Territorial Defense Force - The Kyiv Independent

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Ukrainian film actor Yakiv Tkachenko killed in action

by Martina Sapio December 14, 2024

Yakiv Tkachenko, a theater and film actor from Dnipro, was killed in action while serving on the front line with Ukraine's 128th Territorial Defense Brigade.

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Lack of support from 41st Brigade led to Russian advances in Niu-York, battalion claims

by Abbey Fenbert July 6, 2024

A platoon leader said that the shortage of people in the 206th Battalion and lack of instruction from the 41st Brigade contributed to the loss of Niu-York's southern territory.

Field report

Trained in the heat of battle: The journey of Kharkiv Oblast’s Territorial Defense

by Francis Farrell May 3, 2023

Editor’s Note: Some of the soldiers interviewed in this piece declined to give their last names for security reasons or because they had relatives in occupied territory, and are identified by first names and callsigns instead. KHARKIV OBLAST – At an undisclosed part of the front line in Ukraine’s

Ukraine

Government to create 150 Territorial Defense battalions

by Max Hunder January 19, 2022

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry announced on Jan. 18 that it was speeding up the formation of 25 Territorial Defense Force brigades, which will be made up of over 150 battalions in total. The announcement was made in a statement summarizing a meeting held between Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and the

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10:32 PM

UK sanctions Russian officials and lab over chemical weapons use in Ukraine.

According to the updated sanctions list published on the U.K. government's official website, the new measures target Russia's Scientific Research Institute of Applied Chemistry, as well as Lieutenant General Alexei Rtishchev, head of Russia's Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops, and his deputy, Andrei Marchenko.

10:27 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: Russian airports cancel nearly 300 flights amid drone attacks on Russia

8:59 PM

EBRD to unlock $1 billion in credit for Ukraine's key sectors, considers mineral projects.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will enable Ukrainian banks to provide up to 900 million euros ($1.05 billion) in new loans by sharing credit risks.

8:23 PM

Russian weapons contain growing number of Chinese components, Zelensky's adviser says.

Russia’s growing ability to sustain weapons production despite Western sanctions is being driven by a flow of Chinese components and materials, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president’s commissioner for sanctions, told journalists on July 7.

7:45 PM

Minerals

Exclusive: Ukraine pitches deepwater gas, oil refinery projects to US under landmark minerals deal

7:43 PM

Opinion

War has changed: Ukraine’s tech pioneers are leading the fight West can’t afford to ignore

6:00 PM

(Updated: July 7, 2025 7:29 pm)

Russian-Chinese relations

Russia striking NATO while China invades Taiwan 'plausible' scenario, experts say

6:54 PM

Interview

‘Neither side wasted time' — Ukraine's economy minister on minerals deal negotiations with Trump’s ‘business-oriented’ administration

6:44 PM

Russia strikes conscription offices in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine says.

Three people were reported injured in Kharkiv, while one soldier was wounded in Zaporizhzhia.

5:49 PM

5 suspects charged over deadly explosion in Ukraine's Zhytomyr Oblast.

According to prosecutors, one of the company directors had established illegal production of explosive materials and involved unqualified personnel without the necessary training or certification.

12:17 PM

(Updated: July 7, 2025 5:42 pm)

Ukraine confirms drone strike on Russian chemical plant near Moscow.

The Krasnozavodsk Chemical Plant is one of the city's biggest employers and an important part of Russia's defense-industrial complex.

5:23 PM

Russian airlines face $254 million losses from just 2 days of Ukrainian drone strikes, Kremlin media reports.

Since the start of mass disruptions on July 5, a total of 485 flights were canceled, 88 were diverted to alternate airports, and another 1,900 were delayed across major hubs, according to Russia's aviation agency Rosaviatsiya.

5:12 PM

EXCLUSIVE: Ukraine economy minister breaks down US minerals deal.

The Kyiv Independent's business editor Liliane Bivings sits down with Ukraine's Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to discuss the U.S.-Ukraine "minerals deal" and address the myths surrounding it.

4:10 PM

(Updated: July 7, 2025 4:45 pm)

Russian transport minister fired by Putin reportedly shoots himself dead.

According to Russian media, ex-Transport Minister Roman Starovoit's body was found near Moscow. Preliminary findings suggest that the suicide may be linked to a possible criminal case.

3:01 PM

Ukrainian drone strike hits major oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, HUR source claims.

Located roughly 500 kilometers (311 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled territory, the refinery is among the largest in southern Russia, producing over 6 million tons of fuel annually.

2:38 PM

HUR publishes Russian military order, claims proof of Moscow increasing military footprint in Armenia.

HUR first made the claim on July 5, saying Russia was increasing its forces at the Gyumri base to exert greater influence in the South Caucasus and "destabilize the global security situation."

2:19 PM

(Updated: July 7, 2025 1:43 pm)

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