Russia has suspended its participation in the New START treaty, said Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in a speech to the Federal Assembly and members of the Russian political elite on Feb. 21. The nuclear arms reduction treaty between the U.S. and Russia was signed in 2010 in Prague. The
Welcome to Investigative Stories from Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent's newsletter that walks you through the most prominent Ukrainian and Ukraine-focused investigations of the past week. If you are fond of in-depth journalism that exposes war crimes, corruption and abuse of power across state organizations in Ukraine and beyond, subscribe to
The Russian economy has faced unprecedented sanctions since the Kremlin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. The latest events – the West's embargo on seaborn oil and price cap on Russian oil sales worldwide – are seen as a blow to the Russian economy, whose backbone is the energy
On Sept. 21, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announced a "partial mobilization." Russia aims to draft at least 300,000 new soldiers. The Kyiv Independent explains why the mobilization doesn't appear to be "partial" as Putin claims and what it could mean for Ukraine.
Since launching the full-scale war against Ukraine, hardliners became the backbone of Vladimir Putin's regime. Russian officials, propagandists, and "military experts" have all been actively promoting Russia's land grab. Yet, the Kremlin's defeat in Kharkiv Oblast turned Russia's pro-war camp against its leader. Now, it looks like the Russian president
The unprovoked war that Russia unleashed on Ukraine has far-reaching consequences. If he wins, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will be elevated to godhood. Russia’s false historic claims to entitlements will explode. Its global propaganda machine will spin arrogant superiority sans pareil to push Russia-style dictatorship even further on countries
Ukrainian intelligence has claimed that a coup is being prepared against Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Although such intelligence claims may be dubious, analysts can assess the possibility of a coup d’etat by taking into account the economic and political situation in Russia. Some of them argue that a coup
To all our friends in the West: We know that you want to postpone a possible direct engagement, a direct war with the Russians… I’d like to be wrong, but I think it’s quite obvious that the direction we are heading in… is a direct war and direct
It’s infuriating that Russia’s serial killer, autocrat Vladimir Putin, is telling Western powers what they should be doing. What is worst, they are listening. The war-crime nominee has launched an incomprehensible war on global democracies by attacking Ukraine for no reason other than he thinks that he can
Many struggle to understand world powers’ refusal to enforce a no-fly zone (NFZ), at least on the western rest of Ukraine not (yet) occupied by Russia. It has been repeatedly requested by its legitimate democratically elected President Volodymyr Zelensky for the whole of this sovereign independent and democratic country, itself
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he called "a special military operation" against Ukraine on Feb. 24, de facto declaring war on the country. Putin claimed to have “no ill intentions towards neighboring countries” and denied firing missiles on civil infrastructure during what he called a campaign to “disarm and
“I woke up from a call from a friend. He told me Russia was bombing Kyiv," says Artem Basistiy, a 29-year-old from Crimea, who had lived in Kyiv for the last four years. "Then I heard a siren going off, quickly grabbed the dog, and ran to the shelter. After
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing economic crisis caused by Western sanctions have already transformed Russia. The country's economy is expected to shrink by 20% in the second quarter and by around 3.5% for the full year following intensified sanctions, JPMorgan said on Feb. 28. However, analysts
Ukrainian bankers, analysts and economists have joined forces to develop a list of sanctions that have not yet been introduced, but could substantially hit Russia and force Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to retreat. Of course, these measures could hurt not only Russians, but also the economies of the collective West.
One week since Russia began its full-scale war against Ukraine, the civilian death toll is in the hundreds, while thousands have been left injured. According to the United Nations, over 600 civilians have died as a result of Russia's aggression. Russian troops have shelled residential areas, hitting civilian targets such
The heroic feats of Ukraine are a balm for our heart and soul. It’s been a long time since anything like its national resistance to Russia’s war has nurtured the spirit. Humanity loves heroes. The Ukrainian people, its military and president have shown it in spades. Respect, love
A message was shared in the diplomatic circles on Feb. 27 that Belarus airborne forces were preparing to invade Ukraine. Unnamed Belarusian opposition journalists were said to be the source. According to the report, Belarus special forces were boarding planes on Feb. 27, preparing for deployment in or near Kyiv
As I write this, Kyiv defenders are fighting on the streets and on the outskirts of the city. A Russian missile hit a residential apartment. There are air raid alerts in Vinnytsya, Kherson, Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Lviv, Rivne, Lutsk, air strikes in Uman’. Chernihiv is preparing for street fights. The Ministry
The leadership of Ukraine is open to negotiations with Russia and the sides are now discussing the place and time.
Dozens of people were killed by Russian fire, and at least 19 went missing as of 1 p.m. on Feb. 24, just seven hours after Russia started the all-out invasion of Ukraine from several directions. One civilian was killed by Russian shelling in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast. Six people were
Amid Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, people from Kremlin-occupied Donbas remain the least protected group, having no rights or freedoms, and being dependent on the will of the Kremlin and militant groups under its control. On Feb. 18, heads of Kremlin’s proxies in occupied Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts began
Western leaders began swiftly imposing sanctions on Russian officials and financial institutions following the blunt move of Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize Kremlin-controlled regions as independent states. In his speech, the Russian autocrat questioned Ukraine’s right to exist. He also ordered the Russian army to officially move into
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s bellicose speech on Feb. 21 was full of false narratives and half-truths that he used to justify his aggression against Ukraine. The speech was ostensibly his rationale for his recognition of the Kremlin’s proxies in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied areas in the Donbas as independent
On Sunday, police brutally dispersed a group of demonstrators who came to Moscow’s Pushkin Square, the traditional site of dissident rallies since the Soviet era, to denounce Vladimir Putin’s presumptive attack on Ukraine. The protesters, who included veteran human rights leader and former member of parliament Lev Ponomarev,
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to send troops into the Kremlin-occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine, after officially recognizing them as independent states. According to the decree signed by Putin on Feb. 21, the Kremlin has recognized the independence of the Russian-occupied Donbas and has ordered the
Denis Pushilin, leader of the Kremlin’s proxies in Donetsk Oblast, and Leonid Pasechnik, leader of the proxies in Luhansk Oblast ordered the mobilization of men 18-55 years old in Russian-occupied territories on Feb. 19, amid escalation in the region. Men of that age are banned from leaving the occupied
Dozens of artillery strikes committed by Russian-led militants in Donbas left two Ukrainian soldiers injured and three civilians concussed, according to official reports from the war zone. Over 47 incidents of enemy shelling have been registered along the 420-kilometer frontline, as of 7 p.m. on Feb. 17. The heaviest
Russia’s needless war in Ukraine uncovered the best and the worst sides of international politics and diplomacy. The best produced what looks currently like a win over Vladimir Putin’s war. The worst is that his lunacy against democracy continues. What now? First, the best. Bravo Ukraine! It stands
Members of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress rallied across Canada on Feb. 6 with the support of its partner organizations to call attention to Ukraine's fight against the potential for a further Russian invasion.
While certain aspects of Russia’s attack on Ukraine have been novel, Moscow’s approach to the conflict echoes a range of far more traditional tactics from the era of Soviet expansionism.
All the questions that repeatedly arise about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, the one that gets the least satisfactory answers is this one: Why?
The change in Belarus’s geopolitical status over the past 18 months represents one of the most dramatic shifts in the security calculus in Eastern Europe since Russia’s illegal 2014 annexation of Crimea.
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