Drone combat in Russia’s war against Ukraine is changing warfare. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being used at an unprecedented scale for which neither the Ukrainian nor the Russian armies were quite prepared. Both militaries have made significant progress with respect to drones, sometimes modernizing them in the midst
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on April 14, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. In a country at war, death is all around. But Pavel Goldin is
Russian troops hit the village of Odradokamyanka in Kherson Oblast with an FPV drone on April 14, local authorities reported.
Key developments on April 12: * Energy minister says Ukraine's energy system stable, urges citizens to prepare for 'any scenarios' * Bloomberg: Ukrainian army collapse 'cannot be ruled out,' US official says * Netherlands allocates additional $1.5 billion in aid for Ukraine * Ukraine additionally allocates close to $100 million for fortifications
Editor’s note: The Kyiv Independent is not disclosing the full names of the soldiers introduced in the story, as they didn’t have a formal authorization to speak to the press. DONETSK OBLAST – Mykhailo arrived at a dugout less than an hour after it was hit by Russian drones.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), presented a "revolutionary" order on March 27: “The Present and Future of the Russian World.” The order claims: “From a spiritual and moral point of view, a special military operation (Russia’s term for its war against Ukraine)
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on April 11, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. On more than one occasion, I've gotten under the covers utterly exhausted from
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with his Czech and Romanian counterparts, Petr Pavel and Klaus Iohannis, while visiting Lithuania on April 11, according to Ukraine's Presidential Office.
Russian nationalist Igor Girkin, who was convicted of extremism back in January, will ask to be sent to fight in Ukraine. Girkin, also known by his alias "Strelkov," is an ex-intelligence officer who played a pivotal role in Russia's aggression against Ukraine in 2014.
Russian air defense systems thwarted a Ukrainian attack over Belgorod and Yaroslavl oblasts, Russian authorities claimed on March 31. A woman was allegedly injured in Belgorod Oblast.
"Recent imagery analysis has identified four barges positioned at the entrance to the Black Sea Fleet facility of Novorossiysk Sea Port. This is an effort to enhance the defenses of the port against attacks from Ukrainian Uncrewed Surface Vessels," the U.K. Defense Ministry reported.
Russia has lost 442,170 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on March 31.
Over two years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the mood among Ukraine’s supporters is dropping. There are several reasons for this, including Ukraine’s unsuccessful counteroffensive last year, the replacement of the popular Valerii Zaluzhnyi as commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, tension among Ukraine’s leadership,
Editor’s Note: Brian Bonner, the Kyiv Post’s chief editor from 2008-2021, is the host of Hromadske Radio’s podcast “Ukraine Calling.” This weekly English-language program, released on Fridays, can be found on Hromadske’s YouTube channel and website, as well as on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Google Podcasts,
President Volodymyr Zelensky was briefed on the project for the construction of a platoon stronghold near Sumy, which includes reinforced concrete structures, firing positions for tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, and corrugated steel shelters.
Russia is defying U.N. sanctions by supplying North Korea with oil, likely in exchange for weapons, the Financial Times (FT) reported on March 26.
A bomb dropped from a Russian drone has injured a 50-year-old man in Beryslav, the Kherson Oblast Military Administration reported on March 26.
Russia is recruiting for its new 44th Army Corps in an attempt to expand its armed forces but may have to send it to Ukraine to sustain operations, the U.K. Defense Ministry said on March 26.
The Air Force said the drones had been launched from Cape Chauda in Russian-occupied Crimea along with two S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles in the direction of Donetsk Oblast.
"It seems to me that today there are no writers or non-writers, musicians or non-musicians — there are citizens of Ukraine who feel responsible for their country," he said.
DOHA – The terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue in a Moscow suburb was no bolt from the blue. The Kremlin dismissed U.S. intelligence warnings of an imminent attack by “extremists,” possibly to shift the blame to a convenient scapegoat when the attack came. The murder of
Whoever doubts that Europe is in danger of an ominous divergence on Russia and Ukraine should take a look at the forced smiles of the “triple handshake” between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk when they met in Berlin last Friday, ostensibly
The Russian cruise missile entered Poland's airspace for 39 seconds, Jacek Siewiera, chief of Poland’s National Security Bureau, said on X on March 24. He also said the NATO allies had been briefed about yet another violation of the NATO border by a Russian cruise missile.
The U.K. has announced a further 60 million pounds ($75.5 million) in military aid for Ukraine that will provide new surveillance drones and air defense systems, the U.K. Defense Ministry said on March 22.
In the spring of 2022, right after Russia’s atrocities in Bucha were exposed, several Western leaders uttered the term “genocide.” U.S. President Joe Biden, former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former Colombian President Ivan Duque, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did so in short succession, albeit
"Genocide is the crime of crimes. So, is Russia committing one in Ukraine?" The new documentary by the Kyiv Independent's War Crimes Investigations Unit, "Destroy, in Whole or in Part," debuted on YouTube on March 22.
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the blog “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on March 22, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. Aahed Bakkora will never forget the night that birds began falling out of the
The media has been filled with coverage of the Russian presidential election that took place this weekend. Incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted 87% of the vote – a number that hardly came as a surprise amid widespread criticism that the election was neither free nor fair. Even before the election
Ukraine’s survival in the face of Russia’s full-scale invasion is “in danger” which poses a risk to America, the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on March 19.
Editor's Note: The Kyiv Independent is not disclosing the full names of soldiers due to security concerns amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. DONETSK OBLAST – Watching my friend Vitalii prepare grilled pork skewers during my latest trip to Donetsk Oblast in February, we were thinking about one thing: the summer
Ukraine and Estonia have started work on a draft bilateral security agreement, the Presidential Office said on March 19.
Admiral Aleksandr Moiseev was appointed as an acting commander of the Russian Navy on March 19, Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti reported.
