The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
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Russia’s war against Ukraine
Residents hide in a bunker during an attack by Russian invading forces using missiles, cluster bombs, and Shahed drones on August 22, 2025 in Kramatorsk. The city is located in Donetsk Oblast, a Ukrainian region cited in peace-talk discussions involving U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin over a potential frontline freeze and territorial exchanges. (Pierre Crom / Getty Images)
Rubio, Yermak lead talks on security guarantees, hope to finalize plan for Ukraine by end of next week, media reports. The military aspect of the guarantees will involve weapons deliveries, financial support, intelligence sharing, and joint military exercises and trainings, a Presidential Office source told the news outlet Suspilne.
Putin-Zelensky meeting ‘not ready at all,’ Kremlin says despite Trump push for peace deal. “How can we meet with a person who is pretending to be a leader?” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told NBC News on Aug. 22.
Trump ‘very angry’ about Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil pipeline. “Viktor, I do not like hearing about this — I am very angry about it. Tell Slovakia you are my great friend,” Trump wrote in response to a complaint about the strikes from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
NATO Chief Rutte arrives in Kyiv amid Ukraine’s push for security guarantees. “We are now working together — Ukraine, the Europeans, the United States — to make sure that these security guarantees are of such a level that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin sitting in Moscow will never try to attack Ukraine again,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
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Ukrainian naval drone explosion in Novorossiysk Bay kills 5 ‘elite’ Russian divers, intelligence claims. HUR identified naval reconnaissance divers as members of the Russian commando frogmen — an elite unit that receives top-level training, significant funding, and advanced equipment.
Ukraine shoots down Russian Orlan ‘mother drone’ carrying FPVs for first time, military says. Ukrainian anti-aircraft gunners shot down a Russian Orlan drone carrying two first-person-view (FPV) drones under its wings, the 118th Separate Mechanized Brigade reported.
Ukraine hits Russian drone base at occupied Crimean airfield, Navy claims. According to the Navy, Ukraine destroyed up to three Mohajer-6 drones and two Forpost drones at the Khersones airfield in the occupied peninsula.
Putin visits center for nuclear weapons research day after Trump says Ukraine can’t win without striking Russia. Russia’s top military and political officials joined Putin in the closed city of Sarov, which houses the Russian Federal Nuclear Center, on Aug. 22.
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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine hits Russian drone base in occupied Crimea; Kremlin says Putin-Zelensky meeting ‘not ready at all’
The Ukrainian Navy attacked a Russian drone base in occupied Sevastopol, Crimea, the Navy reported on Aug. 22.
According to the statement, Ukraine destroyed three Mohajer-6 drones and two Forpost drones at the Khersones airfield on the occupied peninsula.
Photo: Ukrainian Navy
Russia strengthens hand in potential peace talks with steady advances in Donbas
Russia’s main focus remains the Pokrovsk sector in Donetsk Oblast, where its troops are slowly advancing northeast of the logistic hub, once home to roughly 60,000 people. Russia’s advances come as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes both sides to hold peace talks to end the war at all costs.
Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos via Getty Images
Ukraine’s anti-corruption chief on how his agency became a target — and what’s next
In July, NABU narrowly escaped a government-led power grab that sought to strip the agency of its independence. It won’t be the last attempt to put pressure on the agency, Semen Kryvonos, head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) told the Kyiv Independent in an exclusive interview.
Photo: Viacheslav Ratynskyi / The Kyiv Independent
From Crimea to Donbas, Russia’s “peace” has always meant more war. We’re here in Ukraine to give the world a reality check. Support independent journalism in this critical moment.
‘Enticing Trump’ — Europe and Ukraine’s $90 billion gambit to win over the White House
President Zelensky is pushing a massive deal for U.S. weapons funded by Europe in what observers call a bid to buy the flighty U.S. President Donald Trump’s dedication. Zelensky wants Europe to pay the U.S. $90 billion for weapons to Ukraine, “that we don’t have ourselves: above all, planes and air defense, etc. — we’ll leave it at ‘etc.’ for now,” as he said in a briefing after the meeting earlier this week.
Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
What Russia stole, these Crimean Tatar authors endeavor to reclaim with literature
Behind the headlines of Russia’s ongoing occupation of Crimea is a deeper, often overlooked story: that of the Crimean Tatars, the indigenous people of the peninsula, who have endured centuries of repression and now face yet another struggle for survival under Russian rule. The “Crimean Fig” anthology, published in English translation by Arrowsmith Press, brings together non-fiction, fiction, and poetry by Crimean Tatar authors.
Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian attacks kill 2, injure 24 in Ukraine over past day. Ukrainian forces downed 46 out of the 55 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones and decoys, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported.
General Staff: Russia has lost 1,074,320 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The number includes 790 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
International response
Estonia signals readiness to send peacekeepers to Ukraine. Estonia is ready to send up to one company of troops to partake in peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said.
Oscar-winning director on documenting Russia’s war
In other news
Iran seeks Belarus help to restore air defense systems, Ukraine’s intelligence says. “Unlike Russia, Belarus is less restricted by sanctions in the military-technical sphere and could become a channel for restoring Iran’s defense capabilities,” Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service reported.
Russia-Belarus military drills to involve ‘significantly fewer’ troops than in past, Lithuanian intelligence says. “This year, up to 30,000 troops are expected to participate, significantly fewer than in previous exercises. Around 6,000–8,000 will be stationed in Belarus, with several thousand in Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave,” Lithuanian intelligence said in a press release.
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