When European leaders agreed to Ukraine’s accession talks in December 2023, the historic move was hailed in Kyiv as a recognition of years of struggle to get closer to the bloc since the EuroMaidan Revolution. The agreement came after a European Commission decision in November 2023 recommending talks begin following Ukraine’s completion of four out of seven steps laid out when the country received candidate status in June 2023. Accession won’t happen overnight. Ukraine needs to enact a thoroug

As Russia’s full-scale war approaches the two-year mark, Ukraine is headed for economic turbulence as vital external financial help hangs in the balance. As the Ukrainian government spends all of its revenue on the military, it relies on international aid from its Western partners. The budget deficit is expected to reach $44 billion and Kyiv is hoping to cover it with both domestic borrowing and financial aid from abroad. The Finance Ministry says the country will need around $37 billion in ex

Over a hundred women braved a snowstorm in early December to gather in central Kyiv’s Independence Square and call on the government to demobilize their relatives who have been on the front lines since the first days of the invasion. Draped in Ukrainian flags, women chanted, “It’s their turn now.” Others shouted, “Soldiers are not made of iron.” Many Ukrainian soldiers who volunteered when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 are still on the front line, exhausted after alm

Semen Nedanov could hardly hold back his tears when he showed the Kyiv Independent what was left of his flat in the central Solomiansky district after a Russian attack on Kyiv early on Jan. 2. “I’m in shock,” the 48-year-old told the Kyiv Independent as he waited for first responders to allow him to go back to his apartment to recover his documents. When the missile hit, Nedanov was taking his daughter back home after another Russian missile hit her place near the Syrets neighborhood in Kyiv.

Russia unleashed a new large-scale air attack on Ukraine on Jan. 2, targeting Kyiv, the surrounding region, and Kharkiv with 99 missiles, preceded by 35 Shahed drones.

Thick columns of smoke were rising in Kyiv after several sites were hit by Russia early on Dec. 29. In Kyiv, Russia hit three locations, according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. Local authorities reported nine people killed and 30 injured. Russia unleashed a barrage of 158 attack drones and missiles across Ukraine, one of its biggest air attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion. The Air Force later released a report, which said Ukraine shot down 114 of the 158 drones and missile

The EU Commission said that Hungary had fulfilled a specific set of judiciary reforms necessary to access the 10 billion euros in funding.

Editor’s Note: The names of the sex workers in this story have been changed to protect their identity out of concern for their safety and that of their families. Katerina was lightly dressed for winter in a mini-skirt and short fur jacket as she stood alongside the road of a dimly lit park and waited for clients looking for sex. She looked tired, and her attempts to disguise the dark circles under her eyes with a bit of makeup hardly hid what she had been through. Katerina, 32 years old, was

Many Ukrainian soldiers smoke weed to treat their pain, even though few will admit it in public. “I know a lot of guys who lost their legs or arms and turned to cannabis,” a French soldier fighting for Ukraine told the Kyiv Independent, speaking anonymously to avoid backlash. Wounded soldiers tend to have difficulty dealing with the pain of amputated limbs, a phenomenon known as “phantom pain.” “The drugs prescribed in hospitals are not enough for their phantom pain,” the soldier said. Ukrai

Werner Hoyer, the head of the European Investment Bank (EIB), and its vice-president Teresa Czerwinska visited Kyiv on Nov. 27 to announce a new 450-million-euro package ($493 million) to Ukraine and inaugurate the bank’s new regional hub in the capital. The sum, approved by the EIB on Nov. 15, includes 250 million euros ($273 million) to build and repair social housing, district heating, hospitals and schools, roads, and bridges across the country. Another 200 million euros ($220 million) wil

With its minimalist lines, pale wood, and clean design, Kyiv-based architect studio Balbek Bureau’s project looks like another sleek-looking interior for a cozy coffee shop in the capital. And yet, it’s temporary housing for refugees. In the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian architecture studios conceived promising pilot projects that could be quickly built to house refugees. But more than a year into the war, only a handful of projects have been completed due to lack of funds an

Pressure is mounting on Russian forces across the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast. Ukrainian forces have reportedly stepped up their attacks on Russian positions to try and secure a beachhead and bring heavy armor into the fight. They aren’t quite there yet, but assaults on the eastern bank could mean Ukraine is getting closer to opening a new front in the south. Ukraine has been conducting raids into Russian-occupied territory on the eastern bank since February. Over the last few days, Russian

Odesa police started criminal proceedings into the spreading of pro-Russian propaganda on Nov. 4 after a local resident said "Glory to Russia" during a live stream on TikTok.

Ukraine may have gotten one step closer to gaining access to frozen Russian assets to put toward its massive reconstruction needs. European Union leaders on Oct. 27 expressed support for a proposal to use billions of euros in windfall taxes from Russian assets tied up in the West to rebuild Ukraine. Following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Kyiv’s allies managed to swiftly freeze over $300 billion from the Kremlin’s central bank reserves, including 211 billion euros in the EU. “Pol

Stefania Stavytska woke up on Oct. 7. in the Israeli port city of Jaffa with a queasy feeling of déjà-vu. The 25-year-old video producer thought she had left the sounds of sirens behind when she left Kyiv in March 2022, at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Instead, she faced the same fears all over again that morning when the extremist group Hamas launched thousands of rockets at Israel, shattering her illusions of safety, she told the Kyiv Independent. She says there were several st