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‘They’ll kill me if I come back’: Abduction, torture become routine in Russian-occupied Melitopol

How Ukrainian teenagers committed sexual assault, posted it online and received no prison sentence

Editor's Note: This article contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence. The names of the teenagers who figure in the case are not mentioned as Ukrainian law does not allow them to be made publicly available. On a summer day in 2021, three teenage boys sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl, filmed

Stoltenberg meets Zelensky on first visit to Kyiv since full-scale invasion

President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg held a joint press conference in Kyiv on April 20, with Zelensky saying there was "no objective barrier" to prevent Ukraine from joining the military alliance.

As war forces more Ukrainians to relocate, East Europe Foundation works to relieve their struggle

Editor’s Note: This story was sponsored by East Europe Foundation, a Ukrainian non-profit charitable organization that helps Ukrainians affected by Russia’s all-out war. Maryna Voloshyna could barely hold back her tears when she stood at a crowded train station in Donetsk Oblast on a cold morning in late

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine celebrates Orthodox Easter under Russian bombardment

Key developments on April 16: * Russia fires over 50 missiles, bombs at Ukraine as country celebrates Orthodox Easter * 130 Ukrainian POWs return home from Russian captivity on Orthodox Easter * Italy-provided howitzers reportedly in use in Ukraine As Ukraine celebrated Orthodox Easter on April 16, Russian forces fired over 50 missiles

Pentagon leak makes Ukraine change plans, reveals intel community vulnerability

A leak of hundreds of classified U.S. documents, noticed by the media last week, surprised the world with their incredibly granular details about the war in Ukraine. Some writers have called it the leak of the decade. Intelligence scholar Thomas Rid wrote that it was in the top five

CIUS: Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children is an established genocidal tactic during war

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 (Edmonton, Canada). 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,

10 popular misconceptions about Ukrainian history, debunked

Editor's Note: This is episode 1 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

‘They crawl forward 24/7:’ On the zero line with Ukrainian infantry north of Bakhmut

DONETSK OBLAST – Climbing to a firing position through trenches dug into black Ukrainian soil, the relative quiet in the air is only reassuring to an extent. At the most forward point, a Soviet-era recoilless rifle stands watch, dug into a shallow depression in the ground. Bohdan, a company commander of

Russia’s new guided bombs pose increasingly serious threat to Ukraine

Still unable to achieve air supremacy, Russia is nevertheless finding ways to threaten Ukraine from the sky. Early this year, Russia introduced guided bombs — essentially, the regular gravity bombs modified to be dropped by multirole fighter-bombers from safe distances and deal precise and very damaging strikes in front-line areas and

Zelensky: ‘Russia cannot win in Europe when a Ukrainian and a Pole stand side by side’

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a speech before Poles and Ukrainians at Castle Square in Warsaw on April 5. “It is an honor for me to be here. I speak to you with words of gratitude and strength. Gratitude, because there are no such moments anymore when we would

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv receives $2.6 billion in military aid; Russia creates defense lines in occupied Crimea

* US to provide Ukraine with additional $2.6 billion in military aid * UK Defense Ministry: Russia likely to 'eventually' replace Wagner with other mercenaries in Ukraine * Shoigu claims Russia placed aircraft, missile systems in Belarus capable of delivering nuclear strikes * Khmelnytskyi City Council revokes Moscow Patriarchate church land rights after

Stranded civilians brave shelling, return to Ukraine’s front-line towns

ORIKHIV, HULIAIPOLE, Zaporizhzhia Oblast – A massive rumble shakes the basement under the partly destroyed administrative building, followed by another blast much closer. “Not good,” says 51-year-old Svitlana Mandrich, Orikhiv’s deputy mayor, looking warily at the sandbags protecting the cellar’s vent. Mandrich is in charge of keeping the small

High-profile Russian propagandist killed in explosion in St Petersburg cafe

An explosion in a cafe in the center of St. Petersburg killed Russian propagandist and war correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky and injured 15 other people on April 2, Russian media reported.

Ukraine changes combat bonus system, soldiers warn it might lower morale

An overhaul of how the military determines bonus pay may cause more harm than good, six servicemen from multiple brigades told the Kyiv Independent. This change, which came into force in February, takes away the money that many service members need to both support their families and get vital military

What is happening in Bakhmut and what does it mean for Russian-Ukrainian war?

Kyiv Independent reporter Francis Farrell speaks to John Spencer, U.S. veteran and chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point.

Ukraine's sports minister: As Russia kills our athletes, it's not the time to allow Russians back to international sports

Editor's Note: This interview was recorded before the International Olympics Committee's announcement on allowing some Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in Olympic qualification tournaments. Following the executive board meeting on March 28, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) recommended allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in international

Ukraine holds back on southern counteroffensive, soldiers say

Zaporizhzhia Oblast – In a split-second, two Ukrainian jets appear over the road, releasing chaff that sets off a couple of Russian anti-aircraft missiles. It allows one of the planes to hit a Russian position that billows with black smoke rising over the trees, leaving no doubt on how close the

How Kherson residents resisted Russian occupation

These Khersonians residents were openly protesting against the occupation. But as Russia tightened its grip, some of them continued their protest in more subtle ways – despite the risks of being kidnapped or killed.

‘I work, then I cry’: Exhausted medics near Bakhmut fight for every life

Editor’s note: In this story, the Kyiv Independent is not disclosing the Ukrainian soldiers’ full names or their deployed positions due to security concerns amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Donetsk Oblast – At an abandoned building about 20 minutes drive from Bakhmut, wounded Ukrainian soldiers pour in from the

Ukraine war latest: Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Mariinka under heavy fire

Key developments on March 24: * Ukraine retrieves bodies of 83 soldiers killed in combat * At least 10 civilians killed, 20 wounded due to Russian attacks on Ukraine on March 24 * Ukraine repelled 38 Russian attacks over the past day, says General Staff. Colonel Oleksii Dmytrashkivskyi, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian

Civilian forced to dig trenches for Russians: ‘I wanted to jump on a mine and end it’

Editor's Note: People interviewed for this story are not identified by their full names to protect their identities since they or their relatives still remain in Russian-occupied towns in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The native city of released prisoner Bohdan, which is still under Russian occupation, is also not mentioned to protect

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine receives fighter jets from Slovakia, says Bakhmut counterattack possible

Key developments on March 23: * Slovakia transfers first MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine * Zelensky visits Kherson Oblast, pledges to restore region * Russia loses momentum in Bakhmut, Ukraine's counterstrike coming soon, military says * Sweden approves $600 million in military aid to Ukraine Slovakia delivered four of the 13 promised MiG-29 jets

Surviving Avdiivka: Russia intensifies assault on city deemed a ‘second Bakhmut’

AVDIIVKA, Donetsk Oblast – Avdiivka is an eerie city to drive into in March 2023. One year into Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, but nine years into the Donbas war, the compact city just 10 kilometers from the center of occupied Donetsk is barely holding on. There is little choice

World-renowned writers, philosophers raise funds for academics in Ukraine

Intellectuals from across the globe took part in a three-day online conference to raise funds for the Center for Civic Engagement, a newly established project at the Kyiv Mohyla Academy. “‘The pen is mightier than the sword’ is true only if all the people with the swords die and the

Ukraine war latest: Russian missile strike on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia kills 1, injures 34

Key developments on March 22: * Russian missiles hit two residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia * Zelensky visits soldiers on front line near Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast * Next few weeks of the war are 'critical,' says White House. Russian missile attack on two residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, a city in southeastern Ukraine,

War from above: A day with drone unit defending Ukraine's south

Editor's Note: The Ukrainian soldiers featured in this article don't share their family names for security reasons. ZAPORIZHZHIA OBLAST –  A couple of running gray silhouettes appear on the phone screen of drone unit commander Ashot, call sign "Doc." "They saw the drone, see?" he pointed at them. A few seconds

Ukraine war latest: Japanese PM visits Kyiv; US to speed up Patriot, Abrams delivery

Key developments on March 21: * Japanese PM Kishida visits Bucha, meets Zelensky in Kyiv * U.S. to speed up delivery of Patriot air defense systems and Abrams tanks * Putin holds talks with Xi at a summit in Moscow, says China-Russia relations at all-time high * Ukraine claims Russia's offensive potential declining

Ukraine war latest: Xi's Moscow visit 'diplomatic cover' for Russian war crimes, says Blinken

Key developments on March 20: * Xi visits Moscow for the first time since 2019, meets Putin * Blinken: Xi's visit 'diplomatic cover' for Russia's war crimes * Ukraine's military: Avdiivka may soon become 'second Bakhmut' * EU to send 1 million artillery rounds for Ukraine over next 12 months * US approves additional military

Ukraine war latest: Russian media report Putin’s visits to occupied Crimea, Mariupol

Key developments on March 18-19: * Russian state media: Putin visits occupied Crimea, Mariupol over the weekend * Germany says it will have to arrest Putin if he enters its territory over ICC order * Governor: At least 3 civilians killed, 18 wounded in Donetsk Oblast * Ukrainian-Russian grain deal kicks off after third

Alexander Vindman: 'Russia has failed to subordinate Ukraine'

Editor's Note: The Kyiv Independent is exclusively re-publishing an interview with Alexander Vindman 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

Ukraine war latest: ICC issues arrest warrant for Putin, Russia's Bakhmut offensives 'lowest since January'

Key developments on March 17: * ICC: arrest warrants issued against Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova * Russia's Bakhmut offensives "lowest since January" * Slovakia to send 13 MIG-29 fighter jets * Governor: Landmine explosions injure 2 As Russia's crimes against Ukraine become more visible, on March 17, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued