150,000 Ukrainian IDPs have returned to occupied regions, MP says
Inadequate support from the state is part of what prompts people to return to Russian-occupied areas, lawmaker Maksym Tkachenko said.
Russian occupation
Investigation: Russians carry out systemic terror in occupied part of Kherson Oblast
On the morning of Nov. 20, 2023, Russians came to Raisa Rusnak’s home, looking for her 28-year-old son Ruslan. Four masked men threw him onto the ground and began beating him. "Guys, what have I done to you? What do you want from me?" Ruslan shouted. Those were the
Opinion: Trading territories means trading people
The following opinion piece accompanies the Kyiv Independent's War Crimes Investigations Unit's newly released documentary, "Shadows Across the River." Watch the documentary by clicking here. “Let Russia retain control over occupied Ukrainian territories to finally freeze this war!” This refrain, repeated in media and political discourse worldwide, has become a
Kyiv Independent's 'He Came Back' documentary wins Best Film award at Prague film festival
The Kyiv Independent's investigative documentary "He Came Back," which uncovers sexual crimes committed during the Russian occupation of Kyiv and Kherson oblasts in early 2022, won the Best Film award at the Press Play Prague film festival on Oct. 12.
Car with pro-Russian collaborator explodes in city near occupied Zaporizhzhia plant, intelligence says
Andrii Korotkyi was a collaborator involved in the organization and execution of war crimes and repression of Ukrainians under Russian occupation, the agency said.
Ukraine may be forced to retreat from Pokrovsk by end of 2024, Estonian intelligence suggests
Over the past week, the average number of Russian attacks on the frontline has been 167 per day, with 50% of them targeting the Donetsk direction of the front line, according to Estonian military intelligence.
Ukraine considers 55,000 citizens as missing persons
Ukraine has 55,000 citizens in its unified register for persons missing under special circumstances, Deputy Interior Minister Leonid Tymchenko told Ukrinform in an interview published on Sept. 26. The register includes people who have disappeared due to war, occupation, or natural and man-made disasters. The figure underscores the humanitarian
EU condemns sham elections in Russian-occupied Crimea
Russia's sham elections held in occupied Crimea over the weekend represent "another act of violation of international law," the European External Action Service said in a statement on Sept. 9.
Evacuation from Russian-occupied areas returns 14 children to Ukraine
Several Ukrainian families, including 14 children, have been evacuated from Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, Presidential Office head announced on Aug. 29.
In 2014, one Ukrainian writer kept a diary during Russia’s occupation of Donetsk
The propaganda surrounding Russia’s 2014 invasion of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts has been so pervasive that, even a decade later, people continue to parrot lines about the need to "protect the Donbas people from the Kyiv regime." It’s time for the voices of people from both regions to
Nuclear safety at Zaporizhzhia plant 'deteriorating' after reported drone strike, IAEA warns
"Nuclear power plants are designed to be resilient against technical or human failures and external events including extreme ones, but they are not built to withstand a direct military attack."
Olympic gold medalist Darja Varfolomeev competed in occupied Crimea, social media post suggests
Darja Varfolomeev, a Russian-born German athlete who won gold in the rhythmic gymnastics' individual all-around event at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 9, competed in Russian-occupied Crimea in 2021, a social media post on her account suggest.
Russia claims it had issued 2.2 million passports in occupied Ukrainian territories
Russia systematically coerces residents of the occupied territories to accept Russian passports, the U.S. research group Ukraine Conflict Observatory reported last year.
As Ukraine banks on its young tech startups, Western banks are cutting them off
It was the night before Alyona Mysko’s birthday when she got the word from her financial manager. The founder of software company Fuel that provides financial planning for startups, Mysko was, she says, still working at home in Kyiv well into the night of July 22 when she learned
‘The Language of War’ searches for ways to talk meaningfully about Russian invasion
“How should I manage this anger? Or should I?” Ukrainian author Oleksandr Mykhed asks himself following the start of Russia’s all-out war. In his book “The Language of War,” the first major Ukrainian prose work published by a Penguin imprint, Mykhed recounts how the lives of Ukrainians were upended
Stuck in legal limbo, Ukrainian civilians endure torture in Russian prisons
Editor’s note: This story was sponsored by Common Sense Communications, a Ukrainian non-profit organization specializing in pro-democracy strategic communications. One of their ongoing projects is “Voices of Civilian Hostages,” which aims to attract the world’s attention to the issue of Russia’s illegal abduction of Ukrainian civilians. Yaroslav
Top Russia collaborator sentenced to 12 years in absentia
Leonid Pasechnik, the Russia-installed head of the occupied territories in Luhansk Oblast, was found guilty of undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity and collaborationism, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) reported on July 2.
Ukraine hits Russian space communications center in occupied Crimea, military says
A series of explosions was reported in several settlements in Crimea overnight on June 23, including the town of Yevpatoria and the village of Vityne. Neither Ukrainian nor Russian officials commented on the attack. The 40th Separate Command and Measurement Complex is reportedly located there.
Russian occupation authorities destroy UNESCO World Heritage site, build outdoor theater in its place
Russian occupation authorities destroyed the UNESCO-listed city of Chersonesus in southwestern Crimea and constructed an outdoor theater at the site of the excavations, a senior researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine announced on June 26.
7 Ukrainian children returned from Russian-occupied territory
Seven Ukrainian children have been successfully returned from Russian-occupied areas of Kherson Oblast, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on June 21.
Japan sanctions China-based companies, other entities over support for Russia's aggression
Japan on June 21 for the first time announced sanctions against China-based companies over their support for Russian aggression.
Russian occupation of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant costs Ukraine over $5 billion
Ukraine's nuclear energy agency Energoatom has lost over Hr 210 billion ($5.2 billion) due to Russia's occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Energoatom's acting head Petro Kotin said on June 18.
Former Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant employee receives 10-year sentence for collaborating with Russia
The man was found guilty of collaborating with Russian authorities while holding a senior position at the occupied plant.
Russian proxy in Ukraine claims occupied territories may be incorporated into new Russian federal district
Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and subsequently expanded its unlawful seizure of the Ukrainian oblasts of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia after the full-scale war in 2022.
Russian authorities confirm detainment of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna
Roshchyna disappeared on Aug. 3, 2023 while reporting in Russian-occupied territory. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed her detainment in a letter dated April 2024.
Russia claims capture of 2 villages in Kharkiv, Donetsk oblasts, Ukraine hasn't confirmed
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on May 27 that its forces had captured the villages of Netailove in Donetsk Oblast and Ivanivka in eastern Kharkiv Oblast.
Governor: Ukraine strikes Russian base in occupied Luhansk's suburb
A Ukrainian rocket attack targeted a Russian military base in occupied Luhansk's suburb of Yuvileine on May 20, said the governor of Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast, Artem Lysohor, citing local residents.
Military intelligence releases details on paratrooper rescue operation
The operation, known as "Flag," resulted in the rescue of two paratroopers who had spent almost a year and a half in Russian-occupied territory after being injured in combat in Luhansk Oblast.
Military intelligence: Russia flies attack drones over occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, footage shows
As evidence, the agency published intercepted camera footage of a Russian drone over the plant.
Media: Russian politician's wife planned to adopt kidnapped Ukrainian boy, abandoned him due to sickness
The wife of Russian politician Sergey Mironov forcibly took a Ukrainian girl and boy from occupied Kherson to adopt them, but abandoned the boy after it became clear he had ill health, Ukrainian news outlet TSN reported on April 28.
Drone reportedly attacks military base in Russian-occupied Transnistria
The drone allegedly attacked a military facility in the Rybnitsa district, six kilometers from the Ukrainian state border, as of 2:35 p.m. local time.
Some villages in occupied Kherson Oblast 'no longer exist,' official says
The situation in Oleshky in occupied Kherson Oblast is deteriorating under Russian occupation, and some villages "no longer exist," Tetiana Hasanenko, the exiled head of Oleshky's military administration, told Radio Svoboda on April 3.
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