
The Kyiv Independent
@KyivIndependent • 1,847,962 subscribers
Independent English-language journalism in Ukraine. Become a member: https://t.co/ZnSQWYU6Xx
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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.
The Kyiv Independent50,574 views • 2 days ago

CCTV footage captures the exact moment Russian guided aerial bombs struck the city of Sumy on July 11. The attack hit a busy area near a road and a public transport stop, damaging residential buildings and local businesses. The death toll from the strike has risen to five people, including a 13-year-old girl. Video: piccolino_coffee / Instagram.
The Kyiv Independent2,161,723 views • 2 months ago

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.
The Kyiv Independent57,367 views • 6 days ago

We wouldn't be here without the support of our members. They make it possible for the Kyiv Independent to remain an independent, reader-funded newsroom accountable to our audience alone. As many large Western media outlets scale back front-line reporting, our journalists keep returning to the Donbas and nearby regions to bring you accurate, firsthand coverage of Russia's war against Ukraine. If the Kyiv Independent has helped you understand Ukraine or stay connected to what is happening here, please consider becoming a member today. Your support helps ensure that these stories continue to be told:
The Kyiv Independent59,538 views • 12 days ago

Russia launched approximately 2,100 drones, 1,700 glide bombs, and 78 missiles against Ukraine over the past week. Russian strikes across multiple oblasts killed and injured dozens of civilians while targeting energy infrastructure, Ukrzaliznytsia rail networks, businesses, and residential buildings. Near the Polish border in Volyn Oblast, a Russian drone strike damaged a gas station and set a train locomotive on fire. “Russian terrorism is a shared threat for many, but it can and must be defeated in Ukraine,” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram on Sept. 13. Video: State Emergency Service / Telegram.
The Kyiv Independent40,676 views • 10 days ago

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.
The Kyiv Independent45,487 views • 14 days ago

A video circulating on social media shows a Russian drone hunting an unarmed civilian trading at a local market in Kherson's Central district around 6:45 a.m. The footage shows the drone circling the man as he tries to flee before the operator strikes. Ukraine’s National Police later identified the victim as a 52-year-old local resident, reporting that he survived the attack with blast injuries, shrapnel wounds, and a concussion. The strike is part of a relentless pattern in Kherson, where Russian troops have for months used FPV drones to deliberately target civilians in what terrified locals describe as a "human safari." Law enforcement is documenting the strike as a Russian war crime. Video: National Police / Telegram.
The Kyiv Independent153,120 views • 1 month ago

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s former press secretary Iuliia Mendel gave an interview to Tucker Carlson, an American conservative political commentator. In this video, the Kyiv Independent’s Nastia Kasinchuk breaks down all the false claims that Mendel said in her one-and-a-half hour long interview, including the mobilization law in Ukraine, the freedom of speech and her claims about Zelensky himself.
The Kyiv Independent250,742 views • 4 months ago

The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell spent several days with one of the International Battalion of Ukraine’s Azov Corps' drone crews to document how these foreign fighters have integrated into Ukraine’s ranks and adapted to modern drone warfare. Watch the full video here:
The Kyiv Independent504,999 views • 11 months ago

An empty shelf in a Kyiv supermarket is a sight the capital hasn’t seen since the early days of the full-scale invasion. While Ukrainian supermarkets have remained well-stocked throughout the war, Russian strikes on Aug. 5 targeted the logistics centers of several major supermarket chains. The attacks killed eight people and injured 21, marking a significant escalation as Russia attempts to disrupt food distribution networks across the country.
The Kyiv Independent66,194 views • 1 month ago

Hundreds of people gathered in Kyiv to bid farewell to Oleksii Yukov, head of the Platsdarm body recovery group, following a service at St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral and a procession to Independence Square. Yukov died on Aug. 5 from wounds received during an exhumation mission on the front line in Donetsk Oblast. Yukov told the Kyiv Independent on Aug. 2 that he had repatriated over 10,000 bodies. His death highlights the growing risks faced by volunteer search teams working under constant drone surveillance to recover bodies near the front lines. Without this work, many soldiers risk remaining permanently listed as missing in action, leaving families without answers or the chance to hold a proper burial.
The Kyiv Independent70,543 views • 1 month ago

Russian drones struck the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 16, killing a 19-year-old employee and injuring seven other people, officials reported. Russian forces used a Geran-2 drone to strike a postal facility at around 4:00 p.m., according to the National Police. Governor Vadym Filashkin earlier reported that an enterprise in the city center was also damaged in the attack.
The Kyiv Independent51,840 views • 1 month ago

At an open-air market near the Kyiv Lukianivska metro station, vendors arrived first thing in the morning to check on their stalls, despite a major Russian ballistic missile attack on July 19. At around 8 a.m., the first shoppers arrived at the market to buy fresh fruit, vegetables, and dairy products.
The Kyiv Independent85,939 views • 2 months ago

Ukrainian forces from the 225th Assault Regiment captured 64 Russian soldiers during an operation targeting enemy infiltration attempts in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the unit reported on July 20. The captured troops had been tasked with penetrating Ukrainian lines to gather intelligence and raise Russian flags across several settlements for propaganda videos. Video: 225th Assault Regiment / Facebook
The Kyiv Independent83,943 views • 2 months ago

People gathered in Kyiv on Aug. 16 for a protest march demanding the reinstatement of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, more than a month after his unexpected dismissal. The participants marched along Khreshchatyk, Kyiv’s main street, to Ivan Franko Square.
The Kyiv Independent49,601 views • 1 month ago

Russia targeted Kyiv with a large ballistic missile and drone strike shortly after midnight on Aug. 20, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more, official sources reported. “It was a massive attack,” Zelensky said in a post on social media. “The Russians had been preparing for a long time, combining different types of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones, aiming to cause as much damage as possible to civilian infrastructure.”
The Kyiv Independent45,376 views • 1 month ago

Russia’s summer offensive has largely stalled — except in Donbas, where Moscow keeps attacking as fiercely as ever. Dobropillia, Donetsk Oblast, is one of the clearest examples: unable to capture the city by ground assault, Russian forces have instead turned to artillery and airstrikes to level it. The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell traveled into the kill zone to see the aftermath. Watch the full video here:
The Kyiv Independent71,928 views • 1 month ago