Inside a prison where Russia tortured Ukrainian POWs
The Olenivka POW camp, located in the Russian-occupied part of Donetsk Oblast, was a notorious Russian-controlled prison where Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian hostages from Mariupol have been subjected to torture. The Kyiv Independent’s War Crimes Investigations Unit will name those responsible for torturing prisoners in Olenivka.
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Polish Vice Minister of National Defense Marcin Ociepa was responding to a Dec. 7 story by The New York Times in which a Ukrainian soldier, known only as Oleksandr, said that the blockade had prevented his unit from receiving much-needed night vision devices.
As with other polls gauging Americans' support for Ukraine, there was a significant partisan divide. Only 16% of Democrats thought the U.S. was providing too much aid, while 39% thought it was about right, and 24% said it was not enough.
Up to 800,000 Russians have moved to occupied Crimea since its illegal annexation in 2014, and around 100,000 Ukrainians have left, in what amounts to a larger Russian project of remaking the peninsula's demography, said Vladyslav Miroshnychenko, an analyst for the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union on Dec. 6.
Authorities in Kyiv have begun dismantling a statue of Red Army commander Mykola Shchors located on one of the main streets in the center of the capital, the Kyiv City State Administration announced on Dec. 9.
"If you think the cost of supporting Ukraine is high now, think about how high it’s going to be in national treasure and in American blood if we have to start acting on our Article Five commitments," U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.
Quantum Systems hopes its residency in Diia City will help it establish drone production facilities in Ukraine and launch a research and development center.
Various officials have pledged to scale back traditional holiday festivities and fireworks displays in order to purchase military equipment to supply Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Government employees in Poland and Ukraine received emails with subject lines related to "debts" and "legal claims," according to an investigation carried out by the Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine.
Russian forces attacked four communities along the Sumy Oblast border on Dec. 8, firing 6 times over the course of the day, the Sumy Oblast military administration reported.
"Allowing Russian athletes participate in the Olympics without a flag will not wash away the blood on their hands," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.
"The role of our state now — no matter how difficult it may be — is to not lose strength and not allow the enemy to seize the initiative," Zelensky said.
Ukraine evacuated another group of its citizens from the Gaza Strip amid increasing Israeli strikes on the Palestinian enclave, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 8.
However, the law on reforming the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) signed by Zelensky failed to fully repeal the so-called Lozovyi's amendments, which are thought to help those suspected or accused of corruption to avoid responsibility.
The agreement to provide Kyiv with over 100 previously written-off Soviet-era armored vehicles, already signed by both Sofia and Kyiv, had been initially sent back by Rumen Radev on Dec. 4 to parliament, which now approved the transfer again, with 162 votes in favor and 55 against.
The European Commission is expected to unlock 10 billion euros ($10.7 billion) in frozen funds for Hungary, the Guardian reported on Dec. 8, citing anonymous diplomatic sources.
All of the planes that experienced serious incidents, which included cabin depressurization, fires, engine and rudder failure, among other issues, eventually landed safely, although several were forced to make emergency landings.
"This decision, as well as the non-election of Russia to the International Maritime Organization Council for 2023-2024, shows the protection of the international maritime community's right to free navigation of every country," said Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.
Forensic experts identified the body of the fifth victim of Russia's Nov. 29 missile strike on Novohrodivka in Donetsk Oblast, the National Police reported on Dec. 8.