KI short logo

Russia-Ukraine War

A Ukrainian serviceman of the Khartiia Brigade at a command post near Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on April 1, 2026.
War

Battle for pipelines in Kupiansk: 'Average lifespan of Russian soldier is 10 minutes'

by Asami Terajima

KHARKIV OBLAST — The longest a Russian soldier can hope to survive for after emerging from the underground pipeline is, according to those hunting them, one single hour. "But it's usually 10 minutes, and that's it," "Tovsty," chief sergeant of a company in Ukraine's Khartiia Brigade, says at a command post in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast. Tovsty is watching live drone footage showing a scene which has been repeating itself over and over again for months now — Russian soldiers emerging from disu

More from War

NewsLetters

News Feed

Our readers' questions about the war, answered. Vol. 11

Editor's note: We asked members of the Kyiv Independent community to share the questions they have about the war. Here's what they asked and how we answered. Join our community to ask a question in the next round. Question: With a new prime minister elected in Hungary, is the blocked loan to Ukraine expected to be approved, and when could it be disbursed? Are there other EU member states that might block funding or slow Ukraine’s integration into the EU, similar to Hungary’s earlier position?

An emergency responder works at the site of a heavily damaged building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 24, 2026.

Battle for pipelines in Kupiansk: 'Average lifespan of Russian soldier is 10 minutes'

KHARKIV OBLAST — The longest a Russian soldier can hope to survive for after emerging from the underground pipeline is, according to those hunting them, one single hour. "But it's usually 10 minutes, and that's it," "Tovsty," chief sergeant of a company in Ukraine's Khartiia Brigade, says at a command post in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast. Tovsty is watching live drone footage showing a scene which has been repeating itself over and over again for months now — Russian soldiers emerging from disu

A Ukrainian serviceman of the Khartiia Brigade at a command post near Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on April 1, 2026.

A Ukrainian child's bedroom goes on tour to confront Europe with Russia's abductions

A Ukrainian child's bedroom was teleported to the halls of power in Brussels' EU quarter in April and May, pushing politicians and public alike to reflect on Russia's abduction of over 20,000 children, and the families ripped apart in the process. The bedroom is an exhibit called "Empty Beds," created by the non-profit Bird of Light Ukraine, and the Kyiv Independent spoke with its co-founders, Zhanna Galeyeva and Isaac Yeung, to hear their story. The exhibit itself has been a long time in the

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.

Read more

Most Popular

Editors' Picks

News Feed