Bradley Townsend, 33, was reportedly killed by an FPV drone in Donetsk Oblast two months after he joined the Russian military.

The president revealed that Ukraine produces about 200-300 drones a day — but needs to churn out over three times that number to stay competitive with Moscow.

Key developments on Aug. 24: Russian drone strikes residential building in central Chernihiv, injuring at least 20, including 3 children, on Ukraine's Independence Day Ukraine hits Ozon logistics centers, rocket fuel plant, MiG-29 fighter jet in Russia, military says Russia reacts to UK sharing Storm Shadow blueprints with

Two had been considered missing since 2024, while the other eight had been missing since 2025, Ukraine's Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said.

"Cynical strike by Russian terrorists on a residential building in Chernihiv. Right in the middle of the day — on Independence Day," Chernihiv Oblast Governor Viacheslav Chaus said.

Russia launched two Oniks anti-ship missiles, six Kh-31P and Kh-59 guided air-launched missiles, as well as 143 drones and other aerial targets overnight on Aug. 24, according to Ukraine's Air Force.

"For Ukraine, independence is not an abstract idea. We defended it against all odds. In times like these, nations learn how important it is to have allies by your side," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.

Russia struck a factory belonging to U.S. multinational food company Mondelez International in Sumy Oblast on Aug. 23, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.

"We feel we are not alone. Our allies are with us," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Ag. 23.

In this episode of Ukraine This Week, Anna Belokur examines 35 years of Ukrainian independence and the centuries of Russian attempts to control, suppress, and ultimately deny Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Russia's voluntary recruitment system has increasingly struggled to make up for losses on the battlefield, while diminishing returns in Russian offensives on the front line have fuelled talk of a new wave of mobilization in the country.

Ukraine's military reportedly launched a drone attack on the Russian city of Orenburg overnight on Aug. 23, striking an Ozon logistics center, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

The director is being investigated for negligence after the business allegedly remained open during an air raid alert.

French President Emmanuel Macron also agreed to help Kyiv in its communications with international partners that with supplies of Patriot air defense systems, which Zelensky has repeatedly said are critical for protecting Ukrainian civilians from Russian ballistic missiles.

A parliamentary committee on Aug. 21 defended its earlier decision to block five bills intended to strengthen the country's fight against corruption. The bills are requirements of the European Union, both to receive an estimated 2.1 billion euros ($2.45 billion) at the end of 2026, as

Ukraine's air defense shot down or suppressed three surface-to-air missiles, six small cruise missiles, and 182 drones.

An enlistment officer was killed while on-duty on Aug. 21 after allegedly being stabbed by 25-year-old suspect in Lviv, officials reported.

The Foreign Ministry said the recommendation comes amid new EU rules governing temporary protection for Ukrainians.

Key developments on Aug. 21: Zelensky confirms drone attack on oil refinery in Russia's Perm Russian double-tap strike on shopping center in Kryvyi Rih kills at least 14, injures more than 100 Ukrainian attack on Russian air base damages Su-34 bomber Retired FSB general found dead in Moscow,

The Akhtubinsk air base is home to Russia's 929th State Aircraft Test Center of the Ministry of Defense.

Concepts included "civic volunteerism" from the U.S., the British idiom "keep calm and carry on," and Ukraine's "sophiynist" — a philosophy of resilience that involves translating emotional and intellectual understanding into action.

For years, NATO countries have watched Russian drones breach their airspace, reluctant to shoot them down for fear of escalation. That restraint is now beginning to erode. After Russian drones killed civilians in Romania, while Russian electronic jamming continued diverting Ukrainian drones toward critical infrastructure in the Baltic region, NATO

"That's the war of Russia against the West, the EU, and NATO, as we've seen," Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said on Aug. 24.

Editor's note: Because both authors were direct participants in the events described, they are referred to by their first names — Nadia and Robert — throughout, to distinguish their individual roles and recollections. Neither the United States nor any other country recognized Ukrainian independence when, on Aug. 24,

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has no further details, and the information that was made public was sufficient to dismiss Iryna Mudra as deputy head of the President’s Office.

As Ukraine celebrates 35 years of independence, we've brought together some options to make your support for Ukraine visible. Shop our store, and know that you can support the Kyiv Independent while showing the world where you stand. Make a simple statement I Stand With Ukraine T-shirt (L)

The figure includes 1,490 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Key developments on Aug. 22-23: 'Hunting their launch sites' — Zelensky reveals new details about Ukraine's ballistic missile defense Ukraine weighing 'radical' mobilization changes amid recruitment challenges, official says Ukrainian drones reportedly strike Wildberries rival, Ozon, in Russia's Orenburg Russia planning '

"So far, he has said that this constitutes an escalation," President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Aug. 22. "However, he may change his mind once he sees further arguments."

"Elections right now are a tsunami for the state that will split Ukraine," Zelensky told journalists.

In Odesa Oblast, a Russian jet-powered attack drone hit a passenger train, Ukrainian Railways CEO Oleksandr Pertsovskyi said on Aug. 23.

Kellogg, previously regarded as one of the most pro-Ukrainian voices in the White House, left his position in 2025 but said his work in support of Ukraine would continue after leaving his government role.

"The proposals being conveyed to us are sometimes, I would say, exotic in nature," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview following the United Russia party congress on Aug. 22.

Documents obtained by the Kyiv Independent show that a scheme at the center of Ukraine’s latest corruption scandal was years in the making, built by manipulating a state-owned bank’s oversight board after its nationalization in 2023. On Aug. 19, Ukraine's anti-corruption authorities accused associates

Germany will also provide an additional 10 million euros ($11.6 million) to NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package for decentralized energy supplies for the military, equipment for military hospitals, and urgently needed air defense equipment.

The figure includes 1,240 casualties Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Nikolai Bondarenko reportedly intends to appeal the decision.

This week's charges against Iryna Mudra, a presidential deputy chief of staff, and other suspects in a high-profile corruption case marked the latest chapter in the corruption saga that has gripped Ukraine since last year. An investigation centered around state nuclear power monopoly Energoatom has prompted a political

The broad consensus among Russia-watchers is that the country is facing a prolonged bout of stagflation. Growth this year is unlikely to exceed 1%, and inflation is still stuck at 6% (or more). Moreover, the most promising option for reviving the economy is the least likely to be pursued, because

On Aug. 19, the NABU said that it was "conducting a special operation to expose a criminal organization led by a current and a former Ukrainian lawmaker and involving senior officials from the President's Office."

The new agreement gives the U.K. access to Ukraine's AI Avengers Labs, which contains a trove of real-world battlefield data for training AI defense systems. The U.K. will be the first foreign partner to access the dataset.

"They began recruiting me, threatening me in every possible way, humiliating me, saying some very unpleasant things, threatening to kill my family, and telling me that I would never in my life be able to prove who killed my mother," Rita Flores said.

As Ukraine captures global attention with dramatic strikes on Russia’s oil infrastructure and e-commerce giants Wildberries and Ozon, Russia has unleashed its most devastating campaign yet against Ukraine’s economic infrastructure.

At the center of Berlin's Pariser Platz, home to the Brandenburg Gate and meters away from the German Parliament, stands a large anti-drone net, there to highlight just how fragile Ukraine's air defenses can be.

U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to formally announce the decision during his visit to Kyiv on Ukraine's Independence Day, his first overseas trip since taking office.

"On Ukraine's Independence Day, Europe shows our support is unfaltering and concrete," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in the press release.

A retail warehouse was struck by Ukrainian forces in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar, monitoring channels reported Aug. 24.

Ukraine is preparing "radical" changes to its mobilization system, including potential changes to the country's draft age, secretary of the parliamentary defense committee Roman Kostenko said on Aug. 23.

The two jets, a Su-33 and a Mig-29, as well as a large Orion strike drone, were hit at the Vityazevo airfield in Russia's southern region of Krasnodar Krai, Robert Brovdi said.

Zelensky said that Ukrainian military struck an Iskander ballistic missile launcher near Ukraine's borders on Aug. 22, without providing further details.

The figure includes 1,310 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov detailed what he described as widespread corruption within Ukraine's Defense Ministry in a wide-ranging interview with Channel 24 released Aug. 22, while reiterating his call for Ukraine to prepare for elections even as war continues.

The Yeysk oil terminal supplies fuel to the Russian armed forces, according to the Ukrainian military.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said the goal is ambitious and will involve state companies and private businesses, calling for all ministries, government agencies and communities to work together as a "single system."

For residents of Kyiv, it was a particularly dark day. Already reeling from a massive Russian aerial bombardment overnight on Aug. 20 that killed 15 people, the daylight hours saw a steady stream of drones target the capital, claiming the lives of a further two. A grim soundtrack of air

Ukraine's military reportedly launched an attack on Russia's Samara Oblast overnight on Aug. 22, striking a key oil refinery as well as a commercial logistics center, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

The explosions came just minutes after an air raid alert was issued.

Pyotr Verzilov, a co-founder of the publication, told the Kyiv Independent that the designation only "adds power to the incredible reporting that the Mediazona team is doing."

According to the Infrastructure Ministry, the U.S. delegation led by Kellogg was shown the damage from Russian attacks on port infrastructure and briefed on measures being taken to maintain operations.

The Kyiv Independent's Deputy Chief Editor Oleksiy Sorokin and Chief Editor Olga Rudenko debate whether Ukraine could hold an election during the war, what would need to change to make it possible, and whether delaying elections indefinitely could become a threat to Ukrainian democracy.