Ukrainian servicemen delivered six tons of food supplies via heavy drones to the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast, the Kherson Oblast Military Administration reported. Soldiers used return flights of the drones across the Dnipro River to...
A Russian drone struck a school in Kyiv on the morning of Oct. 1. The students and teachers were in the shelter during the attack. The strike caused a fire and damaged the building. ⠀ At least six people were...
Could Donald Trump’s diesel deal help protect Russia’s oil infrastructure from Ukrainian attacks? Bill Browder, an investor and longtime sanctions advocate, argues that the deal resulted from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plea to Trump to help protect Russia’s...
Russian drone attacks hit Kyiv twice on Oct. 12, killing one person and injuring at least 14 others, city authorities said. ⠀ During an evening attack, a Russian drone struck a 25-story residential building in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi District, according to...
U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at President Volodymyr Zelensky on Oct. 10, demanding he halt attacks on Russian refineries and suggesting the Ukrainian people replace him if they want an end to the war. The comments came in...
Russia lost 248,964 troops on the battlefield in Ukraine between January and August this year, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during an address to the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 23. “We have video confirmation for every one of the...
Around 2,000 civilians, including about 50 children, remain trapped in Russian-occupied Oleshky, Kherson Oblast, facing an escalating humanitarian crisis. Constant Russian drone strikes and shelling have made delivering food and medicine or evacuating residents by road nearly impossible,...
As Russia deploys faster and higher-flying jet-powered Shahed drones, European defense manufacturers are developing new interceptor systems to counter the evolving threat, Quantum Systems co-CEO Sven Kruk told the Kyiv Independent. Kruk said jet-powered Shaheds reach speeds of up...
At least three people were injured and hospitalized, one in grave condition, and a 14-year-old was killed after a Russian drone struck a high-rise residential building in Kyiv’s central Pecherskyi district around 8 a.m. on Sept. 25, local...
Can unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) change the way wars are fought — and can robots reduce Ukraine’s losses on the battlefield? The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell joins the Alter Ego Battalion of Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade to see...
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell joins the Alter Ego Battalion of Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade to see how Ukrainian soldiers are developing and deploying unmanned ground vehicles in the war against Russia. ⠀ Built and modified in front-line workshops, these...
Russian President Vladimir Putin turns 74 on Oct. 7 — and the Kremlin is spending heavily on research that could help him live longer. ⠀ Russia has earmarked at least $200 million over the next three years for a state...
What does it take to be a Ukrainian reconnaissance soldier on today's drone-dominated battlefield? ⠀ In this report, the Kyiv Independent's Nick Allard and Asami Terajima travel to Kharkiv Oblast to meet reconnaissance soldiers from Ukraine's 60th Mechanized Brigade, part...
Could Ukraine lose the war without losing the front line? As Russia continues its invasion, Ukraine faces another challenge: sustaining its military while preventing divisions between soldiers, civilians and the state from weakening the country’s ability to resist. In...
A Ukrainian serviceman shot down an incoming Russian FPV drone with a single shot while delivering supplies to front-line positions. The soldier, callsign "Tin" (Shadow), said their vehicle was following an armored transport when the drone gave chase. Unable...
Two Russian drones struck near the supports of Kyiv’s Southern Bridge on Oct. 1, disrupting a key metro link between the city’s eastern and western banks, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. This was the first time Russian drones had targeted...
As Russia intensifies its attacks on Kyiv, drone threats and air raid alerts increasingly stretch from night into daytime, further disrupting daily life in the capital. The Kyiv Independent asked its staff what has come to feel normal —...
A voltage drop temporarily halted trains and escalators in Kyiv's metro on Oct. 8 amid power outages across the capital. ⠀ Earlier that morning, at 10 a.m., DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, announced emergency power shutdowns in the Brovary,...
Helmet-camera footage shows Master Sergeant Vitalii "Stokhid" Piasetskyi of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade rescuing a man trapped under the rubble of a residential building following a Russian guided bomb strike on Kramatorsk. Piasetskyi located the survivor and dug...
Found wounded in an open field after surviving two days under artillery fire in Donetsk Oblast, a dog named Horobchyk is now recovering in a foster home thanks to a Ukrainian rescue organization 12 Vartovykh. To support the rescue...
Police special forces in Kharkiv Oblast evacuated a cat from a front-line position after carrying him over 11 kilometers on foot while navigating threats from Russian FPV drones, regional police reported. The cat had stayed with the officers since...
The death toll from a Russian glide bomb strike on two minibuses in Kramatorsk has risen to 33, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS) reported on Oct. 8. At least 18 others were injured in the attack, which set both...
Ukrainian forces have delivered around four tons of food to residents of the occupied front-line town of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast, distributing supplies to 100 locations across the city with the help of drones, the Kherson Oblast Military...
During his 2024 election campaign, U.S. President Donald Trump promised to end Russia’s war against Ukraine within 24 hours. After returning to the White House, he repeatedly said a peace deal was close. Over the past year, Trump’s...
Russian drones have struck central Kyiv in the middle of the day on Sept. 28 as Moscow's round-the-clock bombardment of the Ukrainian capital continues. Around midday, Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko reported Russian drones hitting non-residential buildings in Kyiv's Obolonskyi,...
Why are Russia’s new jet-powered drones so difficult for Ukraine to shoot down? Faster and higher-flying, these drones are giving Russia a new advantage as Ukraine races to build jet-powered interceptors to match them. In this report, the Kyiv...
A rescuer carries a child pulled from the rubble of a residential building in Pryluky, Chernihiv Oblast, destroyed during a mass Russian overnight attack on Oct. 7. The strike killed at least nine people, including three children, and injured...
Russian forces struck Zaporizhzhia overnight on Sept. 21, injuring at least five people and causing fires across the city. First responders rescued five residents and evacuated 14 others after the attack damaged two high-rise residential buildings, a local...
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russian forces had never been the first to deliberately attack civilian infrastructure. He made the remarks at the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on Oct. 1. Russia has repeatedly struck civilian infrastructure across...
Holding wartime elections risks creating deep internal division and eroding public trust, according to Ukrainian journalist, publicist, and serviceman Pavlo Kazarin. Speaking with the Kyiv Independent, Kazarin warns that holding elections under martial law could produce a new government...
Russia attacked Kyiv on the morning of Oct. 12. Debris from a jet-powered drone fell in a residential area of the city’s Solomianskyi district, destroying a house. The homeowner said her father, who lived in the house, received medical...
Russia carried out attacks across Ukraine, repeatedly targeting Kyiv with drones and striking Kharkiv and Dnipro. ⠀ A Russian strike hit a nine-story residential building in Kharkiv overnight on Sept. 28, injuring at least 25 people. ⠀ "Three children lived in the...
As battlefield losses in Ukraine begin to outpace new recruitment, Moscow’s costly system of attracting soldiers with high salaries and bonuses is coming under growing pressure. The Kremlin has so far avoided another mass mobilization, instead turning to reservists,...
At least five people were injured on Oct. 15 after a Russian drone fell in Kyiv’s central Pecherskyi District, Mayor Vitalii Klychko reported. Two of the wounded have been hospitalized. The strike damaged the facade, roof, and windows of...
For hours on Sept. 28, air raid alerts, explosions, and the sound of air defenses followed residents across the capital as Russian drones struck multiple districts in broad daylight. The attacks hit the National Academy of Sciences and a...
President Volodymyr Zelensky visited a Kyiv maternity hospital on Sept. 25 following a Russian missile attack that damaged the facility. A baby named Kyrylo was born in the shelter during the strike. Zelensky thanked medical staff for protecting...
Why is President Volodymyr Zelensky facing growing political pressure in Ukraine? The Kyiv Independent’s reporter Kateryna Denisova and War Crimes Investigations Unit journalist and political blogger Danylo Mokryk argue that recent corruption scandals, tensions around anti-corruption institutions, and...
A jet-powered drone was filmed flying over an apartment complex in Kyiv on Oct. 1. Russian strikes on Ukraine are now coming almost nonstop. Using newer jet-powered versions of Shahed-type drones, the onslaught began last month, but has increased...
Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked citizens for participating in Russia’s Sept. 18–20 parliamentary elections, claiming that long lines at polling stations proved the country “cannot be intimidated”. However, observers and Kremlin experts described the vote as the least...
Ukrzaliznytsia has been the backbone of Ukraine’s wartime resilience, carrying everything from Western weapons and front-line supplies to evacuees, foreign diplomats, and world leaders. But with airspace closed, Russia has increasingly targeted the railway network — launching over...
As Russia deploys increasing numbers of jet-powered Shahed drones against Ukraine, European defense companies are racing to develop new systems that can intercept them at scale. But can Europe keep up with Russia’s rapidly changing drone technology? In this...
Drone footage allegedly shows Russian troops using civilians, including children and elderly people, as human shields to flee via a gas pipeline in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast amid the Ukrainian push in the Kupiansk sector, Khartiia Corps said on...
Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian data centers sparked viral claims about a sudden drop in Russian influence operations on social media — even as experts see no evidence to support this. ⠀ Kyiv struck data centers run by Yandex —...
On Oct. 1, Ukraine marks Defenders’ Day. The day honors the men and women defending the country and commemorates those who have lost their lives in its defense. Video: Getty Images; moisei.bondarenko; sholtys.ua; leonid_ostalstsev; fasst1k / Social media
The Kyiv Independent's Anna Fratsyvir reported from the AUSA 2026 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., where Ukraine introduced its first-ever dedicated pavilion at one of the world's largest defense expos. Representing around 17 companies, the Ukrainian pavilion...
Ukraine’s domestically developed FP-7 ballistic missile has been used in combat against Russia for the first time, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 1. “Ukrainian tactical ballistic missile. FP-7. First combat use. Thank you for the result. Next up:...
A series of deadly Russian drone strikes on Kyiv killed two people and injured at least 43 others on the morning of Sept. 23, setting a historic market ablaze, and damaging railway infrastructure and residential buildings. ⠀ Russian drones came...
Two people were killed, and eight others were injured as waves of Russian ballistic missile explosions rocked Kyiv overnight on Sept. 24, local authorities reported. Loud explosions began tearing through the capital around 1:00 a.m., with strikes and falling...
Why is the Black Sea so crucial for Ukraine’s economy? In this report, the Kyiv Independent travels to Odesa and the surrounding region to document how intensified Russian attacks are threatening the city, its ports, and Ukraine’s...
Russia continued striking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the Warsaw Security Forum on Oct. 12. Trump claimed on his Truth Social platform that both Kyiv and Moscow...
A deal with Russia, pressure on Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries and other recent decisions by U.S. President Donald Trump have raised concerns among Ukrainians. Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities continue. The Kyiv Independent took to...
How much pressure can Donald Trump’s new tariffs place on Russia’s war economy? A new U.S. law gives the president the power to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian energy, while also strengthening...
What does it take to be a Ukrainian reconnaissance soldier on today’s drone-dominated battlefield? In this report, the Kyiv Independent's Nick Allard and Asami Terajima travel to Kharkiv Oblast to meet reconnaissance soldiers from Ukraine's 60th Mechanized Brigade,...
Should women be subject to mandatory military mobilization? As Ukraine continues to face a shortage of personnel in its armed forces, this particular controversial question has increasingly entered public debate. ⠀ More than 76,000 women currently serve voluntarily in Ukraine’s...
Could another Russian mobilization campaign start in 2026? As Russia’s battlefield casualties in Ukraine outpace new recruitment, and Moscow still tries to capture all of Donetsk Oblast, Moscow's costly volunteer soldier model is reaching its breaking point. For most...
How has Russia tightened its control over occupied Crimea? Since illegally occupying Crimea in 2014, Russia has systematically detained people who oppose its rule, fabricated criminal cases against them, and sent them to pretrial detention centers and prisons across...
U.S. President Donald Trump thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for a deal to supply Russian diesel to the United States. ⠀ “I want to thank President Putin, to be honest with you,” Trump said. ⠀ Trump said on Oct. 9 that Russia...
European factories manufacturing weapons for Ukraine could become military targets for Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Sept. 30. The warning came hours after Russia threatened NATO with nuclear weapons if alliance members attempt to isolate Kaliningrad...
The Kyiv Independent traveled to Odesa and the surrounding region to document how intensified Russian attacks are threatening the city, its ports, and Ukraine’s vital Black Sea trade route. ⠀ From residents sheltering during drone attacks to Ukrainian crews patrolling...
Could Russia's next move stretch beyond Ukraine and challenge Europe's security? The Kyiv Independent's Kateryna Denisova spoke with Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania's former foreign minister, about Russia's war against Ukraine, growing pressure on the Baltic states, and Europe's response to...
At least five people were killed and 43 others injured in Russian attacks on Kyiv on Sept. 25 as of 5 p.m. local time, local authorities said. Twenty-five people, including two children, were hospitalized, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. During the...
Footage posted on Threads shows a jet-powered Russian drone striking near a couple on a kayak trip. The video captures the moment of the strike and the couple reacting to the hit nearby. Video: ananasik_caprisonne / Threads.
Russian forces launched daylight drone strikes targeting central Kyiv on Sept. 28, hitting the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and damaging nearby infrastructure. The attack killed at least one person and injured four others as emergency crews...
U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 5 said that Washington will help Russia manage its plague scare as the country faces reported quarantines. When asked by reporters about the plague in Russia, Trump confirmed he’s aware of the situation...
A Russian drone struck an educational facility in the northwestern city of Rivne, injuring 20 people, Oleksandr Koval, head of Rivne Oblast Military Administration, said on Oct. 13. The drone strike damaged the second floor of the building, Koval...
Ukrainian activists in New York presented a live public installation titled “DEFENSE IS PEOPLE” at Astor Place on Oct. 1, marking Ukrainian Defenders Day. Organized by the creative activist group Rebirth.Ukraine, about 20 participants formed a shifting human...
These drones — nicknamed "zhdun," from the Russian word for "to wait" — are FPV drones, often fiber optic, that Russian forces plant in ambush positions along roads and key logistics routes. ⠀ Instead of flying out only when a...
Demonstrators gathered in Berlin on Sept. 28 to hold a rally in support of residents in Russian-occupied Oleshky, Kherson Oblast. Participants demanded increased international pressure on Russia to allow humanitarian access to the city and ensure the safe...
A Russian drone strike on an office building in Kyiv killed at least four people and injured seven others, including a child, on Sept. 25. “Everything that is part of ordinary life is simply a target for Russia,” President...
Unannounced speed restrictions placed on US-supplied Starshield terminals on Oct. 14 have disrupted critical Ukrainian military missions and front-line defense capabilities. According to Ukrainian Defense Ministry sources, Starshield terminals — the military version of Starlink — were capped at...
Ukrainian forces deliver aid to occupied Oleshky, rescue 6 cats by drone
Russian drone strikes a school in Kyiv
Browder: Ukraine found Putin’s Achilles heel
Russian drone hits 25-story Kyiv apartment block
Trump slams Zelensky, says Ukraine should get new president
Zelensky says Russia lost nearly 249,000 troops in Ukraine in eight months
Humanitarian crisis deepens in Russian-occupied Oleshky
European drone companies race to counter Russias jet-powered Shahed drones
Russian drone strikes Kyiv high-rise, killing 14-year-old and injuring 3
Ukraine’s ground drone army, explained
How Ukraine uses robots to rescue wounded soldiers
Can the Kremlin’s millions help Putin live longer?
Why drones cant replace Ukraines recon soldiers
Can Ukraine fix its mobilization problems?
Ukrainian soldier downs Russian drone in speeding car
Russian drones target Kyiv bridge, disrupting metro link
How people in Kyiv cope with Russia’s attacks
Voltage drop halts Kyiv metro trains amid power outages
Footage shows Ukrainian soldier rescue man from rubble after Russian strike on Kramatorsk
How Ukrainian volunteers rescue animals near the front line
Kharkiv Oblast police evacuate cat from front line under threat of FPV drones
Russian glide bomb hits Kramatorsk bus station killing 33 people
Ukrainian military delivers 4 tons of food to occupied Oleshky by drones
How Trump’s claims about ending Russia’s war have changed
People escape burning Kyiv building after Russian attack
How Russia’s new jet drones are changing the threat to Kyiv
Russian strike on residential building in Pryluky kills at least 9, injures 38
Russian overnight attack on Zaporizhzhia injures 5, damages high-rises, university
Putin claims Russia never attacks civilian sites first
Why holding elections during wartime could backfire on Ukraine
Drone debris destroys Kyiv home during Russian attack
Russia strikes Kharkiv apartment building
Can Russia sustain its war machine?
Russian drone attack injures 5, damages homes in Kyiv’s Pecherskyi District on Oct. 15
One day in Kyiv under attack
Zelensky visits Kyiv maternity hospital damaged in Russian missile strike
Zelenskys wartime social contract breaks
Russias drone attacks on Kyiv grow more intense by the day
Putin claims Russia cannot be intimidated as ruling party leads in heavily rigged election
Why Russia is targeting Ukraine’s trains
Is Europe prepared for a drone war with Russia?
Russian troops allegedly use civilians as human shields to flee via Kupiansk pipeline
No, Ukraine’s Yandex strikes didn’t stop Russian bots
Ukraine marks Defenders’ Day
Ukraine exhibits its defense tech at AUSA 2026 in Washington
Ukraine uses domestically developed FP-7 ballistic missile in combat for first time
Deadly drone strikes on Ukraines capital, Sept. 23
Multiple waves of Russian ballistic missiles rock Kyiv, killing 2 and injuring 8
Inside Odesa port attacks: How Russia targets Ukraines Black Sea trade
Russia violated Trump’s energy ceasefire, Zelensky says
What do Ukrainians think of Trump’s latest decisions?
Could Trump’s 100% tariffs crush Russia’s war machine?
How drones help Ukraines reconnaissance soldiers
Can women solve Ukraine’s manpower problem?
Russia is running out of soldiers. What will Putin do?
How Russia turned occupied Crimea into a prison
Trump thanks Putin for Russian diesel deal
Russia threatens European arms factories producing weapons for Ukraine
Why is Russia hitting Odesa’s ports?
Could Russias war reach beyond Ukraine?
Ukraine found Russia’s weakness. Trump is protecting it, Browder argues
Deadly Russian drone attack targets Kyiv during daytime
Jet-powered Russian drone strikes near couple kayaking on river
Russian drone strikes hit central Kyiv in broad daylight
Trump says US willing to help Russia handle reported plague outbreak
Russian drone strikes educational building in Rivne, injures 20
Ukrainian activists present ‘DEFENSE IS PEOPLE’ installation in New York
Ukrainian soldier destroys Russian FPV drone on a road
Ukrainians in Berlin rally for humanitarian access to Russian-occupied Oleshky
‘Ordinary life is a target for Russia’: Drone strike on Kyiv office building kills 4, injures 7
US speed cap on Starlink disrupts Ukrainian drone strikes
Is Zelensky becoming less accountable to Ukrainians?