In a way unseen since the start of the full-scale invasion, the daily grind of the front line in Russia's war against Ukraine has taken the back seat in world headlines. The dizzying U.S. President Donald Trump-led attempts to negotiate peace in the world arena dominate the news cycle
New recruit Vitalii Yalovyi knew one thing after completing the Ukrainian military's boot camp: He was not prepared for war. The 37-year-old felt physically unfit, forcing him to miss some courses during the month-long training. His leg was still hurting from long daily walks at a training center in western
As Ukraine's seven-month-long incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast came to what appears to be its end, Ukrainian soldiers and military experts are questioning the operation's goal and the long-term effect it will have on the war. Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast in August 2024, using
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include the official response to the Kyiv Independent from Ukraine's General Staff, which came a few days after initial publication. Last February, a Ukrainian company commander going by his callsign Veter was ordered to send his people to reinforce another unit’s
The White House on March 25 announced that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to "eliminate the use of force" in the Black Sea, returning the spotlight to a theater of battle that has been relatively quiet for more than a year. Throughout 2022 and 2023, Ukrainian strikes against Russian ships,
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff recently claimed that the majority of people in Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories had participated in referendums and "indicated that they want to be under Russian rule." Witkoff's claim is false in many ways. Witkoff referred to the Russian sham vote on the annexation of Ukraine's
Ukraine last week announced the latest advance in the ongoing drone race with Russia, saying its new variant had the longest range of any in its arsenal and had successfully completed testing. "Our drone with a 3,000-kilometer range has passed testing," President Volodymyr Zelensky said during his evening address
U.S. negotiators will meet separately with Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Riyadh on March 24, but although contours of a potential partial ceasefire proposal are beginning to form, Kyiv remains skeptical of Moscow's intentions. The upcoming discussions are meant to flesh out technical details on what this ceasefire, either
It's no secret that U.S. officials have been trying to drive a wedge between Russia and its key ally, China. Former United States Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg was among the government officials who made the intention public, saying that the U.S. would try to
U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on March 18 to discuss a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal. Putin claimed Russia would pause attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure for 30 days, but did not commit to a broader ceasefire. Russia has declined
Russian President Vladimir Putin's conditions for a ceasefire are unrealistic and tantamount to demanding that Ukraine disarm itself and surrender, analysts say. Putin said on March 13 that Russia was ready to agree to the U.S.-backed 30-day-long ceasefire in Ukraine but then followed by listing a number of
Fears of a Starlink shut-off at the front line have racked Ukraine. European satellite internet firms took the opportunity to step forward as replacements — but even collectively, they are unlikely to fill the void in coverage that Starlink's shut off would leave. Today, Starlink satellite internet service dominates both worldwide
Russia is signaling its intention to reject a U.S. ceasefire proposal already accepted by Ukraine in Jeddah this week, setting the stage for a likely diplomatic standoff between Washington and Moscow. After nearly 48 hours of silence on the issue, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov on March 13 dismissed
Ukraine’s retreat from Kursk Oblast appears more likely as the latest news shows Russia taking ground amid intense attacks to drive Ukraine out, experts and soldiers say. Retaking Ukrainian-held territory in Kursk Oblast could leave Kyiv without its hard-fought bargaining chip before potential negotiations with Russia. In recent days,
As Russian troops are set to push Ukrainian soldiers out of Kursk Oblast, experts say Kyiv's withdrawal from the region could be "politically significant." Ukraine's seven-month-long hold of a small portion of Russia's Kursk Oblast might be ending. On March 12, Russian troops entered the town of Sudzha, which served
Days after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a pause in sharing U.S. intelligence, the Ukrainian military has reported little effect from that decision on the front. The pause is likely to have a higher toll on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, experts and military officials say. The U.S.
As Washington continues to pressure Kyiv into submission, President Volodymyr Zelensky stands at a painful crossroads — agree to U.S. demands or chart a course without Washington, pinning Ukraine's hopes for survival on Europe alone. Neither option seems reassuring for Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump's constant verbal attacks against
European countries have intensified talks on sending peacekeepers to Ukraine to monitor and enforce a possible ceasefire. But the potential deployment of European peacekeepers to Ukraine faces a lot of challenges and uncertainties. There is no unity among European countries on the issue, with some of them openly opposing the
NATO membership for Ukraine is becoming increasingly elusive. The previous U.S. administration silently opposed extending a NATO invitation to Ukraine. The current U.S. administration has made its opposition public. "You can forget about (NATO membership). That's probably the reason the whole thing (war) started," U.S. President Donald
Within a single week in February, several attacks against enlistment offices and personnel in Ukraine took place, resulting in injuries among both military and civilians. The most striking was the murder of an enlistment officer at a gas station in Poltava Oblast. A man killed the officer during an attempt
As Ukraine entered its fourth year of Russia’s full-scale war, it was geopolitics, not the war itself, that dominated headlines, as Kyiv’s relationship with new U.S. President Donald Trump nosedived over a proposed minerals deal. In the meantime though, the battlefield continues to rage on multiple fronts,
The victory of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by Friedrich Merz was met with relief in Ukraine. The conservative leader has long criticized the supposedly cautious Ukraine strategy of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose government collapsed last November, triggering the snap vote. Merz's likely coalition with the Social
Donald Trump is elected U.S. president after criticizing a war abroad and calling for its end. He negotiates a deal with an adversary of the United States under heavy sanctions, cutting an ally out of their own country’s peace talks. The disastrous deal is viewed as a surrender
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sits down with Rob Lee, former U.S. marine infantry officer and senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia Program. They discuss the evolving battlefield realities as Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its 4th year and why peace negotiations are unlikely to bring results any time soon.
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. DONETSK OBLAST – Scanning an array of nine video feeds from a command point in an abandoned summer, mortar battery commander Tymur “Babai” searches for
Last month, four top-level military commanders in Ukraine were arrested for alleged mismanagement of battlefield operations — in the first criminal investigations of top military leadership since the start of the full-scale invasion. Three high-ranking officers involved in what’s being called “the generals’ case” — Yurii Halushkin, Artur Horbenko, and Illia
After holding a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Feb. 12 that "millions" of lives had been lost in Ukraine due to the "very bloody war." It was not the first time Trump claimed that such numbers of people had been
As diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Russia have kicked off to end Moscow's war in Ukraine – without Kyiv at the table – it is becoming increasingly clear that Ukraine will most likely be pressured by Washington to make concessions to Russia. U.S. President Donald Trump and his team
The Ukrainian military command's plan to throw high-skilled Air Force personnel into the infantry was said to be halted when the practice gained nationwide attention, followed by a condemnation from President Volodymyr Zelensky. Soldiers, who spoke to the Kyiv Independent on conditions of anonymity, say, however, that nothing has changed,
Thrusting forward with their vast manpower advantage, Russian troops are gradually penetrating Ukrainian defenses on the western edge of Donetsk Oblast and are close to capturing Velyka Novosilka. Located about 15 kilometers east of the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the vital road-junction village was once home to around 5,000 people.
As state secretary, Marco Rubio will oversee the implementation of the president's foreign policy, including that relating to Russia's full-scale war — which wasn't directly referred to during Donald Trump's inauguration speech.
As U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office on Jan. 20, Ukraine's fate hangs in the balance. While some potential details of Trump's future peace proposals have been leaked, the overall plan still remains unclear. Since the Nov. 5 presidential election, Trump and his team have sent
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