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Friday, January 30, 2026
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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Firefighters extinguish a fire after a Russian strike on a residential building in Kryvyi Rih on Jan. 29, 2026. The attack killed one person and injured three others. (Ukraine’s State Emergency Service / Telegram)
Trump claims Putin agreed not to strike Kyiv, other Ukrainian cities ‘for a week.’ “I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week,” Trump said. “And he agreed to do that.”
Ukraine repatriates bodies of 1,000 fallen soldiers. Russia confirmed that it had handed over 1,000 bodies to Ukraine under the Istanbul agreement in exchange for 38 bodies of fallen Russian soldiers, Kremlin-controlled news agency TASS reported on Jan. 29.
‘Without power, without heat’ — EU allocates over $170 million for Ukraine amid Russian attacks on energy. The funds will support protection assistance, shelter, food, cash aid, psychosocial services, and access to water and healthcare for Ukrainians affected by the attacks.
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Ukraine’s central bank cuts interest rate in first change in 10 months. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) voted on Jan. 29 to cut its benchmark interest rate to 15%, the first change since March last year, as inflation cools and a new aid package from Europe eased pressure on the country’s finances.
Defense Ministry working with SpaceX to solve Russian use of Starlink on drones. Ukraine says it is working with SpaceX to stop Russian drones from using Starlink, after reports that satellite-connected UAVs are extending their range to strike deeper into Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine distributes boilers from Italy to support heating for up to 90,000 homes. Ukraine has distributed industrial boiler equipment delivered by Italy among communities in 10 regions as part of a broader support program aimed at strengthening the country’s heating infrastructure, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said on Jan. 29.
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‘They don’t consider their work heroic’ — 4 energy workers die amid Kyiv repairs following Russian attacks
As Kyiv’s repair crews scramble to keep the lights and heat on after repeated Russian strikes, the work has become punishing — and, in recent weeks, deadly.
Photo: Oleksandr Magula / AFP via Getty Images
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Ukraine war latest: ‘The enemy is likely preparing an offensive’ — Ukrainian forces report more aerial strikes in Pokrovsk sector
Russian troops have stepped up aerial bomb attacks in the Pokrovsk sector of Donetsk Oblast, which could signal preparations for an offensive, Yuliia Stepaniuk, head of communications for the 117th Separate Mechanized Brigade, told Suspilne on Jan. 29.
Photo: Marharyta Fal/Frontliner/Getty Images
International response
Germany’s Merz says Ukraine joining EU in 2027 ‘not possible.’ The comments come after President Volodymyr Zelensky set 2027 as the target date for Ukraine’s entry into the bloc.
Estonia warns Russian veterans could flood Europe after Ukraine war, urges EU entry ban. “We have close to 1 million combatants in Russia. They’re mainly criminals; they are very dangerous people,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. “We have information that most of them will come to Europe after the war.”
EU plans to impose 20th sanctions package against Russia on Feb. 24, Kallas says. The European Union aims to impose a 20th sanctions package against Russia on Feb. 24, the day marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters on Jan. 29.
China denies helping Russia produce Oreshnik missiles. The news comes after the Telegraph reported that China has sent Russia tools used to build Oreshnik warheads.
‘Repression cannot go unanswered’ — EU sanctions Iran over protest crackdown, Russia support. European foreign ministers also agreed to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, said Kaja Kallas, the EU’s chief diplomat.
Lukoil agrees to sell most of its foreign assets to US investment group. The Carlyle deal does not include Lukoil’s assets in Kazakhstan and is still subject to approval by the U.S. Treasury Department, the Russian energy giant said.
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Lukoil agrees to sell most of its foreign assets to US investment group
The Carlyle deal does not include Lukoil's assets in Kazakhstan and is still subject to approval by the U.S. Treasury Department, the Russian energy giant said.Martin Fornusek (The Kyiv Independent)
Thursday, January 29, 2026
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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Russia’s war against Ukraine
A fire-stricken book lies on the ruins at the Holy Dormition Monastery after s Russian drone attack in Odesa, Ukraine, on Jan. 28, 2026. (Nina Liashonok/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Russia says it’s ready for Zelensky-Putin meeting — but only if Ukraine’s president travels to Moscow. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Moscow is prepared to ensure President Volodymyr Zelensky’s security.
SBU releases greatest hits video of 2025 drone strikes on Russian aircraft. The accompanying video features first-person-view (FPV) drone footage showing $1 billion worth of Russian aircraft being targeted.
Casualties, damage to infrastructure reported as Russia launches missiles, drones at various regions of Ukraine. Russian forces launched missile and drone attacks on several Ukrainian regions, including Kyiv and surrounding areas, overnight on Jan. 28, local authorities reported.
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Russian losses in Ukraine ‘more than any major power’ in any war since World War II, report says. The CSIS report, published Jan. 27, estimates that Russian forces have sustained nearly 1.2 million casualties — including troops killed, wounded or missing — since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in Feb. 2022. As many as 325,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, the report found.
Ukraine targets oil depot in Russia’s Voronezh Oblast, strikes several military facilities in occupied territories, General Staff says. Ukrainian forces struck the Khokholskaya oil depot, causing a fire at the facility that ignited stored petroleum products.
Pro-Ukrainian partisans sabotage substation in Russia’s Udmurt Republic, group claims. The Atesh partisan group sabotaged an electrical substation in Russia’s Udmurt Republic, disrupting power supply to the nearby “BUMMASH” military‑industrial plant, the group claimed in a Telegram post on Jan. 28.
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Exclusive: Trump envoy negotiating Ukraine’s fate displays ‘shocking’ lack of knowledge about war, politics
A senior U.S. envoy involved in efforts to end Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has displayed a lack of basic understanding of Ukraine’s political system and the war itself, the Kyiv Independent has learned.
Photo: Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images
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As temperatures outside plunge, a Ukrainian pet shelter struggles to keep animals warm amid Russian attacks
Just over 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Kyiv, the Gostomel animal shelter in Hostomel, Kyiv Oblast is trying to keep more than 700 cats and dogs alive and warm.
Photo: Anna Donets / The Kyiv Independent
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‘Impossible to ban grief’ — how Russia tries and fails to hide its casualties in Ukraine
Russia has tightened control over information about its battlefield losses in Ukraine, cutting off data and closing one public loophole after another. The effort has not stopped the evidence of the dead from surfacing.
Photo: Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
Human costs of war
At least 15 killed, 37 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day. Russia launched one missile and 146 drones of various types at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s Air Force reported. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 103 drones, but one missile and 36 drones struck 2 locations across the country.
Why Colombian volunteers are joining war in Ukraine
International response
Spain escorts shadow fleet vessel sanctioned for carrying Russian oil, Reuters reports. The Chariot Tide, formerly known as Marabella Sun, was flying a Mozambique flag when its engine broke down on Jan. 22 in international waters within Spain’s search-and-rescue zone.
Kyiv hoping to convince IMF to delay key condition for $8.1 billion loan. Kyiv is pushing to delay a new tax on self-employed entrepreneurs until after the war has ended, as well as raise the threshold at which entrepreneurs would start paying the levy, a person in the Ukrainian government familiar with the talks told the Kyiv Independent.
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Kyiv hoping to convince IMF to delay key condition for $8.1 billion loan
Kyiv is pushing to delay a new tax on self-employed entrepreneurs until after the war has ended, as well as raise the threshold at which entrepreneurs would start paying the levy, a person in the Ukrainian government familiar with the talks told the …Luca Léry Moffat (The Kyiv Independent)
Monday, January 5, 2026
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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Russia’s war against Ukraine
First responders work at the site of a Russian drone attack in Kyiv in the early hours of Jan. 5. (State Emergency Service / Telegram)
Russia targets capital and Kyiv Oblast, killing at least 2, damaging medical center. A privately owned medical center in Kyiv’s Obolonskyi district was damaged in the attack, and at least two people were injured, according to Tymur Tkachenko, who heads the Kyiv City Military Administration.
‘We don’t believe that happened’ — Trump dismisses Putin’s claim of Ukrainian attack on his residence. Russia had publicly accused Ukraine of launching 91 drones toward a residence used by Putin — a claim Putin personally conveyed to Trump during the phone call.
Russian missile parts factory in flames after Ukrainian drone attack, media report. The Energia factory in Lipetsk Oblast produces components for Russian missiles and drones, including batteries for the Iskander ballistic missile system and cruise missiles.
Ukrainian drones target Moscow, trigger airport closures, Russia says. Russian air defense systems shot down 132 Ukrainian drones overnight on Jan. 3-4, including 11 intercepted over Moscow Oblast, the Russian Defense Ministry has claimed.
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Ukraine prepared to continue fighting if diplomacy with Russia fails, Zelensky says. Kyiv is ready for “both options,” Zelensky said: the diplomatic track, or ongoing active defense against Russia. “Ukraine will never surrender,” he added.
Ukraine denies Russia’s claim of capturing town near Pokrovsk, maintains ‘control over key positions.’ “Control over key positions is maintained. The enemy is suffering significant losses in manpower and equipment,” Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces said.
Ukraine slaps sanctions on companies supplying Russia’s military industry. The new measures target 95 individuals and 70 entities, including manufacturers of communications, electronic warfare, and microelectronics for Russia’s military-industrial complex and security agencies.
Soldier injured in car explosion, classified as terror attack in Kyiv. The blast occurred as the soldier was opening the trunk of his car, the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office said.
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**Ukraine war latest: Ukraine denies Russia’s claim of capturing town near Pokrovsk, maintains ‘control over key positions’
**
Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces refuted on Jan. 4 Russia’s reports about the capture of the town of Rodynske in Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian soldiers continue to hold the defense inside Rodynske and its outskirts, the military said.
Photo: Genya Savilov / AFP via Getty Images
Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian missile attack on Kharkiv kills 6 people, including 3-year-old-child, injures at least 31. The death toll has risen as rescue workers uncover the remains of more victims buried beneath the rubble of a destroyed apartment building.
Russian attacks kill 4, injure 5 in Ukraine over past day. Ukrainian forces downed 39 out of the 52 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Thirteen drones struck nine different locations, according to the statement.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,211,530 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.
The number includes 900 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day, the General Staff said.
Global sport reopens doors to Russia | Ukraine This Week
In other news
After US attack on Venezuela, Trump’s Greenland ambitions spark renewed alarm. “We do need Greenland, absolutely,” Trump told the Atlantic in an interview on Jan. 4, saying the island is “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.”
Serbia’s Russian-owned oil refinery to resume operations in mid-January, Vucic says. NIS, one of the few remaining Russian energy assets operating in Europe, was sanctioned by Washington last January as part of broader efforts to restrict Russian energy exports.
Zelensky dismisses Deineko as head of State Border Guard, names First Deputy Vavryniuk interim chief. Deineko has been appointed as an adviser to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. A permanent replacement to lead the State Border Guard Service will be named shortly, Zelensky said.
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Tuesday, November 25, 2025
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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Olga Rudenko, editor-in-chief
at the Kyiv Independent
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze in a high-rise apartment building hit by a Russian attack in Kyiv on Nov. 25, 2025. (Ukraine’s State Emergency Service / Telegram)
Ukrainian homes burn as Russian missiles hit Kyiv — at least 2 killed, 7 injured in mass attack. Several multistory residential buildings caught fire and at least two people have been killed in what the Energy Ministry called “a massive combined attack…on infrastructure facilities.”
Russian forces attempt to push Ukrainian army from eastern bank of Oskil River in Kharkiv Oblast, military says. While the situation in the settlements of Kupiansk and Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi remains unchanged, Russian troops are trying to advance east of them.
Ukraine’s drones strike Russian chemical factory in Crimea, number of energy facilities ‘blacked out.’ The Brom plant is a major manufacturer of bromine and related salts, the only one of its kind in Eastern Europe.
Ukrainian drones target Russian military aircraft manufacturer in reported strikes. In Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, a fire reportedly broke out at the Beriev Aircraft Company, which produces Russian amphibious seaplanes and the rare A-50 spy plane.
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Kremlin rejects European counter-proposal to US peace plan for Ukraine. Kyiv’s European partners reportedly pitched the plan as a counter-proposal to a 28-point document backed by the Trump administration, which was criticized for heavily favoring Russia.
Ukraine reiterates its ‘red lines’ amid speculations about military size, territory. Ukraine remains ready for peace talks with Russia but will never legally recognize the Russian occupation or accept restrictions on its army size or alliances, Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said.
US 28-point peace plan cut down after talks, new draft includes ‘right elements,’ Zelensky says. The revised version is more aligned with Ukraine’s position, but negotiating a final agreement is “very difficult,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 25.
Ukraine says no plans for Trump-Zelensky meeting yet, despite media reports. There are no plans for the president’s next visit to the U.S. so far, but no options are off the table, the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington told the Kyiv Independent on Nov. 24.
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Russian strikes spared Ukraine’s nuclear plants. Corruption didn’t
While Russian attacks pounded Ukraine’s power system, one energy company was mostly unscathed — becoming the cash cow behind the largest corruption scheme of Zelensky’s term.
Photo: Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images
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How Russia’s propaganda machine weaponizes mobilization in Ukraine
As Ukraine faces the grueling demands of prolonged war, its mobilization system has become an especially sensitive topic — precisely the space where Russian disinformation thrives.
Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov / Libkos / Getty Images
Human cost of war
At least 6 killed, 36 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 125 drones. Thirty-seven drones made it through, striking 15 locations, while debris from downed drones fell on one additional site.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,166,450 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. Russia has lost around 1,166,450 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Nov. 24.
International response
Czech company accused of overcharging Ukraine for drones, media reports. A Czech company has been accused of selling Chinese-made drones to Ukraine at steep markups — sometimes nearly 20 times the original price — and is under investigation for alleged tax evasion, Czech media reported on Nov. 24.
Poland charges another Ukrainian over suspected Russian-backed railway sabotage. Volodymyr B. was charged with assisting what Warsaw called an “unprecedented act of sabotage,” allegedly orchestrated by Russian intelligence.
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In other news
Ukrainian agencies deny preparing charges against head of Zelensky’s faction, chief anti-graft prosecutor. The report comes amid speculation that the President’s Office was allegedly preparing to retaliate against Klymenko and Arakhamia over their independent stances on a large-scale corruption scandal at state nuclear power monopoly Energoatom.
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Ukrainian agencies deny preparing charges against head of Zelensky's faction, chief anti-graft prosecutor
The report comes amid speculation that the President's Office was allegedly preparing to retaliate against Klymenko and Arakhamia over their independent stances on a large-scale corruption scandal at state nuclear power monopoly Energoatom.Oleg Sukhov (The Kyiv Independent)
Sunday, November 9, 2025
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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
From Kyiv to New York — the Kyiv Independent brings stories from democracy’s front line
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Dark streets and residential buildings during a major blackout in Kyiv on November 8, 2025, following massive Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. (Maxym Marusenko / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Commander charged with negligence after Russia hits military award ceremony in eastern Ukraine. The Russian strike killed 12 servicemen and seven civilians, while 36 others were injured, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Ukraine’s state-owned energy company says all of its power plants are down after Russia’s ‘largest-ever attack.’ The recent Russian attack destroyed all restored capacity, leaving the plants generating no power, the state-owned energy company Centrenergo said on Nov. 8.
Russian Ka-226 helicopter crashes in Dagestan, killing weapons plant employees. The Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant produces equipment for Russian Sukhoi and MiG aircraft and has been sanctioned for its role in the war against Ukraine.
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Kyiv faces over 12 hours of emergency power cuts following ‘one of the largest’ Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Russia launched yet another wide-ranging attack on Ukrainian cities overnight on Nov. 8, using a combination of drone and missiles to strike targets across the country.
Ukrainian attacks in Russia’s Belgorod, Kursk oblasts leave over 20,000 without power. A local power plant was reportedly damaged, causing widespread blackouts in the city of Belgorod and the surrounding region.
Russia targeted substations powering nuclear plants during large-scale overnight energy attacks, Sybiha says. Russian forces targeted energy substations that power the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear power plants overnight on Nov. 7-8, amid its large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
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War Notes
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‘We had only a few seconds before it hit’ — Russian drones force journalists farther from Ukraine’s front lines
With incessant Russian drones flying all over areas near the front that once were safer, it has become increasingly difficult for journalists covering the war in Ukraine to keep doing their jobs. In October alone, three journalists were killed and five were wounded while working in eastern Donetsk Oblast. The Russian attacks happened relatively far from the front, sometimes more than 20 kilometers (12 miles) away.
Photo: Artem Stepanov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
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Human costs of war
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,150,100 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The number includes 1,190 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
Russian attacks kill at least 11, injure 44 in Ukraine over past day. Ukrainian forces downed 406 out of the 458 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Russia also launched 45 cruise and ballistic missiles, nine of which were downed, the statement said.
Russia strikes residential building in Dnipro, killing 3, injuring 12. Russia carried out a drone attack on the city of Dnipro overnight on Nov. 8, killing at least three people and injuring 12 others, including two children, officials reported.
One night with interceptor drone squad hunting Russian Shaheds
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WTF is wrong with Russia?
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Wednesday, October 15, 2025
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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
A photo purporting to show the still-burning Russian oil depot in Feodosia, occupied Crimea on Oct. 14 after a Ukrainian drone strike the day previously (Telegram/Crimean Wind).
US defense manufacturer reveals new Tomahawk launcher — just what Ukraine would need to hit Russia. The Tomahawk’s range would open up great swathes of Russia to Ukrainian long-range missile strikes, most notably Moscow and St. Petersburg.
‘Surprising’ drop in military aid to Ukraine in recent months, report says.
In July and August, total military aid to Ukraine fell 43% lower than the amount received in the first half of the year, a report by the Kiel Institute finds.
Ukraine urges UN to condemn Russian attack on UN aid convoy in Kherson Oblast. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged U.N. member states to condemn Russia’s Oct. 14 attack on a U.N. aid convoy in Kherson Oblast, which left one truck destroyed and another badly damaged.
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Russia’s largest oil terminal in occupied Crimea still on fire 2 days after Ukrainian drone strike. “Poisonous smoke floats over the city, which can be seen even from Stary Krym (25 kilometers away),” local media reported.
Trump says Turkey’s Erdogan could mediate Russia-Ukraine war.
“He’s respected by Russia. Ukraine, I can’t tell you about, but he is respected by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” Trump told journalists.
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War Notes
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Trump’s two wars: why diplomacy worked in Gaza but not in Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump’s success in brokering the Oct. 9 ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has been praised worldwide. What seems to be a diplomatic victory in the Middle East stands in sharp contrast with Trump’s failure to negotiate a ceasefire in Eastern Europe.
Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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Zelensky strips tainted Odesa Mayor Trukhanov of Ukrainian citizenship, effectively pushes him out of office
President Volodymyr Zelensky stripped Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov of his Ukrainian citizenship after years of allegations that he possessed a Russian passport.
Photo:
Yulii Zozulia / Ukrinform / Future Publishing via Getty Images
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Who buys Russian oil and gas?
While China and India have rushed to buy up the oil and gas spurned by Europe in the wake of Russia’s 2022 intensification of its war against Ukraine, a handful of EU countries continue to import significant amounts even as the West examines wider restrictions on Moscow’s main source of revenue.
Photo: Contributor / Getty Images
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‘Kyiv could be Silicon Valley’ — New 50-million-euro startup fund will develop Ukraine’s tech-ecosystem
If most investors have opted to watch Ukraine from a distance during Russia’s ongoing invasion, Charles Whitehead and Dominique Piotet are undeterred, launching a 50 million euro venture capital fund to boost local talent and help put Ukrainian startups on the global map.
Photo: UNIT.City / Facebook
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One story from Ukraine
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Human cost of Russia’s war
Hospital damaged in Russian strike on Kharkiv, 6 people injured. At the time of the attack, more than 100 patients were in the hospital.
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International response
IMF keeps Ukraine’s growth forecast unchanged, despite mounting attacks on energy. The IMF forecasted 2% growth in 2025 and 4.5% in 2026, unaltered from its April 2025 projections.
US expects ‘big’ NATO spending pledges for Ukrainian weapons purchases, envoy says. The comments come ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Oct. 15, chaired by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Trump says Putin should ‘do something’ to end war in Ukraine, cites ‘a million and a half’ Russian losses. “I mean, I had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin, but he just doesn’t want to end that war,” Trump said during a meeting with Argentina’s President Javier Milei on Oct. 14.
US Treasury Secretary meets Ukraine’s prime minister, pledges stronger pressure on Russia. The meeting comes as a Ukrainian delegation — also including top presidential aide Andriy Yermak and Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov — holds high-level talks with U.S. officials on defense, energy resilience, and sanctions.
Lukashenko ready for ‘big deal’ with US if it serves Belarus’s interests.
“We will wait for their big proposals, for a big deal, as they like to say. They love these big deals,” Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said.
Opinions and insights
Russia has tortured Ukrainian POWs for years. Now they’re even more vulnerable.
On Sept. 29, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law withdrawing from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, symbolically making Russia the first country in history to abandon this anti-torture pact. Russia’s decision to quit Europe’s anti-torture convention is both a symbolic gesture of defiance and a concrete step with grave human rights consequences.
Photo: Chris McGrath / Getty Images
In other news
Belgorod resident says life in Russia is ‘simply hopeless’ amid drone strikes, power outages, intercepted call suggests. “Dozens of (strike drones) were launched somewhere. Can you imagine?! I look and it’s flying. Where will it fly, and what will it do, what is it targeting? It’s simply hopeless,” the woman said.
Russia mulls price caps at gas stations, expert warns of mass ‘out-of-stock’ signs. The proposal, initiated by the Russian National Automobile Union, comes amid a deepening supply crisis exacerbated by Ukraine’s escalating drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.
Belarus detains at least 88 over alleged ties to military monitoring group, rights watchdog says. The military monitoring group Belarusian Hajun was an open-source intelligence project that tracked Russian and Belarusian troop movements and other military activity in Belarus.
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WTF is wrong with Russia?
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Monday, September 8, 2025
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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
An injured woman watches as firefighters put out a fire on a residential building following a massive Russian strike on the city, on Sept. 7, 2025 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)
Ukraine expects ‘strong reaction from America,’ Zelensky says after Russia’s record-breaking attack. Zelensky called for sanctions, tariffs, and trade restrictions on Russia, as well as increased long-range strike capabilities for Ukraine.
Trump claims he’s ready for ‘second phase’ of sanctions against Russia, will speak with Putin ‘very soon.’ Trump said he was “not thrilled” with Russia’s mass attack against Ukraine and plans to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin in “the next couple of days.”
‘Responsibility is inevitable’ — Ukraine’s military intelligence honors anniversary by plastering Moscow with ‘greeting cards.’ “Residents of the capital of so-called Russia can obviously expect special congratulations from Ukrainian military intelligence soon,” a source in HUR told the Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine hits ‘strategically important’ oil infrastructure in Russia, General Staff confirms. Ukrainian forces struck the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai and the “8-N” oil pipeline control station near the village of Naitopovichi in Bryansk Oblast, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed on Sept. 7.
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Ukraine retook 5 times more territory than it lost near Pokrovsk in August, Syrskyi says. Ukrainian forces lost 5 square kilometers but regained control of 26 square kilometers in the Pokrovsk sector in Donetsk Oblast in August, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Russia has recruited 280,000 contract soldiers in 2025, military intelligence says. Propaganda campaigns and “large payments” to contract soldiers contribute to Russia’s recruitment success, intelligence official Vadym Skibitskyi said.
Russia plans to produce nearly 2,500 high-precision missiles in 2025. In addition to missile production, Russia plans to manufacture a range of modern military hardware by the end of 2025, including 57 combat aircraft.
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Ukraine war latest: Record Russian drone, missile attack kills at least 4, injures 44 across Ukraine, hits government building for first time
Multiple Ukrainian regions, as well as the capital, came under attack. The overnight strikes damaged multiple residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, causing power outages in some regions, and struck the Cabinet of Ministers building in central Kyiv. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 810 Shahed-type drones during the attack, making it the largest such attack of the full-scale invasion. Thirteen cruise and ballistic missiles were also launched.
Photo: Kyodo News via Getty Images
From Crimea to Donbas, Russia’s “peace” has always meant more war. We’re here in Ukraine to give the world a reality check. Support independent journalism in this critical moment.
Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 11, injure 75 over past day. At least eight Ukrainian regions, as well as the city of Kyiv, came under attack over the past 24 hours. Russian forces launched missiles, drones, and glide bombs across Ukraine.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,088,150 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The number includes 970 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
China backs Russia as Trump’s peace talks stall | Ukraine This Week
International response
Russia’s mass attack shows Kremlin not interested in ending war diplomatically, Trump’s Ukraine envoy says. “The attack was not a signal that Russia wants to diplomatically end this war,” U.S. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg wrote the day after Russia launched its largest attack of the full-scale war.
‘We are prepared to increase pressure on Russia,’ US Treasury Secretary says. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC News on Sept. 7 that the U.S. is prepared to work with European allies on new sanctions targeting countries that buy Russian oil, aiming to weaken Moscow’s economy and step up pressure on Russia to reach a ceasefire.
‘This is Putin’s response to calls for peace’ — European leaders condemn Russia’s Sept. 7 devastating attack on Ukraine. Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine on Sept. 7, killing at least four people and injuring more than 40, prompting swift condemnation from Kyiv’s European partners.
In other news
Ukrainian refugee stabbed to death in North Carolina, suspect charged with murder. A 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee was fatally stabbed in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Aug. 22, The Charlotte Observer reported.
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Wednesday, September 3, 2025
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
Former President Petro Poroshenko (2nd L) hugs a man near the coffin of Andriy Parubii, former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker, during his funeral at St. George’s Cathedral in Lviv on Sept. 2, 2025. A leading figure in the country’s pro-European protest movements of 2004 and 2014, Parubii was shot dead on Aug. 30, 2025 in Lviv. (Oleksandr Magula/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine liberates another village near Pokrovsk, military says. Ukrainian forces cleared out Russian troops from the Donetsk Oblast village of Udachne and raised the Ukrainian flag in the settlement, the military said.
As Moscow escalates strikes and rejects talks with Kyiv, Trump says he’s ‘very disappointed‘ in Putin. “I’m very disappointed in President Putin, I can say that, and we’ll be doing something to help people live,” Trump said in an interview on the Scott Jennings Radio Show.
Kremlin denies Trump, Putin ever agreed on face-to-face Zelensky meeting. “Right now, there is talk of a trilateral meeting, of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky. But specifically, as far as I know, there was no agreement between Putin and Trump on this,” Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said.
Putin, Zelensky not ready for face-to-face meeting, Erdogan says. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the remarks on Sept. 1 after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in China.
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Suspect admits to killing Ukraine’s ex-parliament speaker. The suspect in the murder of Andrii Parubii said he wants to be exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russia to go look for his son’s body.
Slovakia increasing Russian gas imports, aims to ‘standardize relations’ with Moscow, Fico tells Putin. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 2 that he will seek to normalize relations with Moscow, as Bratislava moves to gradually increase Russian gas imports through the TurkStream pipeline.
Russia open to ‘cooperation‘ with Ukraine, US at occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Putin claims. The comments, made during Putin’s meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Beijing, represent an apparent shift from Moscow’s previous refusal of any changes regarding the Ukrainian plant’s oversight.
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Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian forces clear another village near Pokrovsk, military says
Ukrainian forces cleared Russian troops from the Donetsk Oblast village of Udachne and raised the Ukrainian flag in the settlement, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Sept. 2.
Photo: The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces
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Years of torture, abuse in Russian captivity take shocking toll on Ukrainian POWs
Editor’s Note: This article contains graphic descriptions.
In almost two years of Russian captivity, former Ukrainian marine Vladyslav Zadorin lost 60 kilograms — half his body weight — along with his gallbladder and nearly his toes. He returned home with lasting disabilities and deep trauma.
Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov / Libkos / Getty Images
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In occupied Ukraine, the first day of Russian school begins with preparations for war
Across occupied Ukraine on Sept. 1, children spent the first day of the new school year being brainwashed into idolizing Russia and waging war.
Photo: Telegram
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Yanukovych’s stunt in Russian media shows Kremlin doesn’t understand Ukraine, experts say
Ukraine’s former pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych seemingly resurfaced publicly for the first time in years on Sept. 1, claiming that he had always backed Ukraine’s path toward the European Union.
Photo: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images
From Crimea to Donbas, Russia’s “peace” has always meant more war. We’re here in Ukraine to give the world a reality check. Support independent journalism in this critical moment.
Human cost of Russia’s war
Ukrainian soldier whose throat was cut by Russian forces found safe after disappearing from hospital. Vladyslav Nahornyi’s wife reported his disappearance after he left the hospital without warning.
About 2,000 North Korean soldiers killed fighting for Russia, Seoul says. According to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, Pyongyang plans to send an additional 6,000 troops to Russia as part of its third wave of deployment.
Russian drones force Kyiv children to hide in metro as school year begins. The air alert, triggered by Russian drones, began at 9:20 a.m. local time and lasted over three hours, catching many children on their way to school before classes could start.
International response
Macron to meet Zelensky ahead of talks with European leaders in Paris, media reports. Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet Emmanuel Macron ahead of a high-level summit of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing,” scheduled for Sept. 4.
Poland launches its largest military drills as Russia, Belarus set to hold exercises. The exercises, spanning land, sea, air, and cyberspace, involve about 30,000 Polish and allied troops and 600 pieces of equipment, taking place amid mounting security risks for Warsaw.
Russia, China sign ‘most ambitious’ Power of Siberia-2 pipeline deal. The deal, long delayed by Beijing’s hard bargaining over prices and volumes, cements Moscow’s pivot to Asia as it loses access to European energy markets.
NATO launches new command in Finland near Russian border. The alliance’s Multi-Corps Land Component Command (MCLCC) in the city of Mikkeli strengthens NATO’s footprint in its new northern member state.
Opinions and insights
Charles Douglas-Home Memorial Trust renews funding for Kyiv Independent’s front-line reporting
The Charles Douglas-Home Memorial Trust has made a generous grant for the second year in a row to support the Kyiv Independent’s front-line reporting.
Photo: Olena Zashko
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No more excuses: It’s time to strike Russia’s war chest
Europe does have the power to cut off the oil and gas revenues fueling Russia’s war.
Photo: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images
In other news
Large pollution slick approaches Crimea, Russian coast impacted, monitoring group says. The spill originated on Aug. 29 at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium Marine Terminal near Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai.
Top Ukrainian Security Service official suspected of corruption. Illia Vitiuk was dismissed from his post on May 1, 2024, following an investigation by Slidstvo.Info that revealed his family had purchased real estate with a market value of at least $617,000.
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Sunday, August 24, 2025
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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
Ukrainians celebrate the Day of the National Flag of Ukraine in Kyiv, on Aug. 23, 2025. (Danylo Antoniuk/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Ukraine marks flag day with symbolic action in Kursk region, regains control of Donetsk Oblast village. To mark Ukraine’s National Flag Day, drone operators from the “Rugby Team” battalion of the 129th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade raised the blue-and-yellow flag over two villages in Russia’s Kursk region.
Zelensky promises developments on security guarantees in ‘coming days.’ Meanwhile, Finnish President Alexander Stubb voiced doubts about Russia’s readiness for peace in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat, saying, “They (Russia) want to continue the war at least until the fall to maximize their own territorial gains.”
Russian deserter confesses to killing 5 captured Ukrainian soldiers. A 31-year-old Russian serviceman claimed in an interview to have participated in the May 2024 killing of five captured Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk Oblast, according to Polish-Belarusian media outlet Vot Tak.
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Pentagon has quietly barred Ukrainian long-range strikes in Russia with US missiles, WSJ reports. The U.S. has quietly implemented a review process giving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authority to approve Ukrainian long-range strikes inside Russia with American missiles, effectively blocking strikes for months, the Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 23.
Drone incidents reported in Moscow and St. Petersburg, dozens of flights disrupted. In response to concerns over airspace safety, Russia’s federal aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, temporarily suspended operations at multiple airports in major cities of the Volga and Central regions of European Russia—including Izhevsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Penza, Tambov, and Ulyanovsk.
Zelensky signs decrees imposing sanctions on Putin’s relatives, Kremlin allies. “These sanctions represent 100% synchronization with this year’s Canadian sanctions against 139 individuals and entities working for Russia’s war,” Zelensky said. “Everyone who helps Russia continue killing and building the war machine for further aggression must feel the real pressure of the world.”
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Everything you didn’t know about Ukraine’s flag
In the wake of Russia’s brutal invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian flags have been raised the world over from government buildings to people’s homes–even seen waving over small towns in the United States where there is no Ukrainian diaspora. These flags serve as reminders that Ukraine’s blue-and-yellow flag is not just a national marker, but a rallying symbol of resistance, particularly one against Russian aggression, a centuries-long fight for Ukrainians.
Photo: The Kyiv Independent
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After scandal, Ukraine’s president’s office chief seeks to restore trust by tapping veterans
President’s Office Head Andriy Yermak has a new idea — bring in soldiers and veterans into the office recently rocked by scandal. “It is fair. Because these people are the benchmark of honor, morality, and loyalty to Ukraine,” Yermak said on social media on Aug. 22. President Volodymyr Zelensky backed the idea. Yermak’s new push comes a month after a major scandal, in which the president’s team attempted to take away the independence of major anti-corruption institutions.
Photo: Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images
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Once a top backer, Poland fades from Ukraine peace talks amid domestic turmoil
As U.S.-led efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine were gaining momentum, Poland, once among Kyiv’s most vocal backers, was noticeably absent from high-level talks. The country, which provided an estimated 4.5 billion euros ($5.2 billion) in military aid since 2022 and hosts the critical Rzeszow-Jasionka hub for Western weapons deliveries, has struggled to maintain its early prominence. Analysts say dwindling military stockpiles and shifting domestic politics have reduced its role.
Photo: Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Getty Images
From Crimea to Donbas, Russia’s “peace” has always meant more war. We’re here in Ukraine to give the world a reality check. Support independent journalism in this critical moment.
Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian strikes in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast kill 1, injure 9 others. One person was killed and another nine were injured as a result of Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on Aug. 23.
Ukrainian pilot dies in MiG-29 crash. A Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot was killed after completing a combat mission early on Aug. 23, according to a statement by Ukraine’s Air Force.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,075,160 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The number includes 840 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
International response
China ready to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, German media reports. German media outlet Welt reported, citing anonymous EU sources, that China has signalled it is prepared to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. However, China is prepared to do so only “if the peacekeeping forces were deployed on the basis of a mandate from the United Nations (UN),” the sources told Welt.
In other news
France summons Italian ambassador over official’s remarks on Macron’s Ukraine proposal, Reuters reports. Responding to Macron’s appeal earlier this week, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini used a Milanese dialect expression loosely meaning “get lost.”
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France summons Italian ambassador over official's remarks on Macron’s Ukraine proposal, Reuters reports
Responding to Macron’s appeal earlier this week, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini used a Milanese dialect expression loosely meaning "get lost."Olena Goncharova (The Kyiv Independent)
Friday, August 22, 2025
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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
Olga (L) and Zabit (R), Ukrainian citizens of Azerbaijani origin who fled Soviet crackdowns during Azerbaijan’s independence uprising in 1990, harvest potatoes in their garden plot on Aug. 21, in Sloviansk, Ukraine. Sloviansk is the city where the war began in 2014, marked by its occupation by Russian militias led by Igor Strelkov, also known as Girkin. The town is located in Donetsk Oblast, a Ukrainian region cited in peace-talk discussions involving U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin over a potential front-line freeze and territorial exchanges. (Pierre Crom/Getty Images)
Going around in circles — Trump sets new deadline for peace in Ukraine, Graham again threatens with tough legislation. We will know in within two weeks whether there will be peace in Ukraine. After that we will have to maybe take a different tact,” U.S. President Donald Trump told conservative commentator Todd Starnes.
Russia would take 4 years to fully occupy Donbas, Zelensky says. “I explained to (U.S. President Donald Trump) that the talks about them (Russia) occupying our Donbas by the end of (2025) are all just chatter,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine regains control of most of Tovste in Donetsk Oblast, military says. Tovste is a front-line village southwest of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk and near the key town of Vuhledar.
Russian attack hits US electronics plant in western Ukraine. “This was an ordinary civilian facility with American investment. They produced everyday household items, such as coffee machines,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
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Video shows aftermath of Ukrainian drone strikes on oil pumping station in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast. Ukrainian drones struck the Unecha oil pumping station in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast on Aug. 21, the commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, announced in a video published to social media.
Ukraine to mass produce long-range Flamingo missile in winter, Zelensky says. President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Flamingo had undergone successful tests, describing it as “the most successful” missile Ukraine currently has.
Russia opposes European troops in Ukraine under Trump-backed security guarantees, Lavrov says. Sending European troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees would amount to “foreign military intervention,” which Moscow won’t support, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Aug. 21.
Zelensky urges ‘strong response‘ from US if Putin rejects talks with Ukraine.
“We are ready for the bilateral meeting. If the Russians are not, then we would like to see a strong response from the United States,” Zelensky said, adding that he asked Trump to impose additional sanctions on Moscow if it rejects talks with Ukraine.
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Ukraine regains control of most of Tovste in Donetsk Oblast
The 5th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade pushed Russian troops from the settlement through coordinated operations involving infantry, drone units, and artillery, according to the military.
Photo: Pierre Crom / Getty Images
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Where is Crimea? And other things you (and US presidents) should know
U.S. President Donald Trump referred to Crimea as a piece of land “right in the ocean” that is “the size of Texas” while talking on the Mark Levin Show, a right-wing talk radio program, on Aug. 20.
Photo: Olga Maltseva / AFP via Getty Images
From Crimea to Donbas, Russia’s “peace” has always meant more war. We’re here in Ukraine to give the world a reality check. Support independent journalism in this critical moment.
Human cost of Russia’s war
Massive Russian drone, missile attack kills 1, injures 26 in Ukrainian cities far from front line despite peace talks. The attack caused fires at a large electronics plant in Mukachevo, with damage also reported in other cities, including Lviv.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,029,660 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.
The number includes 830 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
The ground drone revolution in Ukraine
International response
Switzerland, Austria ready to give Putin immunity for peace talks. Switzerland is prepared to grant Russian President Vladimir Putin immunity from arrest if he travels to Geneva for peace negotiations, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said in an interview on Aug. 19.
Lithuania closes airspace near Belarus ahead of joint Russian-Belarusian military drills. The closure comes ahead of the “Zapad-2025” military drills, scheduled to take place in Belarus from Sept. 12 to 16. Minsk said the joint exercises with Russia are intended to test both countries’ ability to ensure security and repel possible aggression.
Ukrainian detained in Italy for alleged Nord Stream sabotage, media report. Italian police have arrested a Ukrainian national under a European arrest warrant in connection with the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions, German prosecutors announced on Aug. 21.
Kim Jong Un reportedly awards troops who fought for Russia. At a ceremony in Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un praised the overseas troops and said their participation demonstrated “the power of the heroic (North Korean) army.”
Trump’s intelligence chief ordered halt to intelligence sharing on Russia-Ukraine peace talks among ‘Five Eye’ allies, CBS reports. U.S. intelligence sources told CBS News that Gabbard signed a directive barring the sharing of information with the Five Eye alliance, which includes the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.
In other news
Trump administration escalates purge of senior US intelligence officials, Economist reports. The officer, who served as the CIA’s top Russia and Eurasia analyst during the 2016 election and helped produce the report detailing Moscow’s interference on behalf of Donald Trump, was among the most senior career officials targeted.
Ex-defense official charged with abuse of power after awarding himself bonuses, extra payments. A former acting director general of a state-owned defense enterprise has been charged under suspicion that the official abuse his power in awarding himself 700,000 UAH ($17,000) in bonuses and extra payment during his service, the city of Kyiv’s Prosecutor’s Office announced on Aug. 21.
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Ex-defense official charged with abuse of power after awarding himself bonuses, extra payments
A former acting director general of a state-owned defense enterprise has been charged under suspicion that the official abuse his power in awarding himself 700,000 UAH ($17,000) in bonuses and extra payment during his service, the city of Kyiv's Pros…Dmytro Basmat (The Kyiv Independent)