Editor's note: The Kyiv Independent is exclusively re-publishing reports prepared by the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) of the University of Alberta. CIUS launched its Media Monitoring Service (MMS) in the spring of 2022 to identify and critically assess dominant narratives, with a special focus on disinformation, in selected
Stanislav Haider was hired to fix the defense ministry’s institutional problems just as Ukraine entered the most difficult period of the war to date. The 37-year-old deputy minister looks youthful but for his graying strands of hair and he whimsically refers to the invading Russians as “the northern tribes.
Almost 10 years after the 2013-2014 EuroMaidan Revolution, a court ruled against those implicated in the murders of dozens of protesters in the revolution's final days. Yet, the prosecutors and lawyers who fought for years to see a fair trial say justice hasn't been served. Kyiv's Svyatoshynsky District Court on
When Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a fake vote to extend his mandate in March 2024, Ukraine will not be allowed to hold an election due to the martial law imposed amid Russia's aggression. This won't suddenly make Russia more democratic than Ukraine. If Russia had not invaded Ukraine, it
Ihor Kolomoisky's recent arrest is the latest episode in a prolonged, hard-fought slide from grace for one of Ukraine's most notorious oligarchs. At his height, he governed a region, controlled huge chunks of multiple industries, made good use of his massive TV network, and a cadre of loyal politicians. Now,
After being mired in corruption and political scandals for decades, Ukraine’s critically important Constitutional Court is now facing an attempt at reform, although its success is far from guaranteed. The issue took center stage when the reform of the Constitutional Court became one of the European Union’s key
On July 27, Ukraine's Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, dismissed Oleksandr Tkachenko from the post of minister of culture and information policy in a vote of 321 to 2. The issue came to a vote after the Parliamentary Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy rejected Tkachenko's resignation on July 26. On
As Ukrainian soldiers are defending their homeland on the front line, officials in the rear are accused of using the war as a pretext for hiding their wealth. They are able to do so because one of Ukraine’s main anti-corruption tools, the asset declaration system, has been effectively eliminated.
Editor's Note: The Kyiv Independent is exclusively re-publishing an interview with Yuliya Kovaliv prepared by Forum for Ukrainian Studies, a research publication for experts, practitioners, and academics. This platform is run by the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) of the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada). Jade McGlynn is a
Editor's Note: The Kyiv Independent is exclusively re-publishing an interview with Yuliya Kovaliv prepared by Forum for Ukrainian Studies, a research publication for experts, practitioners, and academics to discuss, explore, reflect upon, develop, and transform international understanding of contemporary affairs in Ukraine. This platform is run by the Canadian Institute
The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam had catastrophic consequences for several southern Ukrainian regions.The Kyiv Independent went to the affected areas to see the scale of the catastrophe.
The writers' association PEN Ukraine said in a statement that Ukrainian writer and war crimes researcher Victoria Amelina died on July 1 after she was critically injured in a Russian missile strike on Kramatorsk.
Editor's Note: The Kyiv Independent is exclusively re-publishing an interview with Marci Shore prepared by Forum for Ukrainian Studies, a research publication for experts, practitioners, and academics to discuss, explore, reflect upon, develop, and transform international understanding of contemporary affairs in Ukraine. This platform is run by the Canadian Institute
Wagner Group's founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said on June 24 that the mercenaries would stop their march on Moscow and withdraw to military camps.
Editor’s Note: The Kyiv Independent introduces soldiers interviewed for the story by their first names or callsigns due to security reasons. DONETSK OBLAST – Islam’s mind was empty of thoughts and feelings as he crawled carefully towards the Russian trenches near Siversk, with grenades prepared. “You crawl forward and
Roman Ihnatov, the newly-appointed head of Ukraine’s High Qualification Commission of Judges, may have Russian citizenship, lawyers told the Kyiv Independent.
All 16 members of the High Qualification Commission, a judicial body that vets and nominates candidates for judicial jobs, have been appointed now. The final selection was made on June 1 by the High Council of Justice, the judiciary's main governing body. The council, which makes final decisions on hiring,
Editor's note: We asked the Kyiv Independent supporters to share their questions about the war. Here's what they asked and how we answered. Join our community to ask a question in the next round. Question: Do you have any hints at what strategy might look like if the counteroffensive does
Editor's Note: The Kyiv Independent is exclusively re-publishing an interview with Serhiy Kvit prepared by Forum for Ukrainian Studies, a research publication for experts, practitioners, and academics to discuss, explore, reflect upon, develop, and transform international understanding of contemporary affairs in Ukraine. This platform is run by the Canadian Institute
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has travelled to Moldova for a meeting with European leaders as part of the 2nd European Political Community Summit, held on June 1. Zelensky listed military support, security guarantees, Ukraine's peace formula, and NATO and EU membership as important points on the agenda of the ongoing
As Ukraine is fighting Russia on the front lines, a much quieter battle is happening in the government offices in Kyiv: the fight to bring the long-suffering judicial reform to life. Compared to the war, almost no one is watching this contest. And yet it’s this battle that will
The Ukrainian military has passed another milestone by starting to master the M1 Abrams, the top-notch main battle tank to be provided by the U.S. According to the Pentagon, some 400 Ukrainians are training for the job at U.S. Army bases in Germany. After many months of deliberations
Key developments on May 18: * Russian attacks kill 2, injure 5 in Odesa, Kharkiv oblasts * Ukraine's military reportedly makes gains in Bakhmut * Russian troops forcibly conscript locals in occupied territories, says official * African leaders expected to visit Moscow with 'peace mission' in June, Russian Foreign Minister says Russian May 18
Editor's Note: The Kyiv Independent is exclusively re-publishing an interview with Agnieszka Legucka prepared by Forum for Ukrainian Studies, a research publication for experts, practitioners, and academics to discuss, explore, reflect upon, develop, and transform international understanding of contemporary affairs in Ukraine. This platform is run by the Canadian Institute
President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Paris late in the evening on May 14 for a meeting with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Franceinfo reported. Pictures and videos published by Franceinfo show Zelensky disembarking from a plane at what was reported to be France's Villacoublay air base, before later photographs showed
Editor's Note: The Kyiv Independent is exclusively re-publishing an article prepared by Forum for Ukrainian Studies, a research publication for experts, practitioners, and academics to discuss, explore, reflect upon, develop, and transform international understanding of contemporary affairs in Ukraine. This platform is run by the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies
Key developments on May 10: * Journalists geolocate 223 military facilities in Russian-occupied Crimea * Kremlin claims no knowledge of Wagner boss' lack of ammunition complaint * Kuleba says Ukraine may launch more than one counteroffensive * Russia's Victory Day parade shows material, logistical issues * Russian Kh-55 missile likely fell in Poland in December
Editor's Note: This is episode 3 of "Ukraine's True History," a video and story series by the Kyiv Independent. The series is funded by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting within the program “Ukraine Forward: Amplifying Analysis.” The program is financed by the MATRA Programme of the Embassy of
Key developments on May 8: * Russia launches missiles, drones at Kyiv, Odesa * Russian attack injures 10 in Kherson Oblast * Moscow blocks Grain Deal, says Infrastructure Ministry * Drone Army's 8 new units ‘ready to fight' * Russia deports locals from occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, starts forced mobilization in occupied Mariupol Russia
At least five people were wounded in Russian strikes on Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported in the early hours of May 8, as Moscow launched another large-scale attack on Ukraine. Three people were injured in blasts in Kyiv’s Solomyanskyi district, and two others were injured when drone wreckage fell
Editor's Note: This is episode 2 of "Ukraine's True History," a video and story series by the Kyiv Independent. The series is funded by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting within the program “Ukraine Forward: Amplifying Analysis.” The program is financed by the MATRA Programme of the Embassy of
Two months after Ukraine’s defense of Bakhmut seemed doomed, the bloodiest battle of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine is still going against all expectations. Making rapid advances at the end of February, Russian forces seemed to be on the cusp of surrounding the city, as the only roads
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