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Russia-Ukraine War

People on a Black Sea beach in Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine, on July 15, 2022.
War

'This is unusual' – How Ukrainian strikes upended Crimea's tourist season

by Yuliia Taradiuk

"We spent the whole night in a shelter." "The cafes are all open… but they ask for cash or a bank transfer; many cafes don't have electricity." "As for fuel, I still recommend bringing some with you whenever possible." "Those who traveled to Crimea every year can't be scared by anything." These are just a few messages from a Telegram group where tourists in occupied Crimea discuss conditions on the peninsula. Nighttime explosions, long queues at gas stations, and oil slicks along the coast h

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Who is Vadym Iermolaiev? The sanctioned Ukrainian businessman injured in the Monaco blast

Ukrainian businessman Vadym Iermolaiev, who witnessed an faced an attempt in Monaco on June 29, although he is little-known nationwide, held immense influence in the city of Dnipro. Iermolaiev is controversial. He has renounced his Ukrainian citizenship and has been sanctioned by Ukraine due to alleged collaboration with Russia. He denies the accusations. Meanwhile, Iermolaiev’s son is being investigated in connection with illegal call centers in Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent explains who is

The problem at the top of Ukraine's judiciary

"Nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes" is an idiom often attributed to American statesman Benjamin Franklin. In Ukraine, another certainty has emerged over the years: society's persistent demand for judicial reform — and the judiciary's equally persistent resistance to it. Following the 2014 EuroMaidan Revolution, Ukraine's highest court was expected to become a flagship of the country's Western-backed reform agenda. Instead, the Supreme Court has become mired in controve

Not only walls — rebuilding a young generation's right to belong

When a russian strike hit the building in Sumy where our teenagers met each week, I was sure we had lost them. They were frightened; some could not stop shaking. They had felt the blast. We brought in psychologists without asking for anything in return. Less than two weeks later, the same teenagers found a new venue and finished the program. I have returned to that moment many times since. The courage of those youngsters astonished me. They had found a place where their voice counted, and they

Children play soccer next to a damaged building following shelling in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on May 6, 2023.

About War

The Kyiv Independent's coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, after eight years of aggression against Ukraine that began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and fighting in Donbas. The war has resulted in tens of thousands of military and civilian casualties and displaced millions of Ukrainians. NATO and Western allies have provided military aid to Ukraine while the conflict continues across fronts in Ukraine’s south and east.

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