Kyiv Independent
How has Russia tightened its control over occupied Crimea?
- Title
- How has Russia tightened its control over occupied Crimea?
- Runtime
- 2:26
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- 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. After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, this system expanded further, with Ukrainian civilians from newly occupied territories also being transferred to detention facilities in Crimea.
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 investigation on our YouTube channel.
- Title
- Kyiv gas stations tighten safety measures after deadly Russian strikes
- Runtime
- 1:29
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Russian drones struck two gas stations in Kyiv on Sept. 11, killing two people and injuring 12 others, including a child, local authorities said.
Five people were hospitalized, while one was treated at the scene, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. At 11:45 a.m. local time, Klitschko said two of the injured had died in hospital.
The number of people injured rose to 12 by around 3 p.m. local time, including a 12-year-old boy, the Kyiv City Military Administration (KMVA) said.
As of 3 p.m. local time, seven people remained hospitalized, according to the mayor.
The recent Russian attacks have raised concerns among Kyiv residents and commercial gas station chains over the worsening security situation.
Artem, 25, a refueling technician who asked to be identified by his first name only, said the station previously closed only during "red-level" air raid alerts, which signal a potential missile attack. Following a series o...
- Title
- Inside Russia's FSB prison network in Crimea | Documentary
- Runtime
- 1:06:52
- 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. After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, this system expanded further, with Ukrainian civilians from newly occupied territories also being transferred to detention facilities in Crimea.
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. The investigation identifies detention center staff and senior officials, documents the role of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), and reveals how Crimea has been transformed into a vast prison system—one that Russia plans to expand even further.
- Title
- Russia’s staggering losses in Ukraine, explained
- Runtime
- 2:49
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Russia's total military losses in Ukraine have reached 1,500,870, Ukraine's General Staff said on Sept. 9, marking another grim milestone in the war for the Kremlin.
It took roughly two years and three months for the Russian Armed Forces to incur their first 500,000 casualties. Moscow has now suffered roughly the same number in just the past 15 months, as technology increasingly shapes the battlefield and drones expand the kill zone almost daily.
The Kremlin's total personnel losses in Ukraine now exceed the combined toll suffered by Russian and Soviet forces in all wars and armed conflicts during the second half of the 20th century and the early 21st century, the General Staff said.
Moscow's toll in Ukraine is also more than 100 times higher than the number of personnel lost during the decade-long Soviet war in Afghanistan, and more than 125 times higher than the combined casualties from the First and Second Chechen wars, according to the General...
- Title
- Can Ukraine build its own air defense system to replace Patriot?
- Runtime
- 1:46
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- As global supplies of Patriot interceptors run low, Ukrainian defense company Firepoint is developing Project Freya, an ambitious effort to build a domestic anti-ballistic missile system in partnership with European companies.
Despite questions surrounding Firepoint’s track record and political links, the company aims to begin mass production this year. With air defense interceptors in short supply ahead of winter, Ukraine faces difficult choices over which targets to defend from Russian attacks.
- Title
- US destroys 5 Iranian tankers, 3 linked to Russia
- Runtime
- 0:41
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- The U.S. military destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers on Sept. 8, three of which have ties to Russia's shadow fleet, Ukraine's sanctions commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk said.
⠀
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sept. 9 said its forces struck the vessels in response to attempts by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to target a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles. U.S. forces instructed the crews to abandon the vessels before striking them.
⠀
Three of the tankers — the Kaviz, Charminar, and Riesco — have direct links to Russia's shadow fleet and have been involved in transporting Russian oil, according to Vlasiuk and Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR).
⠀
Russia's shadow fleet is a network of vessels used to move sanctioned Russian oil, obscuring ownership to avoid Western restrictions. The fleet carries about 75% of Russia's sanctioned oil and generates income used to fund the Kremlin's war against Ukraine.
- Title
- Jet-powered drones hit a Kyiv gas station
- Runtime
- 0:31
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- A Russian drone struck a gas station in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district on Sept. 10, injuring four people as of 1:30 p.m. The attack set the station and several cars ablaze.
⠀
Russia has already been targeting gas stations elsewhere in Ukraine — in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Sumy oblasts. This attack is just one of many that have hit Kyiv in recent weeks: on Sept. 8, a mass missile and drone attack killed five people and injured 35; the next day, drones struck residential buildings, killing one person and injuring at least 17, including two children.
⠀
Air raid sirens now sound through the day and night, and the sounds of air defenses and explosions can be heard around the clock.
⠀
Video: The Kyiv Independent
- Title
- Russian drone hits near Sumy mall, killing 2 and injuring at least 20
- Runtime
- 0:25
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- A 21-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman were killed in a Russian drone strike near a shopping center in Sumy on Sept. 9, local authorities reported.
At least 20 people were injured, including three children. Four of those hospitalized remain in serious condition, according to the head of the Sumy City Military Administration, Serhii Kryvosheyenko, and regional officials.
The strike occurred in the evening as residents were returning from work, damaging the shopping center and setting several parked cars on fire. Emergency responders remain on the scene, extinguishing fires and providing medical assistance.
Video: State Emergency Service; National Police of Ukraine / Telegram.
- Title
- Ukrainian rescuers and civilians save pets after Russian attacks
- Runtime
- 0:35
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Amid ongoing Russian attacks, Ukrainian emergency responders and civilians across the country continue to step in to help rescue animals from damaged buildings.
“In moments like these, it makes no difference whether the pet is your own or someone else’s. Every life is precious,” the State Emergency Service wrote on its Telegram channel. “That is the essence of Ukrainians: while Russians destroy our homes, we unite and save one another.”
Video: State Emergency Service / Telegram.
- Title
- Ukraine and Russia enter a new phase of war, military expert says
- Runtime
- 45:15
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Can Russia's manpower advantage change the course of the war in Ukraine? As Moscow appears to prepare to bring more troops into the war, Russia is betting that its larger pool of personnel and resources can help it sustain the fighting and outlast Ukraine and its Western partners.
In this interview, The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell speaks with Mykola Bielieskov, senior analyst at Come Back Alive and research fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, about why Russian advances have slowed, how Ukraine’s drone tactics are reshaping the battlefield, and the limits of relying on manpower alone.
The conversation also explores Ukraine's advantage in strike and counter-drone systems, Russia's struggle to scale up skilled UAV operators, the economic costs of mobilization, and what Ukraine and its partners need to do to ensure that time works in their favor.
00:00 Intro
01:18 Why Russia's advances are slowing
05:04 Ukraine...
- Title
- Ukrainian fled Russia with a tattoo that made returning impossible
- Runtime
- 1:19
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Dmytro Kruk grew up under Russian occupation in his hometown of Khrestivka, Donetsk Oblast, which was occupied in 2014 when he was just nine years old.
⠀
As life under occupation became increasingly difficult, Kruk faced threats over his pro-Ukrainian views and struggled to find work. He eventually left for Russia, where he worked at a restaurant in Kabardinka, Krasnodar Krai.
⠀
While in Russia, a military enlistment office called and told Kruk to report once he received a Russian passport — something he did not want. Before fleeing the country, he got a tattoo of Ukraine’s coat of arms to ensure he could never safely return to his occupied hometown.
⠀
“The idea was that it would stop me from returning after I left again... I wanted to be sure that if I wanted to return to the occupied territory, I wouldn’t be able to because of this tattoo.”
⠀
Kruk eventually escaped through Russia and Latvia. He now lives in Kyiv, rebu...
- Title
- Kyiv spends over 17 hours under air-raid alerts in single day
- Runtime
- 0:26
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- By 10:00 p.m. on Sept. 8, Kyiv had spent over 17 hours under air-raid alerts.
Residents faced near-constant disruptions throughout the day as Russian forces launched waves of drone strikes from overnight into the evening.
Emergency services were deployed to multiple districts to assess damage and assist injured civilians, while air defense units worked continuously to neutralize incoming aerial threats.
Video: the Kyiv Independent; Danylo Antoniuk / Getty Images; State Emergency Service / Telegram.
- Title
- CES director Hlib Vyshlinsky breaks down Russia’s strategy against Ukrainian food logistics
- Runtime
- 2:02
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Hlib Vyshlinsky, executive director of the Center for Economic Strategy, spoke to the Kyiv Independent about Russia’s deliberate targeting of Ukrainian food distribution centers and logistics networks.
Vyshlinsky explains why these strikes aim to create psychological fear among consumers, how businesses absorb the increased costs, and what the campaign means for inflation and Ukraine’s broader war economy.
Watch the full video at the link in bio.
- Title
- 'No real sense of relief': Kyiv residents on the return of Russian attacks after brief pause
- Runtime
- 1:15
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- An overnight Russian mass missile and drone attack killed at least three people and injured 19 others in Kyiv on Sept. 8, ending a brief pause after Russia and Ukraine agreed to temporarily halt strikes on each other’s capitals.
The agreement coincided with visits by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Kyiv and Moscow. While the temporary halt gave residents a rare period without air raid alerts, many expressed fear that attacks would resume as soon as diplomats departed.
Kyiv residents spoke to the Kyiv Independent about living under constant strikes by jet-powered Shahed drones, the psychological toll of endless air raid alerts, and the reality of surviving under ongoing Russian attacks.
- Title
- ‘It’s like The Hunger Games’: Kyiv residents recount Russian attack
- Runtime
- 2:01
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- "It's like The Hunger Games, it's just about survival," Dariia Kolisnyk, a resident of a building damaged by a missile in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on Sept. 8, told the Kyiv Independent.
"You just go to bed, wondering whether you'll wake up or not. That's life in Kyiv."
A mass Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on Sept. 8 killed at least two people, injured sixteen others, and sparked a series of huge fires that filled the morning air across the city with smoke.
"The Russians tried to deliberately cause as much harm to life as possible — ballistics, cruise and anti-ship missiles, rocket 'shaheeds,'" President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on social media.
At least two multistory residential buildings in the capital were damaged by drones, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported. Fires also broke out in warehouses, and garages and vehicles were reported damaged.
- Title
- Hours after US envoys left, Russia struck Kyiv
- Runtime
- 0:35
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Kyiv went nearly a day without air raid alerts during a visit by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. From the evening of Sept. 7 into the following morning, however, Russia launched a mass missile and drone attack on the capital and the surrounding region, targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructure.
⠀
The strike follows Russia and Ukraine's agreement to pause aerial attacks on each other's capitals for three days. While the precise expiration time of the truce was hazy, there is no doubt about its end.
⠀
The overnight attack killed at least two people, injured 10 others, and sparked large fires that sent smoke across Kyiv.
⠀
Residential buildings, a school, and warehouses were damaged in the attack, which struck at least 29 locations across the city, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
⠀
Video: The Kyiv Independent; State Emergency Service of Ukraine; Associated Press
- Title
- Zelensky on why the Donbas issue goes beyond territory
- Runtime
- 1:07
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- "The Donbas issue is not just about Donbas. Between us, I believe this is the central question of this war — a war of survival and attrition," President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a briefing with journalists in Kyiv on Sept. 6.
⠀
Zelensky's comments came after he held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, during their first visit to Kyiv — a day after the envoys held over three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
⠀
The talks do not appear to have yielded a major breakthrough, with Zelensky telling reporters that he expects "the war will continue" into the winter months.
⠀
Zelensky and the envoys also mentioned future trilateral meetings — including U.S.-Ukraine-Europe talks and U.S.-Ukraine-Russia talks — without announcing the dates or locations of the expected discussions.
⠀
"Our troops are doing a great job and giving diplomacy a chance," Zelens...
- Title
- Witkoff sidesteps question on Putin during press conference in Kyiv
- Runtime
- 1:28
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as they arrived in Kyiv for the first time on Sept. 6, amid Washington's renewed diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
The arrival came only a day after the two envoys held more than three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, a discussion both sides described as "substantive."
In a press conference following the talks on Sept. 6, when asked by one Ukrainian journalist if he was "ashamed to sit at the same table with an international war criminal," Witkoff insisted that "we've always been treated respectfully by President Putin and his team."
"Relationships are critical in terms of solving conflicts like this. ... My job and Jared's job, together, is to bring the parties together," he said.
Video: AP.
- Title
- Can Ukraine keep pace in the drone war?
- Runtime
- 2:53
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Ukraine’s FPV drone units pioneered the tactics now shaping this war — but Russia has since caught up in scale, fielding far more drone crews than Ukraine can currently match.
In an interview with the Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell, “Schweiger,” a drone operator with the Signum UAV Battalion of Ukraine’s 59th Separate Assault Brigade, described how his unit’s work began with a single borrowed Mavic 2 before evolving into deliberate reconnaissance and munitions drops around Izium.
Watch the full video at the link in bio.
- Title
- President Zelensky welcomes US peace envoys Witkoff, Kushner
- Runtime
- 0:23
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as they arrived in Kyiv for the first time on Sept. 6.
The arrival came only a day after the two envoys held more than three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
A significant part of the Ukraine-U.S. talks — still ongoing at the time of publication — concerned Ukraine’s needs for the winter, people familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent.
Video: President Volodymyr Zelensky / Telegram
- Title
- Inside front-line Zaporizhzhia as Russian FPV drones move closer
- Runtime
- 27:17
- Date posted
- 2 months 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.
00:00 Intro
00:42 Support independent journalism in Ukraine
00:53 Deteriorating situation in Zaporizhzhia
02:40 Glide bomb campaign
05:50 Children growing up at war
09:48 A family facing the war
12:35 Living through a Russian strike
15:00 FPVs reach the city
17:11 How Zaporizhzhia fights drones
22:08 Finding peace by the Dnipro
26:32 Outro
Watch more Kyiv Independent reporting from Ukrainian cities under ...
- Title
- Inside Ukraine’s defense against ballistic missiles
- Runtime
- 2:39
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Russia’s ballistic missile attacks are hitting Ukraine’s cities harder than ever, with July 2026 seeing the highest number of civilians killed or injured in Ukraine in a single month since March 2022. As Russia ramps up its use of ballistic missiles, Ukraine is struggling to defend its cities from attacks far beyond the front line.
The U.S.-made Patriot remains Ukraine’s most effective defense against ballistic missiles, but there are not enough interceptors to protect the country from Russia’s growing arsenal. Ukraine is seeking more Patriot missiles while also developing its own anti-ballistic air defense system.
Watch to the end, and share your thoughts in the comments — should Ukraine prioritize Patriot deliveries, or accelerate homegrown systems?
00:00 Russia's growing ballistic threat
00:46 Support independent journalism from Ukraine
1:00 How ballistic missile defense works
1:55 What makes Patriot special
4...
- Title
- Russian strike shakes residents in central Kyiv
- Runtime
- 1:26
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- A Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) opposite St. Sophia's Cathedral in central Kyiv on Sept. 4, injuring at least twelve people, local authorities said.
An air raid alert was activated in Kyiv at around 3 p.m. local time, followed by explosions in the city center about half an hour later. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the attack damaged a non-residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district, without providing further details.
Twelve people were injured in the attack, according to the Kyiv City Military Administration, seven of whom had been hospitalized as of 5 p.m. local time, Klitschko said. The fire at the site was extinguished, but the attack damaged the building's exterior wall, the mayor added.
The drone strike in the heart of the city center has shaken those who live and work nearby.
"All the time we've been walking around this area, we felt safe," Alina Zamanova, an artist whose ...
- Title
- Russian drone strikes SBU headquarters in central Kyiv
- Runtime
- 0:36
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- A Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) opposite St. Sophia's Cathedral in central Kyiv on Sept. 4, injuring at least twelve people, local authorities said.
An air raid alert was activated in Kyiv at around 3 p.m. local time, followed by explosions in the city center about half an hour later. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the attack damaged a non-residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district, without providing further details.
The drone was targeting the office of SBU acting head Oleksandr Poklad, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Speaking to the Kyiv Independent, a former intelligence officer also confirmed that the Russian drone had appeared to strike the location of Poklad's office.
The SBU confirmed that the drone purposefully struck Poklad's office, but had not achieved its goal, as the SBU head did not suffer any damage. The SBU further said that "the Russians will receive a painful...
- Title
- How many more air raids can Kyiv take?
- Runtime
- 20:06
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- How are Ukrainians coping with almost constant air raid alerts amid Russia’s intensified drone campaign targeting Kyiv and the surrounding region? Over the past two weeks, the capital has experienced a frequency of aerial attacks more commonly associated with Ukraine’s front-line cities, disrupting the sleep, work, education, and everyday lives of local residents.
In this video, the Kyiv Independent’s Zhenia Doluba speaks with Kyiv residents about how they are coping with Russia’s relentless attacks and the growing exhaustion caused by the significantly increased number of air raid alerts. She also speaks with psychiatrist and head of the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Department at UA Mental Help Anna Vashchuk about the psychological effects of living under constant threat.
00:00 Intro
01:26 Living under constant attacks
06:12 Support independent journalism in Ukraine
06:30 Ukrainians keep going
08:14 Impact on children...
- Title
- What Ukrainian kids think about war, Ukraine's future
- Runtime
- 1:33
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Ukraine’s new school year began on Sept. 1 amid Russian attacks on Kyiv that have now continued for nine consecutive days. Daytime attacks and frequent air raid alerts have disrupted classes, sending students to shelters and prompting some schools to switch to hybrid learning.
⠀
About 800,000 students nationwide are expected to study in a hybrid format this year, while roughly 200,000, mostly in front-line regions, will have to study entirely online, according to lawmaker Iryna Borzova.
⠀
On the first day of the school year, the Kyiv Independent visited a school to ask younger students what Ukraine — and its future — means to them.
⠀
"I love Ukraine," seven-year-old Sofiia said. "I like being proud of my country and always remembering it."
⠀
"Our language and our heart," eight-year-old Arina said, when asked what Ukraine must preserve.
- Title
- Zelensky's top aide Budanov implicated in new corruption case
- Runtime
- 2:04
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- The head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Office, Kyrylo Budanov, had something rare in Ukrainian politics: a reputation largely untouched by scandal. Until recently.
⠀
For most of the full-scale invasion, Budanov headed Ukraine's military intelligence. As spy chief, he became a household name in Ukraine and the face of some of the country's most daring operations against Russia.
⠀
He joined the President's Office in January, replacing Andriy Yermak, who had been ousted amid a corruption scandal. In some ways, Budanov was seen as Yermak's opposite — a war hero with little appetite for political games.
⠀
Months after Yermak was dismissed, Budanov said that "corruption begins where hands-on management begins."
⠀
But materials recently published by Ukraine's anti-corruption investigators allege that corruption didn't disappear when Yermak left office. Now, it is Budanov who has found himself implicated in a new scandal.
⠀<...
- Title
- Putin accuses West of "state terrorism" accomplicity
- Runtime
- 1:14
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- “Those who stay silent, who look away — I mean primarily Ukraine’s Western allies — become accomplices to international terrorism.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said this on Sept. 3 at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF 2026), responding to a question about Ukraine’s plan to close Russian airspace.
On Sept. 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned airlines, insurers, and foreign governments that Russian airspace “will be de facto closed” because of Ukrainian drones.
“There will simply be drones in Russia’s skies on a scale that has to be taken into account,” he said.
Russia's missile and drone attacks have closed Ukraine's airspace since beginning its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
This situation was brought about by Russia itself through the war it wages against Ukraine, Zelensky said.
The president pointed to Russia's attacks, including strikes o...
- Title
- Traveling across Ukraine during Russia's war
- Runtime
- 1:37
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- What’s it really like to live in Ukraine during wartime? How do people in Kyiv, the country's capital, or in Kharkiv, a city close to the front line, go about their daily lives? What is the beach season like in Ukraine today? And how are people living in villages during the full-scale invasion?
For the past two summers, our team has been traveling across Ukraine to answer these questions and show the country beyond the war headlines. From bustling cities to small villages in Kyiv Oblast, we've explored life in Ukraine beyond wartime headlines — meeting people, learning about local traditions and crafts, and discovering places that rarely make international news.
Now, our wartime travel series “Dare to Ukraine” is getting its own YouTube channel, making it easier for more people around the world to navigate these journeys and experience Ukraine through the eyes of those who live here. Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@UCAdQpMgd4jVJZj35cBwZzIg
- Title
- Can Ukrainians recognize weapons by sound?
- Runtime
- 2:54
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- After more than four years of Russia’s full-scale invasion and countless aerial attacks, many Ukrainians have developed an unsettling skill: recognizing weapons by sound.
We decided to test this with our colleagues by playing them different sounds and asking them to guess what they were.
- Title
- Russian drone attack hits Odesa residential building
- Runtime
- 0:22
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Russian attacks killed at least five people and injured at least 66 across Ukraine over the past day, as drones reached western regions including Khmelnytskyi and Vinnytsia oblasts, local authorities said on Sept. 3.
⠀
The largest number of injuries was reported in Odesa Oblast, where at least 17 people, including three children, were injured in a Russian attack. Twenty apartments on the 10th through 17th floors of a residential building and 12 nearby cars were damaged, according to Governor Oleh Kiper.
⠀
Overall, Russia launched 163 Shahed-type drones and other aerial targets overnight, around half of them jet-powered, according to Ukraine's Air Force. The attack also included S8000 Banderol munitions, Gerbera drones, and decoys. Air defenses downed 135 drones, while strikes were recorded at 15 locations and debris from intercepted drones fell at four others, the Air Force said.
⠀
Video: Ukraine's State Emergency Service
- Title
- Ukraine and Russia are now fighting a "war of economies"
- Runtime
- 2:11
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Russia has sharply escalated its attacks on Ukrainian businesses, striking supermarket distribution centers, postal facilities, gas stations, warehouses, railway infrastructure, industrial plants, and Black Sea ports.
⠀
The Kyiv Independent's Dominic Culverwell sat down with Hlib Vyshlinsky, executive director of the Kyiv-based Center for Economic Strategy, to discuss why Russia is increasingly targeting Ukraine's civilian economy.
⠀
"This stalemate on the contact line resulted in the war of economies, to a greater extent than the war of armies," Vyshlinsky said.
⠀
He explained that the goal behind Ukraine's own strikes on Russian retailers was to show ordinary Russians "the direct price of war."
⠀
But Russia struck first. "Russia was the first to start attacking civilian logistics infrastructure this year, with attacks against Nova Poshta terminals," Vyshlinsky said. Nova Poshta is Ukraine's largest private postal operator, servi...
- Title
- Who has the upper hand in Ukraine’s evolving drone war?
- Runtime
- 31:34
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Can Ukraine keep up with Russia's growing use of drones? As unmanned systems become increasingly central to the war, Ukrainian forces are adapting their tactics to counter Russia's greater number of drone crews.
In this interview, the Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell speaks with “Schweiger,” a Ukrainian drone operator from the Signum UAV Battalion of Ukraine's 59th Separate Assault Brigade – one of the country's pioneering FPV drone units. He recounts carrying out the first-ever kamikaze strike with an FPV (first-person view) drone in 2022 and explains how the technology has evolved and expanded since then.
The conversation also explores the shift from radio-controlled to fiber-optic drones, the limitations of each technology, Russia's Rubicon drone unit, and how Ukrainian and Russian drone capabilities compare today.
00:00 Intro
01:41 From Mavic drones to FPVs
05:30 The first successful FPV strike
08:31 Support independe...
- Title
- Kyiv residents react to Russia's week-long uninterrupted attacks on capital
- Runtime
- 1:30
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- At least ten people have been injured after Russian drones struck central Kyiv on the morning of Sept. 2, damaging a university, a residential building, and a medical facility, authorities reported.
The strikes come amid the seventh consecutive day of almost uninterrupted Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital.
Russia struck the National University of Food Technology in Kyiv, according to Education Minister Andrii Butenko.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, 160 students were in shelters when the drone struck the university and none were injured. A six-story residential building and a medical facility in Shevchenkivskyi district were also damaged, while earlier a fire was reported at an “educational institution” in Holosiivskyi district, local authorities reported.
"I was near this clinic when we heard the explosions and the whole clinic shook. We were just in shock," Diana To Hang, a student, told the Kyiv Independent.
- Title
- Kallas blasts Russia over Leipzig hybrid attack
- Runtime
- 1:19
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Chief EU diplomat Kaja Kallas on Sept. 2 lambasted Moscow after Berlin accused Russia of an attempted drone attack against Leipzig Airport last month.
"It is clear that it has all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism," Kallas told reporters ahead of an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Wicklow, Ireland, on Sept. 2, as European diplomats are set to discuss countermeasures against Russia.
Drones were discovered at Leipzig Airport on Aug. 4, one of which struck a cargo plane. Media reports, U.S. intelligence, and then the German government on Sept. 1, all identified Russia as responsible for the hybrid attack.
Video: European Commision
- Title
- Are Kyiv residents ready for another winter of blackouts?
- Runtime
- 1:59
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- On the last day of summer, Kyiv residents gathered on a beach in the city center — as air raid sirens sounded overhead.
⠀
Just days earlier, a drone was reportedly shot down over the nearby river. Still, people came out to make the most of the remaining summer days, bracing for a winter they expect to be difficult after last year's brutal cold, marked by Russian strikes on energy infrastructure that left many without heating, water, or power for extended periods.
⠀
The Kyiv Independent asked Kyivans how they're spending their last days of summer, and how they feel about the winter ahead.
⠀
"We're already prepared — this is our second year, as they say," said Lesia, who lived through temperatures as low as -30°C (-22°F) last winter. "We survived. And you know why? Because we're Ukrainian."
⠀
Others were less certain. "There will definitely be power outages, then possibly heating problems, water problems too," said Roman. "We ...
- Title
- Russia strikes Kyiv with drones for 7th day straight
- Runtime
- 0:12
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- At least seven people were injured as Russian drones struck Kyiv on the morning of Sept. 2 — the seventh consecutive day of attacks on the capital. The strikes damaged a medical facility and sparked a fire at an educational institution, authorities said.
Among the injured are two doctors who were hospitalized, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
- Title
- Moment Russian strike hits near Kyiv animal shelter
- Runtime
- 0:30
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Surveillance footage captured the moment a Russian strike hit near an animal shelter during the overnight attack on Kyiv and the surrounding oblast on Sept. 1. The shelter said all the animals survived.
At least 12 people were killed and 21 injured in the attack, including six Ukrainian Railways employees killed when a ballistic missile struck railway facilities.
- Title
- Putin responds after Zelensky warns of closing Russian skies
- Runtime
- 1:08
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sept. 1 warned airlines, insurers, and foreign governments that Russian airspace "will be de facto closed" because of Ukrainian drones, with Russian President Vladimir Putin responding by accusing Kyiv of "state terrorism" despite Russia's six days of attacks on Kyiv.
Ukraine does not threaten civil aviation, yet carriers flying to Moscow, St. Petersburg, or other major hubs must factor in the risk of drones in Russian skies, Zelensky said in an address posted to Telegram.
"Today we want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, everyone who still uses key Russian airports — Russian skies are becoming completely dangerous," he said.
"Although the Russian authorities do not report this as it should, the Russian sky will de facto be closed," he added.
At a press conference, Putin then accused Ukraine of "state terrorism" and said that Moscow could not negotiate with terrorists.
- Title
- Russia strikes a residential building in Boryspil, Kyiv Oblast
- Runtime
- 0:25
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Overnight on Sept. 1, Russia struck Boryspil, a city just east of Kyiv near the international airport. Olena Malynka, a Boryspil resident, said she and her family smelled smoke and rushed to reach her elderly parents next door — her mother, 85, is bedridden, and her father, 84, is frail — but the strikes were too loud to risk going outside right away.
"It was a nightmare; it was very scary — incredibly scary," she said, describing what she saw as far worse than what had been shown on the news.
- Title
- Kyiv children start school in shelters as air raids continue
- Runtime
- 1:20
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Every Sept. 1, Ukrainian children mark the beginning of a new school year in a celebration called the "First Bell". But before the bell could ring this year, Russia attacked Kyiv overnight.
Instead of celebrating together, first graders began the school year in shelters as schools adjusted their routines to keep students safe. Over the past five days, Kyiv has spent between seven and more than 14 hours under air raid alerts each day, with sirens sounding at least 10 times daily.
This year already expects a 10% decrease in the number of incoming first graders, but now, Kyiv City State Administration announced that learning may be moved to a hybrid format to ensure maximum safety.
- Title
- 'These are children' – Zelensky condemns Russian attack on first day of school
- Runtime
- 1:28
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Russia launched a mass missile and drone attack on Kyiv and surrounding areas overnight on Sept. 1, marking the sixth consecutive day of aerial attacks on the capital.
In Ukraine, Sept. 1 traditionally marks the first day of school, when students across all grades gather for First Bell celebrations. The Kyiv City State Administration said schools may shift to hybrid learning to ensure students’ safety.
For Ukrainian children, what should have been a memorable milestone instead became another reminder of what it means to attend school during Russia’s war.
“Unfortunately, there’s an air raid alert even now, and the Russians are absolute bastards… It’s the first day of school. These are children… yet Russia is dragging them into this war,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said following the attack.
- Title
- Kyiv living two summers at once amid Russian attacks
- Runtime
- 1:06
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Summer in Kyiv unfolds the way it does in most capitals: illuminated streets after dark, a sunrise run through downtown, cyclists cutting through evening traffic, a dog running loose on the sand by the Dnipro, the sky turning gold over Maidan Nezalezhnosti.
The season keeps its usual rhythm, made up of the small routines that fill any city between June and September.
It also unfolds underground, on metro platforms where people spread out blankets and wait for the sirens to stop, and in sunflower fields with smoke rising along the horizon.
It shows up in flattened courtyards, in firefighters working through the ruins of a burned building, and in funerals held on the same square where people gather to watch the sunset.
Videos: The Kyiv Independent; Getty Images
- Title
- Ukrainian on surviving occupation without a Russian passport
- Runtime
- 1:37
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- What does life look like when everyone around you sides with the occupying forces? After Russia's full-scale invasion, most of Dmytro Kruk's friends in occupied Donetsk Oblast began supporting Russia. He was the only one who didn't.
"The police stopped me often," Kruk says. "I had to make excuses as to why I didn't have a Russian passport. I had to say that I was afraid of losing it so I didn't carry it with me." He eventually escaped the occupation and made it to Kyiv.
The Kyiv Independent’s Yuliia Taradiuk speaks with Kruk about growing up under Russian rule, surviving without a Russian passport, and escaping occupation.
- Title
- The hidden cost of Russia's infrastructure strikes
- Runtime
- 2:30
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Russia is exploiting Ukraine's stretched air defenses to hit a new kind of target: the everyday infrastructure that keeps the economy moving.
Supermarkets, postal terminals, factories, gas stations, railways, and ports have all come under fire in recent strikes. At Novus, one of Ukraine's largest supermarket chains, a hit on a key logistics hub left shelves empty and deliveries delayed for weeks.
The logic is simple — destroy one large, centralized hub rather than many small ones, forcing retailers to rebuild around a distributed network of smaller warehouses that costs far more to run. Ukraine's Finance Ministry has already cut its growth forecast for the year, a sign the toll is showing up not just on store shelves, but in the country's economic outlook.
Video: Dominic Culverwell / The Kyiv Independent
- Title
- Why Russia escalates attacks on Ukraine’s businesses, explained
- Runtime
- 36:08
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Russia has sharply escalated its attacks on Ukrainian businesses, striking supermarket distribution centers, postal facilities, gas stations, warehouses, railway infrastructure, industrial plants, and Black Sea ports.
The Kyiv Independent’s Dominic Culverwell sits down with Hlib Vyshlinsky, executive director of the Kyiv-based Center for Economic Strategy, to discuss why Russia is increasingly targeting Ukraine’s civilian economy — and what the campaign could mean for businesses, consumers, and the country’s financial stability.
The discussion examines how companies are adapting their supply chains, why some destroyed facilities may never be rebuilt during the war, and how attacks on ports are disrupting Ukrainian grain and iron ore exports. Vyshlinsky also explains the consequences for inflation, employment, tax revenue, and Ukraine’s GDP growth.
As Russia’s invasion increasingly becomes a “war of economies,” Ukraine may need addi...
- Title
- Witnesses describe deadly Russian attack near Kyiv
- Runtime
- 1:29
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- At least 37 people were killed and 42 injured, including four children, in a Russian attack on Kyiv Oblast that triggered detonations and a large fire at a storage facility on Aug. 28, local authorities said.
At around 8:10 p.m. local time on Aug. 28, a Russian drone hit a facility in the village of Myla, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) west of Kyiv along the Kyiv-Chop highway. The attack sparked a large fire, followed by ammunition detonations, the Prosecutor General's Office reported.
The first strike in the Russian attack hit a Ukrainian military ammunition depot, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an Aug. 29 statement, adding that it triggered a chain of explosions involving shells, mines, other ammunition, and drones.
Taras Didych, head of the Dmytrivka community, which includes the village of Myla, was killed in the attack, Kyiv Oblast Governor Tymur Tkachenko said, adding that he was among the first responders to reach the scene.
- Title
- Deadly chain of explosions rocks village near Kyiv
- Runtime
- 0:32
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- At least 27 people were killed and 42 injured, including four children, in a Russian attack on Kyiv Oblast that triggered detonations and a large fire at a storage facility on Aug. 28, local authorities said.
At around 8:10 p.m. local time on Aug. 28, a Russian drone hit a facility in the village of Myla, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) west of Kyiv along the Kyiv-Chop highway.
Taras Didych, head of the Dmytrivka community, which includes the village of Myla, was killed in the attack, Kyiv Oblast Governor Tymur Tkachenko said, adding that he was among the first responders to reach the scene.
As of the morning of Aug. 29, emergency services continued to extinguish fires, clear debris and conduct search-and-rescue operations. More than 300 Ukrainian emergency service workers were involved in the response to the aftermath of the Russian strike, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
At least 50 residential buildings were damaged in the attack ...
- Title
- How a Ukrainian survived FSB filtration and escaped Russian occupation
- Runtime
- 2:34
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- What does life for a Ukrainian under Russian occupation look like? Dmytro Kruk grew up under Russian occupation in Donetsk Oblast and escaped twice. In this interview, he describes forced Russian mobilization, passportization, propaganda, and the FSB filtration he endured while leaving the occupied territories.
Kruk was nine when Russian forces occupied his hometown of Khrestivka in 2014. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion, his university helped enforce mobilization, his peers were drafted into the Russian military, and everyday life became nearly impossible without a Russian passport. He eventually escaped through Russia and Latvia and is now rebuilding his life in Kyiv.
The Kyiv Independent’s Yuliia Taradiuk speaks with Kruk about growing up under Russian rule, maintaining his Ukrainian identity, and escaping occupation.
- Title
- Can Ukraine defend itself without more Patriot missiles?
- Runtime
- 14:52
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Russia’s ballistic missile attacks are hitting Ukraine’s cities harder than ever, with July 2026 seeing the highest number of civilians killed or injured in Ukraine in a single month since March 2022. As Russia ramps up its use of ballistic missiles, Ukraine is struggling to defend its cities from attacks far beyond the front line.
The U.S.-made Patriot remains Ukraine’s most effective defense against ballistic missiles, but there are not enough interceptors to protect the country from Russia’s growing arsenal. Ukraine is seeking more Patriot missiles while also developing its own anti-ballistic air defense system.
Watch to the end, and share your thoughts in the comments — should Ukraine prioritize Patriot deliveries, or accelerate homegrown systems?
00:00 Russia's growing ballistic threat
00:46 Support independent journalism from Ukraine
1:00 How ballistic missile defense works
1:55 What makes Patriot special
4...
