaiv Oblast * Governor says Ukraine recaptured a village in occupied Luhansk Oblast * 146 bodies exhumed so far at Izium’s mass burial site Ukraine appears to have made a breakthrough in occupied Luhansk Oblast. While Russia still controls
Ukraine war latest: Identification procedures begin at mass burial site in liberated Izium as Russia’s attacks intensify across Ukraine
Key developments on Sept. 18 * Ukraine identifies some of the bodies found at Izium’s mass burial site * The exhumation process in Izium to continue for nearly 2 more weeks * Russia bombards several regions across Ukraine * Fighting rages on in Donetsk and Kherson oblasts Some of the bodies exhumed from
Ukraine war latest: Mounting evidence of Russian war crimes found in liberated Kharkiv Oblast
Key developments on Sept. 16 * Bodies of Ukrainian soldiers with tied hands found at mass burial site in liberated Izium * Ukraine finds at least 10 Russian torture chambers in liberated Kharkiv Oblast * Mysterious explosions reported in occupied Luhansk, Kherson * Fighting rages in Ukraine’s east and south Law enforcement agencies
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