Kyiv Independent
Fire, destruction in central Kyiv after deadly daytime Russian drone strike
- Title
- Fire, destruction in central Kyiv after deadly daytime Russian drone strike
- Runtime
- 0:35
- Date posted
- 26 days ago
- Description
- Russian drones struck central Kyiv in the middle of the day on Sept. 28, killing one woman and injuring at least 19 others.
The daytime attack set a Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences building on fire and damaged an Education and Science Ministry facility. Russian strikes also hit a nearby private medical center amid widespread drone attacks across the capital.
Video: AP.
- Title
- People escape burning Kyiv building after Russian attack
- Runtime
- 0:18
- Date posted
- 26 days ago
- Description
- 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, Darnytskyi, and Shevchenkivskyi districts.
In the city center, the Academy of Sciences building was set on fire following the attack.
Smoke was seen rising from numerous locations across the city center by Kyiv Independent reporters in the capital.
Information on potential casualties from the most recent strikes hasn't been released by authorities at the time of publishing.
Video: lachentyt / Telegram
- Title
- Russia strikes Kharkiv apartment building
- Runtime
- 0:25
- Date posted
- 26 days ago
- Description
- Russia carried out attacks across Ukraine, repeatedly targeting Kyiv with drones and striking Kharkiv and Dnipro.
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A Russian strike hit a nine-story residential building in Kharkiv overnight on Sept. 28, injuring at least 25 people.
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"Three children lived in the apartment hit in the Russian attack. Their father carried them out himself. Fortunately, none of the children were seriously injured," Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
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Later that morning, Russian forces struck an office building in central Dnipro.
- Title
- Ukrainian military delivers 4 tons of food to occupied Oleshky by drones
- Runtime
- 0:29
- Date posted
- 26 days ago
- Description
- 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 Administration head said on Sept. 27.
The operation was carried out in cooperation with several Ukrainian military and law enforcement units, according to Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
Residents of Oleshky have reported that the town is running critically low on food due to a lack of supplies, while only a small number of residents have managed to evacuate.
The drone delivery is part of an effort that has been supplying food to Oleshky residents by drone since March 2026, according to the governor.
A local resident who left Oleshky in April told the Kyiv Independent that drones had previously delivered food.
"(Drones) dropped the packages in several places. (The packages) ...
- Title
- How people in Kyiv cope with Russia’s attacks
- Runtime
- 2:35
- Date posted
- 27 days ago
- Description
- 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 — but shouldn’t — what helps them cope, and what small comforts they refuse to give up.
- Title
- Is Zelensky becoming less accountable to Ukrainians?
- Runtime
- 1:40
- Date posted
- 28 days ago
- Description
- 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 growing lack of political accountability are changing the balance of power inside Ukraine.
In this conversation, they discuss Ukraine’s domestic political crisis, Zelensky’s relationship with Ukrainian journalists and society, the role of NABU and SAPO, and the weakening influence of the Ukrainian parliament. They also examine Zelensky’s political standing, the breakdown of so-called Ukraine’s wartime social contract, growing tensions between the government and Ukrainian society, and the risks political instability could create while Russia’s full-scale war continues.
00:00 Intro
00:27 Ukraine’s political crisis deepens
03:10 Ukraine's...
- Title
- Russia is running out of soldiers. What will Putin do?
- Runtime
- 19:19
- Date posted
- 29 days ago
- Description
- 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 of the full-scale invasion, Russia has avoided another mass mobilization, instead relying on high salaries, sign-up bonuses and contract soldiers to replenish its forces. But that model is becoming harder to sustain. Since late 2025, Russia’s estimated battlefield losses have begun exceeding the number of new recruits, while the Kremlin has increasingly turned to reservists, migrants, foreigners and students to fill its ranks.
The Kyiv Independent’s Tania Myronyshena examines why Russia’s manpower advantage is under pressure, what a new mobilization campaign could look like, whether Russians could resist it, and how hundreds of thousands of additional troops could affect the war.
- Title
- Deadly Russian drone attack targets Kyiv during daytime
- Runtime
- 0:47
- Date posted
- 29 days ago
- Description
- 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 daytime attack, a drone hit an office building in the Solomianskyi district, killing four people and injuring seven others, including a child, in the building's parking lot.
A medical facility was also damaged in the Solomianskyi district. Three people, including a child, were hospitalized after being injured nearby, Klitshchko said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the attacks.
According to Zelensky, a warehouse used by McDonald's in the city of Brovary in Kyiv Oblast was also damaged during the attack.
- Title
- ‘Ordinary life is a target for Russia’: Drone strike on Kyiv office building kills 4, injures 7
- Runtime
- 0:12
- Date posted
- 29 days ago
- Description
- 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 Volodymyr Zelensky said, calling for stronger sanctions and other measures to impose concrete consequences on Moscow.
The strike came amid waves of Russian drone attacks on the capital that began early in the morning and continued throughout the day.
Video: Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets/Telegram.
- Title
- Zelensky visits Kyiv maternity hospital damaged in Russian missile strike
- Runtime
- 0:59
- Date posted
- 29 days ago
- Description
- 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 mothers and newborns during ongoing air raids.
Video: President Volodymyr Zelensky / Telegram.
- Title
- Russian drone strikes Kyiv high-rise, killing 14-year-old and injuring 3
- Runtime
- 0:20
- Date posted
- 29 days ago
- Description
- 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 authorities reported. Emergency services are working on site as the impact caused a fire between the 7th and 10th floors.
Video: Sharon Cawood; Calvin Cawood.
- Title
- Putin claims Russia 'cannot be intimidated' as ruling party leads in heavily rigged election
- Runtime
- 0:49
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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 free and least competitive in Russia’s modern history, marred by systemic, large-scale vote rigging.
Following a total pre-election crackdown on independent media and genuine opposition, including a court ruling banning the anti-war Yabloko party, the Kremlin secured a 58% majority for the ruling United Russia party. To guarantee the result, authorities relied on forced voting of public-sector workers, ballot stuffing, manipulated electronic voting, and forced participation at gunpoint in occupied regions of Ukraine.
Video: Kremlin / Telegram; Contributor; Emil Leegunov / Getty Images.
- Title
- Humanitarian crisis deepens in Russian-occupied Oleshky
- Runtime
- 1:39
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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, leaving locals facing starvation.
While volunteers managed to evacuate some civilians earlier this year despite severe risks, organizers say evacuation efforts have ground to a halt as Russian forces refuse to cooperate. Desperate residents are now risking their lives by attempting to flee on foot along mined roads, according to local sources and officials.
- Title
- Multiple waves of Russian ballistic missiles rock Kyiv, killing 2 and injuring 8
- Runtime
- 0:29
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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 debris reported across the Solomyanskyi, Svyatoshynskyi, Podilskyi, and Dniprovskyi districts. Debris fell near a maternity hospital, shattering windows and damaging the building’s facade, while an administrative building, a medical diagnostic center, and cars in a parking lot caught fire.
Russia launched 282 attack drones and multiple ballistic and cruise missiles overnight, including Zircon, Iskander-M, S-400, and KN-23 missiles, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. Air defenses intercepted 227 targets.
Video: State Emergency Service / Telegram.
- Title
- Zelensky says Russia lost nearly 249,000 troops in Ukraine in eight months
- Runtime
- 1:01
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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 Russian losses, and these are not just statistics — it’s about people,” Zelensky said.
“It’s madness. But they still keep going there to die, because that is what Putin wants.”
Video: U.N. General Assembly
- Title
- How drones help Ukraine's reconnaissance soldiers
- Runtime
- 1:14
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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 of the 3rd Army Corps, and witness the training required to perform one of the army's most dangerous roles.
Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel.
Video: The Kyiv Independent
- Title
- Deadly drone strikes on Ukraine's capital, Sept. 23
- Runtime
- 1:19
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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.
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Russian drones came down in the Holosiivskyi, Darnitskyi, and Solomianskyi districts of Kyiv, the latter of which also hosts the Kyiv Central Railway Station. A fire broke out in the historic railway market "Shayba" near the Central Station, Kyiv Independent reporters confirmed. The round structure was built in the 70's as an experimental indoor market and is one of Kyiv's many modernist buildings.
Khrystyna, a Kyiv resident who spoke with the Kyiv Independent in the area, described being jolted awake before dawn by a powerful blast that blew open windows, then getting on with the day even as explosions echoed nearby. Russian daily drone attacks had become part of life for many, with no way of knowing where the next strike might hit, Khry...
- Title
- Could Trump’s 100% tariffs crush Russia’s war machine?
- Runtime
- 22:44
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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 sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet.
In this interview, the Kyiv Independent's Martin Fornusek speaks with Philip Luck, director of the Economics Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), about what the new legislation means for Russia, China, and India. The conversation examines the limits of the new legislation and the potential economic costs for the U.S., congressional oversight of Trump's tariff powers, sanctions evasion, and whether greater pressure on Russia could reduce the Kremlin's ability to finance its war against Ukraine.
00:00 Intro
00:22 What new sanctions law changes
05:19 Support independent journalism in Ukraine
05:54 Can Trump be forced to act?
07:44 The political cos...
- Title
- Zelensky says Putin fears his own people as Russian losses hit 33,000 per month without victories
- Runtime
- 0:38
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Speaking to journalists during a press conference in New York, President Volodymyr Zelensky questioned how Russian President Vladimir Putin can justify the war to his own society as Russian casualties continue to mount without tangible military gains.
Zelensky emphasized that Putin “doesn’t respect anybody” and is solely driven by fear of internal pressure from the Russian population. With approximately one million Russian troops deployed on Ukrainian territory and monthly casualties reaching 32,000 to 33,000 soldiers, Zelensky noted that Kremlin leadership faces an insurmountable challenge in explaining these losses to its nation in the absence of battlefield victories.
Video: Office of the President of Ukraine / YouTube.
- Title
- How Russia turned occupied Crimea into a prison
- Runtime
- 1:39
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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 the peninsula and beyond.
Crimean Tatars who opposed Russian rule were among the first targets. On Feb. 26, 2014, they took to the streets, saying: "We want to live in Ukraine. We do not need Russia."
The Kyiv Independent's War Crimes Investigations Unit spent months tracing this network through firsthand accounts from survivors and relatives, interviews with lawyers and witnesses, leaked databases, and open-source intelligence.
Watch the full documentary on our YouTube channel.
- Title
- Kremlin dismisses Zelensky’s ceasefire signals, demands 'lasting peace' on its terms
- Runtime
- 1:10
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- When asked during a Sept. 22 press call whether the Kremlin was discussing President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent statements regarding readiness for a ceasefire and negotiations, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the signals, claiming Russia opposes a temporary truce and seeks a “lasting peace.”
Peskov alleged that Zelensky’s statements on ending the war contradict his previous remarks on inflicting economic damage on Russia, while asserting that Ukraine’s situation on the front lines and economically is “deteriorating day by day.”
Video: Kremlin / Telegram.
- Title
- Footage shows Ukrainian soldier rescue man from rubble after Russian strike on Kramatorsk
- Runtime
- 0:28
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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 him out to safety.
Video: 93rd Mechanized Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar" / Telegram.
- Title
- Jet-powered Russian drone strikes near couple kayaking on river
- Runtime
- 0:16
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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.
- Title
- Why Russia is targeting Ukraine’s trains
- Runtime
- 2:58
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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 1,500 strikes this year alone.
The Kyiv Independent’s vertical video creator, Nastia Kasinchuk, breaks down what it’s like to experience Ukrzaliznytsia’s new emergency drone protocols firsthand and why Russia is desperate to sever Ukraine’s vital transport network.
- Title
- Russian overnight attack on Zaporizhzhia injures 5, damages high-rises, university
- Runtime
- 0:38
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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 shopping center, and a university campus.
Video: Zaporizhzhia Oblast Defense Council / Telegram.
- Title
- Could Russia's war reach beyond Ukraine?
- Runtime
- 1:23
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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 Russian hybrid attacks.
"The outcome of the war will be decided when enough pressure is built on either country," Landsbergis said.
Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel.
- Title
- Why Zelensky is facing a political crisis
- Runtime
- 27:42
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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 growing lack of political accountability are changing the balance of power inside Ukraine.
In this conversation, they discuss Ukraine’s domestic political crisis, Zelensky’s relationship with Ukrainian journalists and society, the role of NABU and SAPO, and the weakening influence of the Ukrainian parliament. They also examine Zelensky’s political standing, the breakdown of so-called Ukraine’s wartime social contract, growing tensions between the government and Ukrainian society, and the risks political instability could create while Russia’s full-scale war continues.
00:00 Intro
00:27 Ukraine’s political crisis deepens
03:10 Ukraine's...
- Title
- Life under drone threat in Zaporizhzhia
- Runtime
- 1:39
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- As Russian attacks reach deeper into Zaporizhzhia, everyday life is becoming harder to separate from the threat of drones and bombs. Residents still go to work, spend time outdoors and try to maintain a sense of normalcy — even as familiar places become increasingly dangerous.
The Kyiv Independent’s Nick Allard and Asami Terajima traveled across the southeastern city to document how people are adapting to the changing threat.
Watch the full video on our channel.
- Title
- Why drones can't replace Ukraine's reconnaissance soldiers
- Runtime
- 16:50
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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 of the 3rd Army Corps, and witness the training required to perform one of the army's most dangerous roles.
Deep in the forests of northeastern Ukraine, they train to gather intelligence, track Russian infiltration groups, clear enemy positions, and defend themselves against FPV drones. The soldiers share what it is like to operate within meters of Russian troops — and how a reconnaissance mission can quickly turn into a close-range firefight. As drones increasingly dominate the battlefield, their work shows why some of the most dangerous military tasks still require soldiers on the ground.
00:00 Intro
00:49 Training in Kharkiv Oblast
02:27 Support independent journalism in Ukra...
- Title
- Putin accuses European leaders of escalating tensions with Russia
- Runtime
- 0:49
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed during a Military-Industrial Commission meeting on Sept. 18 that external threats to Russia continue to grow, accusing European leaders of preparing for war with Russia.
Putin alleged that European officials are escalating rhetoric to distract from domestic issues, claiming NATO is expanding into new regions of the world. Western officials and NATO leaders have repeatedly emphasized that the alliance is defensive and that support for Ukraine is aimed at countering Russian aggression.
Video: TASS.
- Title
- Ukrainian civilian reveals torture in Russian captivity
- Runtime
- 1:09
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- For months, Ukrainian civilian Anatolii was held in makeshift torture chambers in Kherson Oblast before being moved to occupied Crimea. He describes being subjected to mock executions, electric shocks, and suffocation at the hands of Russian captors, who used the torture as a practice exercise.
Anatolii’s story is part of a months-long investigation by the Kyiv Independent’s War Crimes Investigations Unit. The investigation reveals how, since illegally occupying Crimea in 2014, Russia has built a vast network of detention centers across the peninsula to detain, torture, and silence those who oppose its rule. Following the 2022 full-scale invasion, this system expanded further to hold kidnapped civilians from newly occupied territories.
- Title
- Russian double-tap strike on Odesa administrative building injures 10, including 2 rescuers
- Runtime
- 0:46
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- A Russian attack struck an 11-story administrative building in Odesa on Sept. 18, injuring 10 people. Two first responders were among the injured after Russian forces launched a repeat strike on the scene.
According to the State Emergency Service, people inside the building had taken cover in a shelter during the initial strike, preventing further casualties. Over 70 firefighters were deployed to extinguish the resulting fire.
Video: State Emergency Service / Telegram.
- Title
- Ex-Lithuanian foreign minister: Trump treating Russian invasion like a real estate deal
- Runtime
- 1:13
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to ending Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, comparing negotiations to “a real estate deal.”
Speaking to Kyiv Independent politics reporter Kateryna Denisova, Landsbergis warned that efforts by U.S. envoys to pressure Kyiv into accepting Kremlin demands evoke “an eerie feeling of carving up Europe by the people who are outside of Europe.”
- Title
- Ukraine counterattacks near Lyman in Donetsk Oblast
- Runtime
- 0:39
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Should the extent of the reported Ukrainian success be confirmed, the counterattacks near Lyman would be a crushing blow to Russia's attempts to overwhelm Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast defense.
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Rather than directly assaulting the cities of the so-called Donbas fortress belt — Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Kostiantynivka — Russian forces have tried to envelop the urban agglomeration from both sides to cut off all logistics routes going in and out of the area. Russian attacks near Lyman have formed the northern pincer of the Russian Donetsk Oblast offensive, and now these gains seem to have been not only stopped but reversed.
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Ukraine's military leadership, including the 3rd Corps itself, has maintained a strict informational blackout surrounding the counterattacks for operational security reasons. If Russian commanders lacked a clear picture of Ukraine's progress, Moscow is less likely to allocate the appropriate resources and make tactical changes...
- Title
- Ukraine marks Rescuer’s Day
- Runtime
- 0:33
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Ukraine marks Rescuer’s Day on Sept. 17, honoring the tens of thousands of emergency workers responding to daily Russian attacks across the country.
“The State Emergency Service of Ukraine is a truly strong, brave, and professional system that works, is well organized, and guarantees Ukrainians reliable protection,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement.
Zelensky noted that since the start of the full-scale invasion, nearly 1,000 rescuers have received state awards, with six receiving the Gold Star of the Hero of Ukraine, two posthumously. More than 10,000 women serve among the service’s 56,000 specialists.
“I ask you to remember every single rescuer who gave their life while protecting people and protecting life,” Zelensky said.
Video: State Emergency Service / Telegram.
- Title
- Kremlin warnings to Europe echo rhetoric used before full-scale invasion of Ukraine
- Runtime
- 1:15
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed on Sept. 16 that Moscow had no intention of attacking Europe, echoing the Kremlin’s rhetoric in the weeks leading up to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
On Jan. 28, 2022 — just 27 days before Russia launched the full-scale invasion — Lavrov similarly claimed that Moscow did not want war while warning that it would not allow its interests to be ignored.
Russia’s war against Ukraine had begun in 2014, when it illegally annexed Crimea and invaded parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. On Feb. 24, 2022, Moscow dramatically escalated the conflict, launching an all-out invasion from several directions and attempting to seize Kyiv.
Video: AFPTV; Contributor / Getty Images; AP; Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation / YouTube.
- Title
- Ukrainian military chaplain on faith, war and suffering
- Runtime
- 1:27
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- How do Ukrainians hold on to faith during the war?
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In Sloviansk, a front-line city in Donetsk Oblast that has faced Russian attacks since 2014 and now sits close to the front, residents continue to seek spiritual support as the threat of occupation and further destruction draws closer.
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The Kyiv Independent's Nick Allard speaks with a Ukrainian priest, a local resident, and a military chaplain in Sloviansk about living with the daily threat of Russian drones and explosions, finding faith during wartime, and deciding when it is time to leave their homes.
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"The only question we should ask is how much we preserve the image of God in these events," says military chaplain Maksym Abramov.
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Watch the full video on our channel.
- Title
- Ukraine could reach Russia's breaking point, Landsbergis says
- Runtime
- 25:08
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Could Russia’s next move stretch beyond Ukraine and challenge Europe’s security? In this interview, The Kyiv Independent's Kateryna Denisova speaks 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 Russian hybrid attacks. Landsbergis discusses Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russia and what it would take to force it to negotiate, and U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to peace negotiations.
The conversation also explores the rise of far-right parties in Europe, Russia’s frozen assets, and why Landsbergis believes European countries need to think beyond short-term aid packages and develop a 10-year strategy for supporting Ukraine.
00:00 Intro
03:20 Support independent journalism in Ukraine
03:58 Can Ukraine change Putin’s calculus?
07:16 US peace efforts in Ukraine
09:29 Russia’s pressure on the Balt...
- Title
- Why Putin won't stop the war?
- Runtime
- 1:49
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- "Western leaders often assume Vladimir Putin views the world through a Western lens, but his calculations are fundamentally different," says military analyst Mykola Bielieskov.
In an interview with the Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell, Bielieskov, senior analyst at Come Back Alive and research fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, breaks down why Putin believes time and willpower remain on Russia's side despite catastrophic losses, high economic costs, and growing reliance on China.
- Title
- How many more air raids can Kyiv residents take?
- Runtime
- 1:39
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- For Kyiv residents, Russia's latest drone campaign has brought a new level of pressure — much of it exerted without a single hit. Sirens interrupt transport and school lessons, push families into the metro night after night, and leave the city with no settled routine to return to.
We went out onto the streets of Kyiv to ask residents how they are coping with the constant threat and disruption. Olena, an internally displaced mother whose youngest spends kindergarten days in a shelter, put it plainly: "It feels very unfair. You want it to finally be over because it's just too much."
Watch the full video on our channel.
- Title
- How Russia crushes Ukrainians in occupied Crimea
- Runtime
- 1:46
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Since 2014, Russia has systematically turned occupied Crimea into a vast network of detention centers to crush local resistance and protest against its rule. After the 2022 full-scale invasion, that system expanded to hold Ukrainian civilians kidnapped from newly occupied territories.
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For months, the Kyiv Independent’s War Crimes Investigations Unit tracked this network, identifying perpetrators, mapping detention facilities, and revealing Russia’s plans to expand the system even further.
Watch the full video on our YouTube channel.
- Title
- Ukrainian child on witnessing Russian attacks in Zaporizhzhia
- Runtime
- 1:26
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Six-year-old Veronika Didenko says she can tell by the sound whether a Russian attack is close enough for her to hide.
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Veronika and her family fled to Zaporizhzhia in 2022 after Russian forces approached their hometown. Although her new home is becoming increasingly dangerous, she still tries to enjoy her childhood.
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The Kyiv Independent's Nick Allard and Asami Terajima traveled across Zaporizhzhia, a major industrial hub in southeastern Ukraine, to document how residents are adapting to increasingly frequent Russian attacks — from neighborhoods hit by Russian glide bombs to police teams hunting Russian FPV drones.
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Watch the full video on our YouTube channel.
- Title
- FPV drones, glide bombs changing life in Zaporizhzhia
- Runtime
- 2:14
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- What happens to daily life when FPV drones reach deeper into the city? In this report, the Kyiv Independent’s Nick Allard and Asami Terajima travel across Zaporizhzhia, a major industrial hub in southeastern Ukraine, to document how residents are adapting to increasingly frequent Russian attacks.
From neighborhoods hit by Russian glide bombs to police teams hunting Russian FPV drones, they document life in the city that tries to maintain a sense of normalcy as the situation deteriorates.
- Title
- Ukrainian military chaplain on faith amid war
- Runtime
- 0:06
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Sloviansk, a city in Donetsk Oblast under Russian attack since 2014, is once again facing the threat of occupation. As drones and explosions become part of daily life, many residents are leaning on faith to get through it.
The Kyiv Independent’s Nick Allard spoke with Maksym Abramov, a military chaplain in the city, about what keeps his faith intact after years of war.
Watch the full video on our channel.
- Title
- Peskov on Russia's drone strikes near Polish border
- Runtime
- 0:39
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s military “will continue carrying out its missions across the entire territory of Ukraine,” when asked about the drone strike near Ukraine’s border with Poland during a conference call with journalists on Sept. 14.
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Russia launched drones overnight Sept. 13 at western Ukraine, striking a gas station near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing and a Kyiv-Warsaw passenger train just 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Polish border.
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Poland is treating the strikes with the “utmost seriousness,” Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said on Sept. 13.
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“We are treating these events with the utmost seriousness,” Kierwinski wrote on X. “The situation is being constantly monitored. Russia is an enemy of the free world.”
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The attacks also stranded Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna and members of an Estonian Foreign Ministry delegation at the border crossing. T...
- Title
- NATO Chief Mark Rutte: Drone strikes near Polish border show Putin's "desperation"
- Runtime
- 0:48
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Russian drone strikes “close to NATO territory” demonstrate Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “desperation,” NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte said on Sept. 14.
Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Rutte said Russia was “growing increasingly reckless as it continues its terrible war against Ukraine.”
Russia launched drones overnight at western Ukraine on Sept. 13, striking a gas station near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing and a Kyiv-Warsaw passenger train just 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Polish border.
The assault brought the war unusually close to Poland’s border, with multiple strikes reported in Volyn Oblast, Ukraine’s northwest, near the Yahodyn–Dorohusk crossing.
Video: AP.
- Title
- "A period of total war:" Analyst on why both sides rely on long-range strikes
- Runtime
- 1:45
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Russia is losing over 40,000 troops killed and wounded per month—exceeding its monthly recruitment capabilities, according to Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies and senior analyst at the Ukrainian NGO Come Back Alive.
While technological adaptations like strike UAVs, drone air defense, and unmanned ground vehicles have stabilized the front line, both sides have intensified long-range strikes across critical infrastructure as neither can achieve a radical breakthrough on the battlefield.
"This is now a period of total war, basically, where each side tries to undermine to the fullest possible extent the functioning of the other side," Bielieskov said.
- Title
- Russia's war is no longer contained to Ukraine, Pollish Foreign Minister says
- Runtime
- 0:53
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Russia’s war is increasingly spilling beyond Ukraine’s borders, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said during a press conference on Sept. 13, pointing to a series of incidents he attributed to Moscow across Europe. His remarks came after a Russian drone struck a passenger train near Ukraine’s border with Poland, shortly after a separate train carrying European officials had passed through the area.
Sikorski said the incidents show that Russia’s campaign against Europe is no longer limited to disinformation and espionage, citing sabotage in Poland, alleged attempts to bring down aircraft in Lithuania and attacks in Germany. “It’s not just knocking on the door, it’s inside the house,” he said.
Video: AP
- Title
- How a corruption scandal brought down Ukraine's prosecutor general
- Runtime
- 2:21
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Ukrainian anti-corruption investigators allege senior officials in the Prosecutor General's Office ran a protection racket for illegal scam call centers, taking up to $1 million per month in bribes.
The investigation, codenamed Operation Carthage by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), led to the resignation of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko on Sept. 7. While Kravchenko has not been charged, recordings released by NABU implicate a senior figure matching his background, and his top aide Serhii Kropyva has been arrested.
"The problem with the Prosecutor General's Office lies with the prosecutor general, who essentially trades his political loyalty to the president for control over the law enforcement system," Tetiana Shevchuk of the Anti-Corruption Action Center told the Kyiv Independent.
- Title
- Trump tells Zelensky to stop striking Russian diesel infrastructure
- Runtime
- 0:26
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- U.S. President Donald Trump on Sept. 13 called on President Volodymyr Zelensky to halt Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s diesel fuel infrastructure, claiming the attacks were contributing to a global diesel shortage as his war against Iran disrupts fuel supplies worldwide.
The remarks signal an effort by Trump to curb Ukraine’s attacks on Russia’s energy sector as global fuel markets face mounting supply disruptions linked to the U.S. war against Iran.
“Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump said. “Let him go after targets, but not diesel fuel, because he’s causing a shortage of diesel.”
“We spoke to Mr. Zelensky about it... This isn’t done by the Middle East.”
Trump’s war against Iran has knocked out more than 20% of Middle Eastern refining capacity and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which previously carried roughly a fifth of global oil supplies.
