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Russia-Ukraine War

Ukrainian soldiers return to their command post in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine, on Aug. 28, 2026.
War

Analysis: Ukraine, Russia set stage for climax of Battle of Donbas

by Francis Farrell

This autumn, as Russia escalated its total-war-style strike campaign against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and economy, and relations between Kyiv and Washington hit an all-time low, the daily battles along Ukraine’s vast battlefield have faded into the background of the information space. Despite the reduced attention in international media — often spawning misleading perceptions that both sides are bogged down in some kind of stalemate — the attritional fighting in Ukraine’s east remains

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Inside the legal design of America's Russia sanctions U-turn

The first Russian diesel tanker under the new deal between Russia and the United States is now heading for New York with a 40,000-metric-ton cargo, enough to cover barely two hours of American demand. The deal began with a phone call, in which Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to have persuaded his U.S. counterpart, President Donald Trump, that Russian diesel could ease the energy prices he blamed on Ukraine's strikes. And the argument appears to have landed. Within a week, Washington had

Putin (L) and Trump (R) arrive for a group photo at the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan on June 28, 2019.

How Trump is pushing Ukraine away from the US

Kyiv Independent journalists Jimmy Rushton and Danylo Mokryk argue that Donald Trump’s pressure on Kyiv is backfiring — strengthening support for Volodymyr Zelensky while undermining trust in the United States.

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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