US Defense Secretary Austin makes unannounced visit to Ukraine

According to the NABU, Timur Mindich, a close Zelensky associate, committed his crimes by influencing Rustem Umerov, former defense minister and current secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

While leaked reports of a U.S.-proposed peace plan have sparked international debates about the future of Ukraine`s occupied territories and the people who live there, Russia is forging ahead, entrenching its control on the ground by expanding illegal mobilization.

Ukraine is facing its biggest wartime corruption scandal. The Kyiv Independent’s Dominic Culverwell explains how Energoatom — Ukraine's nuclear energy operator — became a breeding ground for corruption during the war, how a $100 million kickback scheme in the nuclear energy sector reached the highest levels of power, and what this crisis means for President Volodymyr Zelensky and the country.

Front-line units remain supplied despite heavy fighting, the Southern Defense Forces said in a statement on Nov. 26.

"The president will give me a lot of space and discretion to get to the deal," U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told top Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov in a recorded phone call obtained by Bloomberg.

VNIIR-Progress is a Russian state institute involved in designing electronic warfare systems, including the Kometa antenna used to interfere with satellite, radio, and radar signals.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Nov. 25 that there is no specific deadline for Ukraine to accept the initially drafted 28-point proposal, easing previous statements that implied he hoped for a Thanksgiving agreement. "The deadline for me is when it’s over," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

"The absolute condition for a good peace is a set of very robust security guarantees and not paper guarantees. Ukraine has had its share of promises that were shattered by successive Russian aggressions, and real rock-solid guarantees are a necessity," French President Emmanuel Macron said.

The arrests of NABU detectives in July were seen by critics as part of a crackdown on the bureau triggered by its investigations against Zelensky's top allies.

"The original 28-Point Peace Plan, which was drafted by the United States, has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides, and there are only a few remaining points of disagreement," U.S. President Donald Trump said.

The facility, Ukraine's first green distribution center with freon and ammonia-free refrigeration, opened in 2024.