The Kyiv Independent

2022-12-27 05:41:16 Russia purges non-Kremlin-aligned churches from occupied territories.

Russians have started to forcibly integrate religious centers in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine into Kremlin-controlled churches and mosques, the Ukrainian military's National Resistance Center reported on Dec. 26. Open / Comment

2022-12-27 04:03:21 Defense Ministry: Russia looking to reach Donetsk Oblast border by end of year.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar also said that the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast is Ukraine's "eastern fortress," where Russia has concentrated the most military equipment and weapons. Open / Comment

2022-12-27 03:20:16 Governor: 18 remain in critical condition after Russia's Dec. 24 attack on Kherson.

According to the latest figures, 64 people were injured, 18 of whom are in critical condition, and 11 were killed, Kherson Oblast Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych said on Telegram on Dec. 27. Open / Comment

2022-12-27 02:22:28 Zelensky: 9 million Ukrainians still without electricity as of Dec. 26.

"But the number and duration of outages is gradually decreasing. I am grateful to each and every person who ensured this result,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Open / Comment

2022-12-27 02:00:38 Zelensky: Front line situation in Donbas 'difficult, painful.'

“The situation there is difficult, painful. The occupiers are spending all the resources available to them — and these are significant resources — to squeeze out at least some progress,” Zelensky said in his nightly address on Dec. 26. Open / Comment

2022-12-27 01:29:53 Power outages turn holiday season into survival challenge for Kyiv restaurants

As Christmas Day approached, the team of one popular restaurant in the heart of Kyiv was running against the clock to bake a large batch of Christmas cakes.  

The cakes weren’t for sale, though. 

Restaurateur Tetiana Mytrofanova and her team are on a mission to bake hundreds of Christmas sweets for Ukrainian soldiers who are spending the holiday season in cold trenches. 

Photo: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images Open / Comment

2022-12-27 01:08:49 Ukraine war latest: Kyiv seeks Russia expelled from UN, aims for peace summit by end of February

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said that Russia’s actions, such as military aggression against Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Chechnya, are contrary to the concept of a “peace-loving” state, defined in the UN Charter as one of the key criteria for membership.

Read about this and other main war developments of Dec. 26 by link.

Photo: Getty Images Open / Comment

2022-12-27 01:02:51 Kuleba: Patriot missile battery will be operational in Ukraine in less than 6 months.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the U.S. President Joe Biden's administration had a special plan to get the battery ready to be operational in less than six months. Open / Comment

2022-12-27 00:27:09 Demography Institute forecasts 'catastrophic' birth rate drop in Ukraine in 2023.

There are risks that by 2030 the country's population will decrease to less than 35 million, according to Ella Libanova, director of the Ptoukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies. Open / Comment

2022-12-26 23:37:15 Energy Minister hopes Ukrainians will have electricity on New Year’s Eve, but ‘it’s hard to plan.’

"I think they (Russian forces) haven’t given up on bombarding our energy system. They are tied to certain dates, and perhaps the New Year is one of those dates when they will try to do as much damage as possible to our power system,” Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said. Open / Comment