The national food of Ukraine isn’t borscht. It’s sushi. In particular, it’s the Philadelphia roll.

Make this controversial observation to any Ukrainian you meet, and you’ll be met with a knowing chuckle.

When people ask me the most surprising thing I’ve learned in three years of war, they expect that I’ll talk about drone warfare, or the eerie feeling of an air raid shelter during a missile attack.

But when I first came to Ukraine, the thing that stuck out to me the most was the fact that you could find a sushi restaurant in pretty much every corner of the country.

In large cities and small villages – even close to the frontlines! – you can find the Japanese dish, with a Ukrainian twist.

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Meet Blade, who goes by that callsign while working as a Ukrainian drone pilot. At his request, we’re withholding his real name for security purposes.

Blade recounts how one of his sushi cravings unfurled during a brief moment of calm while stationed in the south of Ukraine during the first year of the country’s war with Russia.

"The enemy was very close,” he said.

The drone pilot and his team were just beyond the front lines, regrouping in the war-ravaged village of Bashtanka.

At the time, only a few thousand civilians remained, but during a lull, Blade walked into a cafe in search of sustenance and matter of factly asked, “What is on the sushi menu?"

Moments later, he was snacking on unagi – Japanese eel.

The cultural moment he shared during an interview that happened to take place in another sushi restaurant—this time in Kramatorsk, itself a frontline city that is a major logistics hub for fighting in east Ukraine.

Almost everywhere in Ukraine, sushi rolls are part of the diet of hungry troops. In fact, if you walk into a restaurant in Ukraine at random, there’s a very good chance it will serve sushi.

Google Maps backs this up. Zero in on Kyiv or almost any part of Ukraine and search for sushi, and you’ll likely be able to find a cafe or restaurant to satiate your fix.

Over the last twenty years, as the fight for an independent and democratic Ukraine has progressed, first through deadly protests, and now the ongoing war against Russian oppression, sushi has become a staple food.

“Sushi was probably one of the first properly foreign dishes that came to Ukraine [after the restoration of independence],” said Yaroslav Druziuk, the former editor-in-chief of The Village Ukraine, a Ukrainian culture and politics publication. “[At that time] sushi is the easiest way to feel like you're eating something exotic and fascinating… Want to impress your girlfriend? Set up a date in a sushi restaurant.”

The rise in sushi’s popularity is intertwined with a Ukrainian trend towards eating what America and the rest of the West eats—a cosmopolitan way of looking at the world absent of Russian influence.

According to Google search trends, the most sought after takeaway food in Ukraine is sushi. In Russia, it is kebab.

Olha Nasonova, a restaurant consultant and co-founder of the National Restaurant Association of Ukraine, says that cold appetizers are “very popular” in Ukraine—sliced vegetables, sliced sausage, mushrooms — “and in some way, sushi replaced these cold appetizers because many people, even now, put sushi on the table instead. They can eat sushi first, then have a hot dish, and then dessert. And basically, this has become…a common practice for many families.”

I’ve asked countless Ukrainians why sushi is so popular here. It’s so entrenched at this point that most don’t give it any thought. “It’s just delicious!” is the most common reply.

But there are also subtle ways in which Ukrainian sushi history is intertwined with its politics.

Sushiya, now a common Ukrainian sushi chain, established its first store in 2006. Several years later, it opened a branch overlooking Kyiv’s Independence Square, or Maidan. The square is integral to the Ukrainian story.

In 2014, this is where protesters demanded the resignation of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych and closer integration with the European Union. No doubt during frigid winter days, some pro-democracy protesters huddled in the Sushiya to stay warm and in the process ordered a few rolls. Today, Sushiya has 21 restaurants in five cities across Ukraine.

Following the successful Maidan Revolution, one way Ukrainian chefs and customers expressed themselves was freeing their palates of rigid culinary bonds.

“Ukrainian [sushi restaurants], especially the places that opened up after 2014, they had more freedom to make experiments,” Druziuk said.

In taste and texture, most sushi is about as far from traditional Ukrainian food as you can get. Ukrainian cuisine typically emphasizes foods like varenyky and borscht and buckwheat—and there’s often a hefty serving of smetana, a sort of sour cream, but as happens in nearly every cultural food mashup in societies around the world, Ukrainians added a personal twist on their sushi-eating habits.

"In post-Soviet Union countries, it was quite typical to have a mixture of milk and fish products, fish with mayonnaise in a salad, stuff like that," says Ukrainian chef Serhii Khehai, who manages a high-end Kyiv sushi counter called Shima.

And these combinations have found their way into Ukrainian sushi menus. “I’ve personally tried various adaptations of sushi, like sushi with mashed potatoes and herring, or rolls with beetroot and salmon, for example,” says Nasonova.

The experimentation led itself naturally to sushi paired with cream cheese, or mayonnaise, or other types of cream sauces – a departure from the subtle flavors of traditional Japanese cuisine.

The country’s favorite type of sushi, by far, is the Philadelphia Roll – the sushi characterized by cream cheese paired with raw or cooked fish.

Sushiya has no less than 34 versions of the Philadelphia Roll on its menu, such as the 'Philadelphia Grilled Greens with Salmon Well Done,' which features salmon stewed in soy sauce, cream cheese,and cheddar cheese, topped with some onion crumble; or a version with mussels, tomato, crab mix, avocado, shaved tuna and cream cheese.

“A Japanese person who eats sushi as an everyday food would be surprised by the variety of our menu… we’re not afraid to surprise, adding something of our own,” said Artem Mykhailenko, a Sushiya employee at the Independence Square location.

Getting fresh raw fish into the country has been a challenge in a period of wartime, when all flights are grounded. Ukraine’s only nearby major body of water is the Black Sea, where ongoing military operations are underway.

But restaurateurs have found a way to meet demand, despite the regular power outages, drone attacks, and missile strikes across the country.

Over time, Khehai has been able to source salmon from Scotland, and other fish from countries like Spain, using road transport to get it across the border from Poland into Ukraine.

He orders his fish to arrive by Tuesday evening—chilled, never frozen. The sushi counter's freshest fish is served on Wednesday.

“It is quite interesting because it is the only available exotic food at the moment. One could say that people in Ukraine are getting poorer, and they really want something unusual, something exotic, something that differs from their usual diet,” said Nasonova. “And sushi has taken on this role. Sushi is not just food, it is a celebration.”

Tim Mak x Felicity Spector talk about Ukrainian food!

NEWS OF THE DAY

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

G7 PRESSURES RUSSIA WITH SANCTIONS TO FORCE CEASEFIRE: The US and other G7 countries have warned Russia that they will expand sanctions and use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine if Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire, The Financial Times reported. Sanctions may include oil price caps. Additionally, Marco Rubio made it clear that territorial concessions should be made not only by Kyiv but also by Moscow.

This week, after a meeting of American and Ukrainian negotiating teams, Kyiv proposed signing a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire that would apply on land, in the air, and at sea. However, Russia signaled its unwillingness to do this immediately.

U.S. MAY IMPOSE RESTRICTIONS ON RUSSIAN ENTRY: The United States is preparing new restrictions on the entry of citizens from 43 countries, including Russians and Belarusians, according to The New York Times. The proposal includes three levels of restrictions: red, orange, and green.

Russia and Belarus are in the orange category, which involves strict restrictions on visa issuance, though it does not mean a suspension. Wealthy businessmen from Belarus and Russia may still be allowed to enter the United States, but immigrant and tourist visas for citizens of these countries could be blocked. Additionally, citizens from these countries must undergo a personal interview to obtain a visa.

UKRAINE IS ALMOST OUT OF MISSILES FOR AIR DEFENSE: Kyiv has urgently requested that Italy and France provide additional missiles for its Samp-T air defense batteries, as its available stockpile is nearly depleted, according to Corriere della Sera. Ukraine has reportedly been asking the governments for 50 missiles for several weeks, but they have been slow to respond. Italy has already exhausted its stockpile, leaving only an untouchable reserve.

Samp-T systems have not always performed well during massive Russian attacks, unlike the American Patriot systems. However, due to the U.S.'s unstable arms supplies, Kyiv seeks to bolster its defense capabilities by any means necessary.

UKRAINIAN CHILDREN SEARCH THREATENED DUE TO MUSK: Elon Musk's DOGE has stopped funding a Yale University team that was helping to track down children deported to Russia, The Telegraph reported. They were gathering information from open sources about abducted children and passing it on to Ukraine. In cooperation with the Bring Kids Back UA campaign, launched by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the team found hundreds of Ukrainian children.

CAT OF CONFLICT

Today we have a cat of conflict who was accompanying a woman to raise money for the animal shelter near a metro station. It was a cold evening, resembling the last days of winter, but the cat was resting peacefully, wrapped in the fabric and warmed by the woman’s arms.

Stay safe out there.

Best,
Mariana

Russia proposed building a drone factory in Belarus with an annual capacity of 100,000 units.

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko appoints new government ahead of his seventh “inauguration.”

Belarus cracks down on the unemployed amid workforce shortages.

UN experts urge Belarus to end the incommunicado detention of political prisoner Siarhei Tsikhanouski, after two years of him being hidden from the public eye.

Belarus drops out of the top 20 global arms exporters, SIPRI report finds.

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Russia proposes to build drone factory in Belarus

Russia has proposed to build a drone factory in Belarus capable of producing 100,000 drones every year, the press office of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko reported on March 6.

Deputy Head of the Russia Presidential Administration Maxim Oreshkin made the offer during a meeting with Lukashenko at a military exhibition in Minsk, the press office said. The drones will reportedly be built using Russian licenses.

“It’s very important that Belarus has its own (drone) production facilities, which would strengthen both its economy and national security,” Oreshkin said.

“We’re ready to build the plant. We guarantee: you wouldn’t be able to build it in Russia the way you could build it here,“ Lukashenko said in response.

The announcement does not specify whether the plant will produce military drones. Yury Kozarenko, a member of the Russian delegation, said that drone production in Belarus could contribute billions to Belarus’s GDP, as drones are also used in agriculture, logistics, and education.

A staunch Kremlin ally, Lukashenko has repeatedly claimed that Belarus needs to prepare for war and adapt to modern warfare. The Belarusian Defense Ministry reported on Nov. 15, 2024, that it was developing military drones domestically. By the end of 2025, the Belarusian military is expected to have “a wide range of combat drones,” including a 30-kilometer range “Chekan-V” and “Peacemaker” with a reported 10 kilogram warhead and a 100 kilometer range, according to the Head of Application and Development of the Unmanned Aerial Systems department of the Belarusian army, Mikhail Bransky.

Currently, Russia uses around 100 to 200 Iranian-developed Shahed-type kamikaze drones in its daily attacks on Ukraine, Vadym Skibitskyi, the deputy head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), said on March 3. Russia plans to increase the number of drones and sites from which drones will be launched, he added.

Since July 2024, Russian drones have crossed into Belarusian airspace with increasing frequency. Some of them have crashed in the vicinity of residential areas, although so far without causing casualties.

Minsk has never publicly objected to Moscow over these incursions, and local authorities tend to conceal incidents and provide no comment.

Lukashenko appoints government before official ‘inauguration’

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, not yet officially inaugurated as president following the Jan. 26 sham presidential elections, has appointed a new government, naming Alexander Turchin as the country’s new prime minister.

Lukashenko began his seventh consecutive term as president amid widespread repressions and in an atmosphere of fear, human rights activists report. The Belarusian autocrat maintained his grip on power by brutally suppressing nationwide protests that engulfed the country following fraudulent 2020 presidential elections.

Turchin, the new prime minister, was appointed on March 10, after previously serving as head of the Minsk regional executive committee. He is under EU, U.K., Swiss and Norwegian sanctions over the suppression of mass protests in 2020.

Following the appointment, Turchin told reporters that Belarus would not see any “significant course correction,” adding that his approach would be one of “evolution without revolutions.”

His predecessor, Raman Halouchanka, was transferred to the position of head of the Belarusian National Bank. While announcing the appointment, Lukashenko called for the bank and the government to “find common ground” in terms of financing the economy.

Analysts say the appointment of Halouchanka will weaken the bank’s monetary policy, as the former prime minister lacks a background in finance.

Lukashenko has previously ordered government interventions in the economy, and was forced to subsidize struggling state-owned enterprises.

Inflation risks are mounting, according to Beroc, the country’s leading independent economic think tank. In 2024, inflation was reined in to 5.2% with the help of heavy government regulation of consumer goods pricing. If the restrictions were to be relaxed, inflation would accelerate to 6-8%, experts believe.

Lukashenko presented the official appointments as the advent of a “new generation” in Belarusian leadership. However, the government consists largely of the same ministers, except for Uladzimir Karanik, formerly the chairman of one of the Regional Executive Committees, who was appointed deputy prime minister, and Kiryl Zalesky, the former head of the High-Tech Park information technology development initiative, who became minister of informatization.

Political analysts do not foresee any real changes, saying that in general, the appointments were an “old system masquerading as new.”

Belarus cracks down on unemployed amid labor shortages

Belarusian authorities are attempting to remedy the country’s current labor shortages by targeting the unemployed with a special tax, independent Belarusian media have reported.

Belarus in 2015 adopted a Soviet-style decree requiring working-age citizens without formal employment or income to pay an annual fee of about $200. Dubbed “the tax on parasitism,” the measure sparked mass protests and was suspended in 2017. It came into effect again three years later, replacing the direct tax with the obligation to pay the full cost of household utilities, which are typically subsidized by the government. Currently, the rate is five times higher for those considered “parasites.”

In February 2025, Belarus’s Interior Minister Ivan Kubarkov announced raids against “deadbeats” — the working-age citizens who have not been officially employed for a long time, have no declared income, and don’t pay taxes. The announcement followed Lukashenko’s claim on Jan. 21 that it was necessary to bring more unemployed people back into the labor market.

Throughout the first weeks of March, Belarusians in Minsk were summoned en masse to the employment administration and questioned regarding their sources of income. The exiled Belarusian news outlet Nasha Niva reported that summons were delivered even to those who had left the country decades ago.

Belarus is grappling with a serious labor shortages: the state jobs database currently lists 188,700 vacant postings, a significant amount for a nation of 9.5 million with an estimated 4-4.5 million workforce. Healthcare alone faces a shortfall of 10,000 workers. Up to 57% of employers in Belarus reported experiencing a shortages of staff, according to the independent research center rabota.by. The Eurasian Development Bank foresees further wage increases in 2025, fueled by competition over scarce labor.

The natural aging of the population in Belarus is being exacerbated by the mass emigration of the most economically and politically active population, the economic think tank Beroc reports. By various accounts, between 300,000 and 500,000 Belarusians have left the country since 2020, after that year’s fraudulent elections triggered massive protests and a subsequent crackdown on public protests.

At the same time, former political prisoners are not being offered jobs, and workers are being dismissed for supporting an opposition candidate in 2020. On March 3, Lukashenko reiterated his demand that people who participated in protests should not be hired, slamming them as “the enemies of the state.”

UN experts demand to end incommunicado regime on 2nd anniversary of Tsikhanouski’s ‘enforced disappearance’

Sixteen United Nations human rights experts issued a statement on March 7 demanding that the Belarusian authorities disclose the fate and whereabouts of former presidential candidate and political prisoner Siarhei Tsikhanouski.

The jailed activist, who sought to challenge Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential elections, has been held incommunicado for the past two years.

Among Belarus’s 1,200 political prisoners, nine leaders of the 2020 pro-democracy movement remain fully isolated from the outside world in what’s known as an incommunicado regime. The human rights community considers the regime to be a form of enforced disappearance that amounts to torture.

The UN experts, including Chair-Rapporteur of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances Gabriella Citroni, Special Rapporteur on Belarus Nils Muižnieks, along with other experts, urged Belarus to enable contact to be restored with Tsikhanouski and other opposition leaders, such as Mikalai Statkevich, Viktar Babaryka, Maria Kalesnikava and Maksim Znak.

“The enforced disappearance of Mr. Tsikhanouski and others is a blatant violation of international law,” the experts said.

“These actions seek to silence political opposition and instill fear.”

While acknowledging that there had been releases of political prisoners in Belarus recently, the experts noted that these had been selective and came with conditions to cooperate with law enforcement and propaganda.

Blogger and entrepreneur Siarhei Tsikhanouski is serving a nineteen-and-a-half year term in prison. Arrested in May 2020, two months before the election, he was charged with obstructing the public’s electoral rights, organizing riots, and inciting hatred.

While in prison he was given an additional 18-month sentence for allegedly disobeying the penal colony administration. His lawyers and family have not received any information about him since March 2023.

Belarus drops out of top 20 global arms exporters, SIPRI report finds

Belarus has dropped out of the world’s top-20 arms exporters, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published on March 10.

Shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus quickly became a major arms exporter, ranking 11th globally. Between 1999 and 2006, the country reportedly earned an estimated $1 billion by selling off the arsenal it inherited from the collapsed empire, prompting the U.S. Congress to pass a motion, which required annual reporting on Belarusian arms exports.

Belarus had remained in the 20th position since 2019 despite a 37% decline in exports. Meanwhile, its arms imports, coming exclusively from Russia, grew by a third. In recent years, Serbia, Vietnam, and Uganda have been the top buyers of Belarusian weapons.

Belarusian arms deals have drawn scrutiny, with multiple media investigations conducted into Lukashenko’s close circle of businessmen, Alexander Zingman and Oleg Vodchits, for facilitating arms sales to African countries.

On March 7, the head of the military government of Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing, was in Minsk to discuss arms supplies, the exiled Myanmar Mizzima News Media reported.

Belarus backed Russia in its aggression against Ukraine but has abstained from sending its troops to the battlefield. Experts attribute Lukashenko’s reluctance to an overwhelming anti-war consensus domestically, which might cause massive unrest in Belarus while not providing much help to Russia on the front line.

Belarus will not formally merge with Russia in the near future, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said on March 14 while addressing the Russian Federation Council.

“If we are going to burst through this open door, we will ruin everything we have done. It is necessary to go calmly, step by step,” Lukashenko said.

In early January, independent Russian media Meduza reported, citing sources close to the Kremlin, that Putin may revisit plans to formally absorb Belarus once the war against Ukraine is resolved.

Despite his claim of maintaining relations with a range og global actors including China, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the EU, Lukashenko said that Minsk will “always side with Moscow."

“It can’t be otherwise. Belarus will never leave Russia alone, just as Russia will never leave Belarus,” he added, highlighting what he described as “open fraternal relations” between the two countries.

Lukashenko’s visit to Russia marks his first trip since securing a seventh presidential term in an election widely denounced as a sham. On March 13, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Following their talks, Lukashenko and Putin signed a joint statement pledging to expand bilateral trade, economic, and investment cooperation.

Belarus has been largely cut off from the West following Lukashenko's violent crackdown on mass protests in 2020 against fraudulent election results.

Since then, his regime has further curtailed political freedoms and deepened its alignment with Moscow, providing logistical and military support for Russia's war against Ukraine.

Even before launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin reportedly had devised a plan for the "creeping annexation" of Belarus by 2030.

The plan outlined steps for "harmonizing" Russian and Belarusian laws, "coordinated foreign and defense policy," and economic integration based on Russian interests.

President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on Feb. 14 that Russia is once again building up troops in Belarus, possibly in preparation for large-scale operations against NATO countries.

Putin sent ‘additional signals’ to Trump on ceasefire proposal, Kremlin says

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin late in the evening on March 13, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on March 13 that the Ukrainian government failed to prevent and adequately investigate deadly clashes between the EuroMaidan supporters and opponents in Odesa in May 2014.

The ruling concerns seven applications filed by 28 individuals — 25 relatives of the victims and three survivors — between 2016 and 2018.

Forty-eight people died in the violence that erupted between the two camps on May 2, 2014. A group of pro-Russian activists attacked a pro-EuroMaidan rally but retreated to the Trade Unions House after the ensuing violence.

Forty-two of the EuroMaidan opponents died after the building caught fire as the two groups began throwing petrol bombs. Two pro-Ukrainian activists were also killed after suffering gunshot wounds.

The ruling noted “authorities’ failure to do everything that could reasonably be expected of them to prevent the violence in Odesa on 2 May 2014, to stop that violence after its outbreak, to ensure timely rescue measures for people trapped in the fire, and to institute and conduct an effective investigation into the events."

The ECHR noted that Russian propaganda helped to instigate the clashes but acknowledged the applicants' complaints that Ukraine failed to prevent the violence and adequately investigate it. The Ukrainian state was ordered to pay out compensations.

The plaintiffs included relatives of victims from both camps, all of whom accused the Ukrainian state of inaction.

Russian propaganda has heavily employed the violent episode in Odesa to vilify the EuroMaidan Revolution and falsely paint the movement as pro-Nazi and extremist.

The EuroMaidan Revolution began in November 2013 when people gathered at Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Kyiv’s central square, to protest pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych’s refusal to sign the long-awaited Association Agreement with the European Union.

Law enforcement officers, namely Berkut riot police, used violence to suppress the protests, including lethal force. More than 100 people were killed during the revolution, which culminated in Yanukovych fleeing to Russia.

“The Court noted that distortion of the events in Odesa had eventually become a tool of Russian propaganda in respect of the war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine since February 2022,” the ECHR’s ruling said.

“Enhanced transparency in the related investigative work by the Ukrainian authorities might have helped to prevent or counteract that propaganda effectively."

The court noted that the investigation should have been “carried out by an organ entirely independent from the police.” At the same time, the ECHR dismissed allegations that the authorities were not impartial when investigating the deaths of EuroMaidan opponents and supporters.

EuroMaidan Revolution

The EuroMaidan Revolution is often credited with being the single most consequential event in Ukraine’s modern history. After pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych took power in 2010, the political and business landscape in Ukraine was gradually deteriorating. In November 2013, Yanukovych refuse…

The Kyiv IndependentAlisa Sobolieva

On March 7, tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Slovakia for the third time this year to protest the pro-Russian policies of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government. They voiced concerns that Slovakia is drifting away from the European Union and its transatlantic allies.

Their fears are well-founded. Since autumn 2023, a coalition of nationalist, EU-skeptic, and pro-Russian parties has held power in Bratislava. While Fico’s left-wing Smer party pushes pro-Russian rhetoric, the Slovak National Party (SNS) promotes a “pan-Slavic brotherhood” with Moscow. The result is the same: under Fico, Slovakia is moving in a direction similar to Viktor Orbán’s Hungary.

Fico’s government has demonstrated a clear alignment with Moscow. In September 2024, he falsely claimed that Nazi troops were fighting in Ukraine. He was also the first prime minister of an EU member state to grant an interview to the Russian state television channel Rossiya 1.

In October 2024, Ľuboš Blaha, a European Parliament member of Fico’s Smer, traveled to Moscow to “apologize to the Russians for EU sanctions,” provocatively stating, “fascism and war come from the West, while freedom and peace come from the East.”

Fico met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in December 2024, and he had already accepted Putin’s invitation to travel to Moscow in May 2025. In January 2025, a delegation from SNS also visited Moscow, where party chairman Andrej Danko called Putin “a very reasonable and pragmatic leader.”

Concerned about the government’s pro-Russian stance, the liberal opposition party Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) proposed enshrining Slovakia’s EU membership in the constitution. The response from Fico’s camp was both surprising and alarming: Tibor Gašpar, a former police chief indicted for criminal activity and now a Smer politician, suggested that Slovakia should consider leaving the EU if its rules were to change. Even President Peter Pellegrini, from the coalition partner Hlas, distanced himself from Gašpar’s remarks.

While a Slovak exit from the EU may still seem unlikely, many citizens are deeply unsettled by the government’s direction. This frustration has fueled mass protests, where demonstrators wave Ukrainian flags and rally under the slogan “Peace for Ukraine.”

Fico, however, has responded with conspiracy theories. When his government faced a no-confidence vote in January 2025 — after losing several MPs and potentially its parliamentary majority — he called for a closed session, claiming Slovakia’s intelligence service (led by the son of Tibor Gašpar) had warned him of an attempted coup.

According to Fico, NGOs active in Ukraine and Georgia were plotting to overthrow him — a claim with no evidence, but one that echoed the rhetoric of Viktor Orbán in Hungary. Around the same time, Orbán himself visited Bratislava, further strengthening ties between the two leaders. In the end, Fico managed to block the no-confidence vote, despite his government’s fragile majority.

Fico’s Orbán-like approach extends beyond foreign policy into domestic affairs. Ironically, Fico — who pursued anti-Hungarian minority policies in his first term (2006–2010) — has now become a close ally of Orbán. Even Slovakia’s Hungarian minority party aligns with Fico’s anti-Ukrainian, pro-Russian stance.

Like Orbán, Fico has worked to weaken democratic checks and balances — amending criminal law in his interests, restructuring public media to silence critical journalists, and allowing SNS’s nationalist culture minister to wage a political war against artists (theater and museum directors have been dismissed and replaced with loyalists).

Despite these troubling developments, Slovakia under Fico remains freer and more pluralistic than Orbán’s Hungary. The key difference is stability: Orbán has ruled since 2010 with a strong parliamentary majority, whereas Fico’s coalition is fragile and divided. Some MPs from his smaller coalition partners, SNS and Hlas, have already left the government, though they have not yet voted against him.

Fico’s pro-Russian stance has so far been more of a rhetorical tool for domestic politics. Unlike Orbán, he ultimately did not block the EU’s decision on Ukraine in early March, as he hopes the European Union will secure gas supplies for Slovakia.

Fico’s pragmatism can also be explained by the fact that a fully pro-Russian foreign policy and a boycott strategy at the European level would not even be entirely supported within his own coalition — particularly by the Hlas party of President Peter Pellegrini. At the same time, the issue of Ukraine — again in contrast to Hungary — is a key mobilising force for the Slovak opposition. While the Hungarian opposition avoids open and direct confrontation with Orbán on this matter out of opportunism, tens of thousands of people take to the streets in Slovakia to demonstrate in support of Ukraine and against Fico’s pro-Russian policies.

Political instability and mounting public resistance continue to pressure Fico. On the streets of Slovak cities, the Ukrainian flag has become a symbol of pro-European commitment for many. They are not “foreign agents,” as Fico claims, but decent citizens of Slovakia who want to avoid the Orbánization of their country.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.

US set to abandon partners again as history repeats in Ukraine

Paris in January 1973. Doha in February 2000. Saudi Arabia in February 2025 — all peacemaking summits with the same aroma and feel. But there are key differences before we assume the stage is simply being set for another American episode of “cut and run.” After years of promising never to

The Kyiv IndependentEerik Kross

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has been sentenced to an additional nine years in prison for an alleged large-scale embezzlement of state funds, the Tbilisi City Court ruled, as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Georgian service reported on March 12.

Judge Badri Kochlamazashvili found Saakashvili guilty of misappropriating 9 million lari (about $5.4 million at the time) from the state budget between May 2009 and February 2013 for personal expenses, including luxury hotels, cosmetic procedures, and designer clothing.

Teimuraz Janashia, former head of the Special Guard Service, was also convicted in the case and fined 300,000 Georgian lari ($108,000) for abuse of office. Both men denied the charges, calling the trial politically motivated.

Saakashvili, Georgia’s president between 2004-2007 and 2008-2013, sought to take his country on a pro-Western path but lost elections to the Moscow-friendly Georgian Dream party a few years after the defeat in the Russia-Georgia war in 2008.

The politician was detained upon returning to Georgia in 2021 and is currently serving six years in prison on charges of ordering the beating of opposition lawmaker Valery Gelashvili in 2005. He was also given a three-year sentence for abuse of power charges for pardoning four police officers convicted of murder in 2008.

The former president, a longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has accused oligrach Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of the Georgian Dream party, of orchestrating his prosecution on Moscow’s orders.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on May 23 that there were no grounds to believe that Saakashvili’s criminal proceedings were unfair.

In February 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Georgian government was “killing” Saakashvili after photos surfaced showing his deteriorating health and significant weight loss. Saakashvili holds Ukrainian citizenship and served as the governor of Odesa Oblast between 2015 and 2016.

The ruling follows mass protests in Tbilisi over the disputed October election results, which saw the Kremlin-friendly Georgian Dream party retain power.

Since the election, a number of Western countries have imposed sanctions on Georgia over the perceived democratic backsliding.

The political crisis deepened after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia’s EU integration could be delayed until 2028.

Despite Russian-backed Georgescu barred from presidential race, Romania’s far-right still aim to win

Protests erupted in downtown Bucharest following the Central Electoral Bureau’s decision to ban Russian-backed far-right politician Calin Georgescu from running in the upcoming re-run presidential elections. Georgescu, who is openly supported by the Russian and the U.S. administrations, said this w…

The Kyiv IndependentPaula Erizanu

Protests erupted in downtown Bucharest following the Central Electoral Bureau’s decision to ban Russian-backed far-right politician Calin Georgescu from running in the upcoming re-run presidential elections.

Georgescu, who is openly supported by the Russian and the U.S. administrations, said this was a “direct hit against democracy."

Following the announcement on March 9, Georgescu’s supporters began setting the streets of Bucharest on fire and throwing bottles, stones, and firecrackers at the police. Riot police used tear gas in response.

In November 2024, the relatively unknown Georgescu surprisingly won the first round of the vote. The result was promptly annulled, citing foreign interference in the election process. In connection to the case, Romania expelled the Russian military attache and his deputy for breaching diplomatic rules of conduct.

Now, the Central Electoral Bureau cited technical irregularities in Georgescu’s application, as well as the Constitutional Court’s decisions to cancel the previous round of voting and ban another Russian-backed candidate, Diana Sosoaca.

Georgescu said he would appeal, and the Constitutional Court will have the final say on his expulsion from the race.

“The decision was inevitable for the health of democracy, but this democracy will need deep repairs after elections in May,” journalist Magda Gradinaru told Kyiv Independent.

“Romania’s secret services failed in the final goal of preventing this crisis and they will need to be reformed (as well),” she added.

“It is to be seen who will capitalize on Georgescu’s electoral ban and to what extent social tensions can morph into violent social movements,” said Gradinaru.

“This was a short-term solution, but the extremist populist platform remains, as does Russian pressure, social resentment, and tension. So this may just be the beginning of a crisis that Romania will have to manage in a complicated geopolitical context,” she added.

‘We’re ready’ — Ukraine heads into US peace talks with everything at stake

Kyiv officials will meet their Washington counterparts in Jeddah on March 11 for talks which will impact the future of diplomatic relations between the two countries and likely the future of the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian side hopes the meeting would help mend ties with the White House and

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

Far-right uprising

The leader of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party, George Simion, said on Sunday evening that “those who organized the ‘coup’ should be skinned alive in the public square."

He called on people to take part in protests in support of Georgescu.

On Monday morning, Simion claimed his words were a “metaphor,” and he asked supporters to protest peacefully. Georgescu appeared publicly, holding hands with Simion and Anamaria Gavrila, the leader of another Romanian far-right project, Party of Young People (POT).

Georgescu was expelled from AUR in 2022 after being briefly investigated for declarations in support of Romania’s World War II fascist leaders. Now, Georgescu relies on AUR and POT for support.

In the December parliamentary elections, AUR secured second place with 18% of the vote, while POT gained 6.5%. Both remained in opposition.

“If Simion runs for president, some of the tension created by Georgescu’s ban will be eliminated,” analyst Oana Popescu Zamfir told Kyiv Independent.

According to her, Simion’s recent radical statements are meant to incentivize Georgescu’s supporters to vote for him. “It’s important for Georgescu to explicitly support Simion,” Popescu Zamfir said.

Other candidates Georgescu’s electorate may vote for, according to Popescu Zamfir, include former Prime Minister Victor Ponta, former acting President Crin Antonescu, or businessman and politician Gigi Becali.

“If Simion does not run, whoever wins the election will have less legitimacy,” Popescu Zamfir said.

Russian attempt to dismantle institutions

The ongoing political crisis began last year with Russian meddling in Romania’s elections and the subsequent rise of far-right politicians and their parties.

While not making it into the top five according to most opinion polls, Georgescu suddenly took first place following a two-week viral TikTok campaign that involved working with local influencers. The campaign was artificially boosted, with over 66,000 fake TikTok accounts later banned by the platform.

Georgescu has been actively promoting conspiracy theories and has been vocally supporting Russia. He called Ukraine a “fictional state” and claimed that the eventual partition of its territories is “inevitable” in an interview published on Jan. 29.

The media also found evidence of Georgescu’s links to paramilitary and fascist leaders, such as mercenary Horatiu Potra, who manages a group of soldiers in Congo.

On Dec. 8, when the presidential runoff was scheduled to take place, Potra and 20 other people were detained by the police as they were driving to Bucharest carrying weapons and cash.

On Feb. 26, the Romanian Prosecutor General’s Office charged Georgescu with “incitement to actions against the constitutional order” and other crimes in a six-count indictment. The charges also included lying about campaign funding and initiating a fascist organization.

According to law enforcement, Georgescu used over 1 million euros of undeclared funds and has been involved in neo-legionarism, a Romanian neo-fascist movement that draws its ideology from the country’s Iron Guard militant group active in the run-up to World War II.

Georgescu denied any wrongdoing.

On the same day, the Romanian police found dozens of guns, grenades, 25 kilograms of gold, $3.3 million, and 700,000 Romanian Leu ($152,500) in cash in the homes of Potra and his associates.

On March 5, Russian military attache Victor Makovskiy and his deputy, Evgeny Ignatiev, were expelled from Romania. The move was connected to Georgescu’s campaign.

The next day, six people were arrested for allegedly being part of a military organization attempting to overthrow the government with help from Russia.

“These six people are just the visible tip (of the iceberg),” analyst Armand Gosu told Kyiv Independent. “This is the first time Romania openly accuses the Russian Federation of a plot against its state sovereignty."

“They (Russians) can wait years, even decades, that’s why it’s necessary for the Romanian state to neutralize this (entire) network,” Gosu said.

According to Popescu Zamfir, “if eliminating the entire network is not possible, at least beheading these groups would avoid further existential threats."

The rise in disinformation and buildup of far-right groups was missed by the government agency set to protect the country from malicious activity from abroad — its intelligence.

Independent journalist Victor Ilie from the local investigative project Snoop published a series of articles showing how Kremlin-linked creative agencies based in London pump millions of euros to create and promote conspiracy and far-right content in the Romanian digital space.

“While Romanians have been mistrustful of Russia, what confuses a part of the Romanian public now is that the U.S., which was considered the country’s main partner, embraced the Russians, and that Georgescu claims that he is not pro-Russian, but pro-American, pro-Trump,” Gosu said.

“It’s very hard to explain that the Americans are not what they once were,” he added. “Now Romania is seen as the EU’s weak link that can easily be broken."

Investigation: We tried to buy American chips as a Russian defense manufacturer — and it worked

Despite bans put in place by the U.S. and Europe on the supply of electronic components to Russia, dozens of Russian microelectronics suppliers continue to obtain and resell imported chips to Russian arms manufacturers successfully. Without these Western chips, Russia would not be able to produce k…

The Kyiv IndependentAlisa Yurchenko

A glimmer of hope

However, swift action against Georgescu and his associates showed that Romanian authorities were still eager to fight back.

The crisis had also catapulted some new faces that are now set to challenge the far-right at the ballot, among them acting President Ilie Bolojan and Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, who are gaining popularity.

“Acting President Ilie Bolojan has done some damage control — organizing press conferences, which journalists missed, meeting up European leaders in a period when Romania seemed to be quarantined, transmitting key messages — has given the feeling that there is a clear political direction for the country and it has been a good move,” said Gosu.

"(Bolojan and Dan) can re-legitimize institutions and the democratic process,” said Gradinaru.

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has appointed Alexander Turchin as the country’s new prime minister, state-owned news agency Belta reported on March 10.

Turchin, who previously served as head of the Minsk regional executive committee, held key government positions, including chief of staff of the Council of Ministers in 2016 and first deputy prime minister in 2018-2019.

After his appointment, Turchin told reporters that Belarus would not see any “significant course correction,” adding that his approach would be one of “evolution without revolutions."

Turchin is replacing Roman Golovchenko, who has held the office of prime minister since June 2020 and was now appointed head of the National Bank. Lukashenko presented the personnel changes as the advent of a “new generation” in Belarusian leadership.

Lukashenko, in power since 1994 and widely regarded as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s close ally, has faced repeated accusations of election fraud.

His self-declared victory in the 2020 presidential election, widely denounced as illegitimate, triggered mass protests in Minsk that were brutally suppressed with Moscow’s backing.

Since then, over 8,000 people have been detained for political reasons, according to the Belarusian human rights group Viasna.

On Jan. 26, Lukashenko claimed a seventh term in office in another election widely condemned as neither free nor fair.

Though Belarus has not directly participated in Russia’s war against Ukraine, it has allowed the Kremlin to use its territory as a staging ground for military operations.

Russia’s arms exports plunge by 47% since full-scale invasion’s start, SIPRI reports

The decline is attributed to Russia prioritizing weapons production for its own military, the impact of Western sanctions, and increased pressure from the U.S. and its allies on countries purchasing Russian arms, the report said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Thousands of protestors gathered on March 7 in more than 40 cities across Slovakia targeting the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico, Slovak media Aktuality reported.

In Bratislava’s Freedom Square, protesters chanted “shame” and called Fico a traitor, declaring that “Slovakia is Europe.”

Fico’s government has faced criticism for its perceived alignment with Russian interests, and his administration has repeatedly criticized Western aid to Ukraine.

Demonstrators accused Fico of distancing from the European Union, and for strengthening ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Robert Fico chose Putin, Slovakia chooses Europe,” the protest organizers said.

Protesters also condemned remarks by Fico’s chief advisor, Erik Kalinak, who recently suggested that Russia’s defeat of Ukraine would give Slovakia a “reliable neighbor.”

Numerous large-scale protests have occurred in Slovakia in the past few months following Fico’s remarks and visit in Dec. 2024 with Putin in Moscow. In Jan. 2025 hundreds of thousands of protestors took to the streets, chanting similar slogans including “Enough of Fico.”

As protests engulf Serbia, President Vucic looks for support East and West

Editor’s Note: Following a number of attacks against peaceful protestors in Serbia, the Kyiv Independent agreed to not publish the last names of people who gave comments for this story. BELGRADE, Serbia — Thousands of protestors walked 300 kilometers on March 1 from Belgrade to the southern city of…

The Kyiv IndependentCamilla Bell-Davies

Belarus and Russia ratified the Union State Security Pact, expanding the nuclear umbrella and military integration.

Belarusian dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko invites U.S President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Russian President Vladimir Putin to Minsk for peace talks.

Belarus criminalizes sharing information on military movements and expands in absentia prosecution of exiled opponents.

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Local media reported that a stray drone crashed into power lines in Belarus, causing outages in Mazyr.

Belarus hits record low in the Freedom House report, ranking 192-194 out of 207 globally.

Belarus, Russia ratify Union State security pact, providing for nuclear umbrella, military bases

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko have concluded the ratification of the Union State security guarantees, expanding Russia’s nuclear umbrella over Belarus and deepening the military integration of the two countries.

The Union State security pact was signed on Dec. 6, stipulating that Russian nuclear weapons can be used against an aggressor state — even ones that don’t have nuclear weapons themselves.

Putin signed the law ratifying the agreement on Feb. 28, after speedy consideration in Russia’s State Duma in February. Belarus’s Lukashenko signed the ratification law on March 4, his press office reported. The pact will enter into force after the sides exchange ratification documents.

The security pact signing comes on the same day the Russian parliament ratified another agreement postponing Belarus’s repayment of about $800 million in Russian state loans. Opposition politician Pavel Latushka, formerly an official in the Belarusian foreign ministry, linked the two ratifications.

“Lukashenko got himself into debt with Russia, and now he’s paying with the country’s national sovereignty,” Latushka said.

Beyond expanding the Russian “nuclear umbrella” to cover Belarus, Article 5 of the agreement provides for the establishment of Russian military bases and stationing of Russian troops on the territory of Belarus “to prevent and repel acts of aggression.”

However, the implementation of this provision would require a separate agreement between Minsk and Moscow. Russia has been pushing to establish an air base in Belarus since 2015.

The treaty also obliges the parties to “support” each other in the event of a threat to their constitutional orders — allowing each to potentially intervene to suppress public protests in either of the two countries.

The Union State security agreement lasts for ten years and is automatically extended, unless one of the parties declares its intention to withdraw six months in advance.

According to NATO estimates, Belarus hosted up to 30,000 Russian troops in the buildup to the Russian attack on Kyiv in February-March 2022, in the pretense that they were taking part in the “Union Determination-2022” military drills. Following Russian forces’ withdrawal from the northern front, the number of Russian troops in Belarus gradually fell, with just about 2,000 soldiers now being left, according to the Belarusian Hajun monitoring project.

In September 2025, Belarus is to host up to 13,000 troops for the Zapad-2025 (West-2025) exercises. The Russian-Belarusian plans to hold the exercises have sparked concern among Ukrainian officials.

Ukrainian troops’ logistics in Kursk Oblast destroyed, they face risk of encirclement, sources say

A Ukrainian soldier fighting in Kursk Oblast described the situation in the Russian region as “critical,” warning that Ukrainian troops in the region face the threat of encirclement. He added that Ukrainian soldiers based in the region would like to withdraw.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova

Lukashenko claims readiness to host Trump, Zelensky, Putin for talks in Minsk

Minsk is prepared to host the leaders of the United States, Ukraine, and Russia for talks on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, Lukashenko, a staunch Moscow ally, said in an interview on March 4.

Lukashenko’s remarks came shortly after the United States imposed an immediate freeze on military aid to Ukraine, in a move the White House claimed was meant to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into entering peace negotiations.

In an interview with U.S. Internet media personality Mario Nawfal, Lukashenko reiterated his praise for U.S. President Donald Trump, and said he was willing to help achieve his goal of brokering peace between Kyiv and Moscow.

“It’s only 200 kilometers from the Belarusian border to Kyiv – half an hour by plane,” Lukashenko told Nawfal.

"You are welcome to come. We will sit down here. We’ll come to an agreement quietly, without noise, without shouting. So tell Trump: I’m waiting for him here, along with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and Zelensky. We’ll sit down and calmly negotiate. If you want to make a deal.”

The Kremlin has already backed the proposal. “This issue has not been raised or discussed in any way. But, of course, Minsk is the best place for us. It is our main ally, so it is the best place for negotiations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

In the early days of Russia’s all-out invasion, negotiations between Ukraine and Russia were held in Belarus but were later moved to Istanbul.

Minsk has repeatedly attempted to get a seat at the negotiating table, at the same time requiring “security guarantees” for itself.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi said, “Belarusian officials have the right to claim a fair hearing in the process of bringing the aggressor and his accomplices to international legal responsibility for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.”

Belarus previously hosted talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2014 and 2015, which led to the signing of the Minsk Agreements.

The agreements were meant to stop Russia’s war in eastern Ukraine, but both of the documents were ultimately violated by Russia. Two days before launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin declared that the Minsk Agreements “no longer existed.”

Lukashenko has been trying to make himself noticed by Trump, rushing to congratulate him on winning the U.S. presidential elections even before the results were confirmed, and promising to nominate President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Following the failure of the rare earth metals deal with Ukraine on Feb. 28, Lukashenko ordered his ministers to look into the issue of mining rare earth metals in Belarus.

Trump’s increasing support for Russia leaves Zelensky with fewer options to secure U.S. backing

As Washington continues to pressure Kyiv intro submission, President Volodymyr Zelensky stands at a painful crossroads — agree to U.S. demands or chart a course without Washington, pinning Ukraine’s hopes for survival on Europe alone. Neither option seems reassuring for Ukraine. U.S. President Don…

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

Belarus criminalizes spreading information on movement of military units, broadens grounds for repression of exiled opposition

Updates to the criminal code in Belarus have introduced prison sentences of up to three years for the “unauthorized sharing of information” about the deployment of military units and their movement within the country, Human Rights watchdog Viasna reported on Feb. 28.

The changes to the code also broaden the category of offenses that can be subject to in absentia prosecution.

Since Russia unleashed its all-out invasion of Ukraine, Belarusians have been reporting the movement of Russian troops, and sharing footage and information on Russian troop locations with independent media and open-source intelligence projects. Ninety-three Belarusians have been sentenced on “extremism” charges for doing so.

The updated criminal code, which entered into effect on March 2, essentially outlaws sharing any form of content featuring the military in Belarus during wartime, emergencies, or counter-terrorist operations — unless the authorities have already shared such information.

Violations are punishable by up to three years of imprisonment, or six years, if premeditated and committed by a group, and causing significant damage, the amended code reads.

The updated criminal code also introduces the new status of “a president who ceased to fulfill his duties” and criminalizes violence, threats, and libel against him. According to the current constitution, the incumbent, Alexander Lukashenko, can be “re-elected” once more and rule until 2035.

Although there are no apparent signs of an impending transition of power, the Belarusian authorities have established an extra-governmental body — the All-Belarus People’s Assembly, which is headed by Lukashenko — to which the dictator could “retire” after leaving the presidency, while still wielding considerable influence.

Drone crashes into high-voltage power lines in Belarus, causing local blackout

A stray Russian attack drone crashed into high-voltage power grid lines at a thermal power plant on Feb. 27, causing the most significant damage by a drone in Belarus so far, Flagshtok, a local news outlet in the Homiel region, has reported.

Russian drone incursions into the Belarusian airspace have risen sharply since July 2024. At least 395 drones were recorded flying over the country in the second half of the year, and this year 94 were spotted in January alone. The Belarusian authorities don’t comment on the incidents, and never publicly objected to them with their ally – Moscow.

On the morning of Feb. 27, residents of Mazyr, Homiel Oblast, about 45 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, were cut off from heating and hot water supplies. Local state energy company Homielenergo attributed the problem to a breakdown in the rather old heat supply system, without elaborating on the cause. Heating and hot water supplies were restored after a full day of repair work.

According to Flagshtok’s sources, the drone crashed into the high-voltage lines of a thermal power plant, triggering its automatic protection system, which led to a full shutdown of the plant, which is located south of the Mazyr Oil Refinery — a strategic object reportedly protected by Belarusian air defenses. Restarting the plant caused a fault in the piping system.

On the same night, another drone crashed and set fire to a farm building in Ziabrauka, a village next to a military airfield in the Homiel Oblast. Residents reported the sound of gunfire and a blast at around 4 a.m.

Belarus given its lowest ever ranking in Freedom in the World report

Belarus ranked 192-194th out of 207 countries and territories worldwide on the level of political and civil liberties, according to global human rights watchdog Freedom House’s Freedom in the World report, which was published on Feb. 26.

The Freedom in the World report, first published in 1973, tracks the condition of political rights and civil liberties around the globe. According to its authors, global freedom declined in 2024 for the 19th consecutive year, and Belarus received some of the “worst aggregate scores” for political rights and civil liberties.

The country scored just seven points out of 100, sharing its position with Azerbaijan and Myanmar.

The report also notes Minsk’s role in the indoctrination of Ukrainian children forcibly deported from the occupied territories. According to the recent estimates by Belarusian opposition People’s Anti-Crisis Management initiative, up to 3,500 Ukrainian children from Russia-occupied Ukrainian territories were transported to Belarus.

Belarus is also one of the most repressive countries for lawyers. Over the past four years, up to 27% of Belarusian lawyers were disbarred or lost their licenses after representing political prisoners in courts, U.S. government-funded broadcaster RFE/RL reported, citing the International Observatory of Lawyers.

Editor’s Note: Following a number of attacks against peaceful protestors in Serbia, the Kyiv Independent agreed to not publish the last names of people who gave comments for this story.

BELGRADE, Serbia — Thousands of protestors walked 300 kilometers on March 1 from Belgrade to the southern city of Nis to rally support for an anti-corruption protest that took aim at the ruling party.

Serbia’s Russia-friendly President Aleksandar Vucic has often used a Kremlin playbook to discredit the protests that occasionally rise in a country balancing between Russia and the West.

Such a balancing act has been increasingly difficult to maintain.

Nis, the country’s third largest city home to 250,000, has long been President Vucic’s core voting stronghold along other cities and towns further away from the capital. Yet, residents who greeted the arriving protesters said they were tired of their ruling party and wanted to listen to what young people have to say.

The Serbian protests began in November after a train station roof in the town of Novi Sad collapsed, killing 15 people. This roof had been hastily reconstructed in 2024 with Chinese and state funds and a procurement procedure widely viewed as corrupt. Students took to the streets, demanding accountability and justice for the victims.

They used a bloody hand symbol to highlight how corruption in Serbia cost lives. Vucic had been actively blaming the upheaval on the West, saying that foreign forces have been attempting to spark a “Ukrainian-style revolution in Serbia."

The protestors, however, aren’t pro-Ukrainian or anti-Russian, and are united primarily by their opposition to the current government rather than broader ideological takes.

Protests in Serbia have gone on for over 100 days in 60 different settlements. Students, farmers and businesses continue to strike in support. Universities, some of which are now closed, are used as base-camps for democratic decision-making among the students.

Alexander, a student who took part in daily marches, said the protesters remain hopeful. "We really feel like we can change something this time," he said.

The movement follows a pattern. Students announce a mass rally in a Serbian city, then walk to that location for days. Along the way they talk to locals to gather support for the movement.

A taxi driver in Nis on March 1 said his views had changed since seeing the protestors in the flesh, rather than on state TV where they are routinely denigrated.

"In the Balkans, children are always taught to listen to their elders. But now we are listening to them. They are teaching us to stand up for our rights," he said.

Regardless of Trump’s Ukraine peace deal, war with West is ‘foundational to Putin’s rule,’ experts say

With every day of the new White House administration that passes, the chances of Russia being brought in from the cold on the international stage after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine appear to be increasing. U.S. President Donald Trump’s ongoing Kremlin charm campaign has seen Ukraine and Europ…

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

Serbia's changing image

The pro-democracy movement is changing Serbia's image. Protesters seek respect for the rule of law, a free press and, fair elections, and an end to widespread corruption.

So far, the protests have prompted Vucic to publicly oust Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and Transport Minister Darko Glisic, both of whom remain in their place as they await a vote in parliament.

Arrests of several company heads and policemen in what Vucic has called a "fierce fight against corruption" had also taken place.

Protestors, however, show a deep skepticism towards Vucic's proposed anti-corruption measures which are widely seen to be a last ditch attempt to cling to power.

Students interviewed by the Kyiv Independent expressed deep frustration with the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), blaming it for the country's lack of media freedom, rigged elections, and neglect of public services and civil liberties.

Andjela, 22, a student protestor, said, "The whole ruling party should resign. They've shown they are unfit to run the country. We haven't had free elections in my lifetime. It's unsafe here, incomes are low, prices are high, and criminals go unpunished, including the thugs who beat up students."

The latest election, in 2023, was seen as being widely rigged, with 50,000 voters from the Republika Srpska, a ethnic Serbian enclave of Bosnia, were bussed to Belgrade to sway the vote.

Mass protests followed, but they led to no change.

A year later, a new protest movement was built on years of unresolved discontent.

In the aftermath of the Kosovo War of 1999, a mass student-led movement called OTPOR brought down the country's autocrat, Slobodan Milosevic.

Srecko Mihailović, a veteran protester of the OTPOR movement, said that he's been on marches for 30 years and hopes he won't be doing it to the grave. "We've had the same president for 10 years, this is not normal," he said.

"But we need to show that Serbia isn't Vucic."

The Czech weapons giant replacing the Kalashnikov in Ukraine’s army

The Russian-made Kalashnikov still prevails as the main small arm in Ukraine’s military. A Czech weapons giant is setting up shop in Ukraine’s factories to change that. The Prague-domiciled conglomerate, Colt CZ, has set up assembly of its Bren 2 assault rifles inside Ukraine under the name “Sich”

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

Autocrats playbook

Vucic's response to the protests has been chaotic.

The president claimed, without evidence, that outside forces are behind the protests and has accused the West of trying to incite a revolution. At the same time, Vucic had told EU leaders that "Putinists" are trying to stir up trouble to deepen the country's ties with Russia.

On Jan. 20, Serbian police detained 14 foreign nationals at an NGO summit in Belgrade.

Such tactics have been used by the ruling party since 2012. State tabloids bully critics of the government, illegally publish their personal data online, and incite violence against those who oppose the government.

Authorities have also been linked to hooligan groups that stir up trouble during protests to justify police action. A similar tactic was used during the 2013-14 EuroMaidan Revolution in Ukraine, when the pro-Kremlin government employed thugs to fight with protesters, coining the term Titushky.

Andjela, who took part in protests, noted that this year's protesters are alert for provocateurs.

A protester was beaten up, while other students were rammed with cars and hospitalized, she said.

"We are careful in case it escalates and more of our students end up in the hospital," Andjela added.

A delicate balance

At present, there doesn't seem to be a solution to the political crisis.

Student protesters know their government's playbook well, so they tread carefully. They appeal to patriotism and wave only Serbian flags to avoid appearing influenced by outsiders.

So far, the careful approach has united support across societal sectors, including the rural population, who were once Vucic's core base. Farmers brought tractors to protect students, blocking key Belgrade bridges.

The rallies have also gained international support from students in the U.S., Austria, Croatia, and vocal celebrity support from tennis superstar Novak Djokovic and Madonna.

The countrywide solidarity has reduced citizens' fears of government-sponsored attacks, threats to family members, and job losses, which previously weakened protests in 2012, 2020, and 2023.

Boris, an engineering student taking part in protests, said, "This time we don't fear the government. They should fear us."

The question remains what would follow were the government to call a snap election to ease the crisis.

Boris said that he would like to see an interim government of "democracy experts and professionals" in place who could create the conditions for fair, free elections.

At present, students do not have a plan to back a political candidate. They have distanced themselves from opposition parties as they view them as part of the system they are up against.

Up until now, the official opposition had been fragmented and cautious.

Opposition party members "have nothing to do with the organization" and support the protests "as civilians only," said lawmaker Borko Stefanovic, deputy president of the Party of Freedom and Justice. "The regime could misuse this, saying the opposition is behind the protests. But the students lead."

On March 4, some unconventional action was taken in parliament. Lawmaker Radomir Lazovic of the Green-Left front voiced support for the protestors and launched fireworks in the Serbian parliament, which hospitalized three people.

A brawl ensued between opposition and ruling party members.

"A clear message was sent that we do not accept the institutional violence of the Serbian Progressive Party, which has been carried out for years. The only agenda item at the Serbian parliament sitting can be the fulfillment of students' demands," Lazovic said.

Yet, a new election might not be the solution the protestors are hoping for.

"No elections would work under current conditions and without a free press. Vucic would steal and rig another election," Stefanovic said.

Trump’s alignment with Russia derails Europe’s push for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine

European countries have intensified talks on sending peacekeepers to Ukraine to monitor and enforce a possible ceasefire. But the potential deployment of European peacekeepers to Ukraine faces a lot of challenges and uncertainties. There is no unity among European countries on the issue, with some…

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

Euroscepticism

The countrywide support for change in Serbia, however, doesn't mean those on the street agree on policy and their country's alignment.

Though EU leaders expressed admiration and support, the absence of EU flags in the crowd is deliberate. Potestors see their cause as a local concern they must deal with within-country.

An IPSOS poll in December 2024 revealed that only 46% of Serbs would support EU membership in a referendum.

Many protesters feel the EU and U.S. leaders have emboldened Vucic following years of hostilities in the region. Many also dislike the West for their handling of the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s.

The EU has worked with Vucic on ammunition exports, with $800 million in Serbian ammunition ending up in Ukraine through Western intermediaries. In July 2024, the Serbian government granted the EU access to its large lithium reserves. This also sparked thousands of Serbs to come out in protest, citing environmental concerns.

Vucic has also gained favor with U.S. President Donald Trump by allowing his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to build a hotel in central Belgrade on top of a war memorial.

Residents of Belgrade viewed the proposal with hostility.

Emotional and economic ties to Russia

Anti-Western sentiments have long united Serbia with Russia, even though the Serbian population continues to migrate west for education and work. This connection dates back to the 19th century when the Russian Empire helped secure Serbia's independence from the Ottoman Empire. It was also bolstered by a common religion and church ties.

Today, the bond is fuelled by anger over NATO's 1999 bombing of Belgrade to end President Milosevic's war against Kosovo. Serbia, backed by Russia, still claims Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008.

Serbia maintains a broad conservative, Orthodox streak with strong anti-LGBTQ+ views. Many Serbs see Western nations as too "liberal." In contrast, many who came of age during the 1990s view Russian President Vladimir Putin as "a strong leader" pushing back against the West.

A 2023 poll by the Henry Jackson Society showed that over 61% of Serbs reported no change in their positive views on Russia since the start of the all-out war in Ukraine, and 21.7% said their support for Russia has increased.

Pro-Russian displays are common in Belgrade.

Z t-shirts and Putin mugs are sold in central markets. Serbian and Russian flags and "Zajedno (together)" signs are widespread. Since 2022, mercenaries from far-right groups have been traveling to Russia to fight against Ukraine.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Serbia has welcomed up to 300,000 Russians fleeing the war.

When these Russians share anti-Putin views, it can prompt strong reactions from the locals. Nino, who owns a cigar lounge in Belgrade, said, "God has given us the gift of these liberal Russians. We'll show them the true path and send them back home, more Russian than ever!"

But attitudes in the capital, Belgrade, have shifted as an influx of wealthy Russian IT-workers has slowly undermined the imagined 'Slavic Orthodox brotherhood." Many Belgraders now resent recent Russian immigrants for not integrating, driving up housing prices and gentrifying the city with expensive shops and restaurants packed by foreigners.

Students protesting in the streets say neither the EU nor Russia will do anything to help them. While many still express emotional ties to Russian culture, they say they do not wish to live in a Putin-style political system.

Why doesn’t NATO open its doors to Ukraine?

NATO membership for Ukraine is becoming increasingly elusive. The previous U.S. administration silently opposed extending a NATO invitation to Ukraine. The current U.S. administration has made its opposition public. “You can forget about (NATO membership). That’s probably the reason the whole thin…

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

Relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) and missing persons held a peaceful rally outside of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv on March 6, urging Washington to help secure the release of all Ukrainian soldiers and civilians held in Russian captivity.

The protest comes as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for a swift peace deal with Russia that foresees concessions from Kyiv, but not the aggressor state that invaded Ukraine in 2014 and escalated the war in 2022, killing tens of thousands of civilians.

Protesters demanded an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange before any peace deal with Russia is signed, Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne reported.

Russia and Ukraine have conducted multiple swaps throughout the full-scale war, most recently on Feb. 5, when Ukraine secured the return of 150 POWs.

Kyiv has pushed for an all-for-all prisoner exchange since 2024, but Moscow has refused the proposal.

Ukraine does not disclose the exact number of its soldiers held in Russian captivity. According to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, Moscow holds over 16,000 Ukrainian civilians.

Additionally, Russia has forcibly deported more than 19,500 Ukrainian children to Russia, Belarus, or occupied territories.

Earlier on March 5, the day of Trump’s address to Congress, a pro-Ukrainian rally was held in Washington near the Capitol.

According to Euronews, the demostrators in Washington protested against Trump’s recent statements on Ukraine and his decision to suspend military aid to Kyiv.

The protests come amid escalating tensions between Washington and Kyiv following the contentious Feb. 28 Oval Office meeting between Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The talks, originally intended to finalize a U.S.-Ukraine mineral deal, ended in a public dispute, leading to the cancellation of the agreement.

Since then,  Trump has cut U.S. military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv, while some U.S. officials and Republican lawmakers have intensified criticism of Zelensky, with some suggesting he should resign.

Trump admin plans to revoke legal status of 240,000 Ukrainian refugees, Reuters reports

The plan predates U.S. President Donald Trump’s public spat with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 28 and is part of broader efforts to revoke the legal status of more than 1.8 million people staying in the U.S. on humanitarian grounds, Reuters reported.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

For decades, if not more, English speakers the world over referred to Ukraine’s capital as Kiev, pronouncing it kee-yev.

Few people knew they were using the Russian name for the city. The city is pronounced keeiv in Ukrainian and is transliterated correctly into English as Kyiv.

In fact, until recently, the names of almost all Ukrainian places and people were transliterated according to their Russian versions.

After gaining independence in 1991, Ukrainians lobbied the international community to adopt native transliterations when speaking and writing about Ukrainian cities.

Their efforts were largely ignored for several decades as Ukraine struggled to shake its reputation as a former part of Russia. The needle began to move slightly in 2014 when Russia invaded Ukraine’s east and annexed Crimea.

With the outset of the full-scale invasion in 2022, the world seemed to get the message. Most major news outlets, academic publications, and government bodies now refer to Ukrainian place names by their Ukrainian transliterations. There are still some hold-outs, however, most notably among media outlets that often parrot Kremlin narratives.  

The Russian spelling and pronunciation of Kyiv throughout the ages was no accident. While the name gets its origin from an empire that predates Russia, a series of policies by the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union that sought to Russify Ukraine and the Ukrainian language distorted its roots.

Where does the name Kyiv come from?

Kyiv, located on the Dnipro River, was officially founded in 482 A.D., although archeological evidence suggests there has been a settlement on the site for about 2,000 years.

Various theories about its founding exist — with the founders being said to be Goths, Huns, and Turks, among others — but the most popular legend credits four royal siblings of an Eastern Slavic tribe with establishing the city in the 5th century.

Kyiv is thus said to be named after the eldest sibling, Kyi, similar to how the mythical Romulus inspired the name Rome.

In the 9th century, Kyiv became the capital and cultural center of Kyivan Rus, a medieval state spanning eastern and northern Europe, from which modern Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus all trace their origins.

During the “Golden Age” of Kyivan Rus, Kyiv emerged as a political, cultural, and religious center, with landmarks like Saint Sophia’s Cathedral and the Pechersk Lavra monastery complex reflecting its importance and prosperity.

Moscow, founded at the tail end of Kyivan rule in 1147 A.D., is more than 600 years younger than Kyiv. Over the eight centuries that followed the breakup of Kyivan Rus, Kyiv was controlled by the Mongols, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Kingdom of Poland, the Russian Empire, and lastly the Soviet Union before becoming the capital of independent Ukraine.

Both the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union drew their national identity from the legacy of Kyivan Rus. Authors of Russian history and the Russian state, including President Vladimir Putin, have envisioned their control over the city as a prerequisite for reuniting a long-lost empire.

This imperial preoccupation also underpins current Russian narratives; in Putin’s view, Kyiv is the mother city of a great Slavic kingdom that is destined to be reunified.

Why ‘Kiev’?

Under the Russian Empire and Soviet Union, Russian cities, including Saint Petersburg and Moscow, dictated official language policies.

In Soviet times, Moscow required all 15 member republics of the Soviet Union to adopt Russian as their official language. The result was that over the last century, Westerners came to know Ukrainian cities by their official Russian-language transliterations: Kiev as opposed to Kyiv, Kharkov as opposed to Kharkiv, Lvov as opposed to Lviv, and Odessa as opposed to Odesa.

This lack of international awareness and recognition of the languages and cultures of individual Soviet member states meant “Russian” became a commonplace blanket term for all things Soviet.

This legacy carried on past the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. Many foreign governments and media outlets continued to refer to Ukrainian cities by their Russian transliterations, bolstered by and contributing to the widespread stereotypes that “everyone in Ukraine speaks Russian” and the factually incorrect “Ukraine is a former part of Russia.”  

After the 2014 EuroMaidan revolution and Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea and invasion of Donbas, more institutions in the West began acknowledging Ukraine’s political and linguistic sovereignty.

By 2019, many diplomatic missions and English-language news outlets had switched to using Ukrainian spellings of Ukrainian proper names out of respect for the country.

Social media has also played a pivotal role in encouraging foreigners to switch to using Ukrainian names.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched the #ReformUA campaign in the late 2010s, with hashtags such as #KyivNotKiev, #LvivNotLvov, and #KharkivNotKharkov. The effort also discouraged referring to Ukraine as “the Ukraine” — which insinuates that it is a region in a larger nation, rather than an individual state in its own right.

Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 brought global attention to Ukraine and its capital city, prompting widespread adoption of “Ukrainian” spellings — or rather, since Ukrainian uses a Cyrillic alphabet, Latin alphabet transliterations that better reflect the Ukrainian pronunciation of names.

The origins of ‘Slava Ukraini’

In early March 2023, a video surfaced online showing the execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war. The unarmed soldier’s last words were “Slava Ukraini” – a Ukrainian national salute that means “Glory to Ukraine” – before he was shot multiple times and collapsed to his death. Ukrainian officials…

The Kyiv IndependentKate Tsurkan

In a move reminiscent of tactics employed by authoritative figures to consolidate power, President Donald Trump’s recent establishment of a U.S. Crypto Strategic Reserve raises significant concerns. This initiative, ostensibly designed to bolster the nation’s financial standing, mirrors strategies where leaders offer superficial concessions to placate followers, only to destroy their livelihood with the other hand, thereby tightening their grip on authority.

On March 2, 2025, President Trump announced the inclusion of five digital assets—Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA)—into the newly formed U.S. Crypto Strategic Reserve. This declaration led to immediate surges in the market values of these cryptocurrencies, with Bitcoin rising by approximately 8% to $90,828, and Ether increasing by 8.3% to $2,409.

While this move appears to support the burgeoning cryptocurrency industry, it is essential to scrutinize the broader context. Concurrently, the administration has endorsed aggressive measures under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, aiming to slash federal spending. These cuts have resulted in mass layoffs and the dismantling of several federal agencies, actions that have sparked public outrage and protests across the country.

The juxtaposition of promoting a crypto reserve while enacting severe budgetary cuts is striking. This dual approach can be likened to the manipulative techniques of cult leaders who provide followers with perceived benefits to gain trust and compliance, only to withdraw support to reinforce dependence and control. By offering the allure of a national cryptocurrency reserve, the administration may be seeking to distract from or justify the detrimental impacts of its austerity measures.

The backlash from these policies has been palpable. Republican lawmakers have faced intense criticism during town hall meetings, with constituents expressing anger over the abrupt layoffs and the overarching influence of Musk in governmental affairs. Some GOP members have even advised the administration to adopt a more compassionate approach, acknowledging the growing public discontent.

Moreover, the administration’s actions have raised alarms about the erosion of democratic principles. The unilateral decisions to restructure or eliminate federal agencies without adequate legislative oversight or public discourse undermine the foundational checks and balances of governance. Such maneuvers echo the coercive strategies of authoritative regimes, where power is consolidated through a combination of appeasement and suppression.

In analyzing the administration’s recent initiatives, it becomes evident that the establishment of the Crypto Strategic Reserve serves as a double-edged sword. While it ostensibly supports innovation and economic growth, it also functions as a tool to placate dissent and divert attention from policies that may harm the public interest. This pattern of offering with one hand while taking away with the other is a classic tactic to maintain control and suppress opposition.

As citizens and policymakers, it is crucial to remain vigilant and critically assess such strategies. Championing technological advancement should not come at the expense of transparency, accountability, and the well-being of the populace. Recognizing and challenging these manipulative tactics is essential to preserving the integrity of our democratic institutions and ensuring that progress benefits all members of society.

For a in depth analysis on this now legal scam read the serie of posts from Nathan Tankus on

A Scam Built Atop an Accounting Gimmick Wrapped in Bullshit: Why Visiting Fort Knox Is Not About Selling Gold but is About Buying Bitcoin

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Badra Gunba on winning the presidential “election” in the Russian-occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia in a statement released by the Kremlin’s press service on March 2.

“I expect that the friendly, allied Russian-Abkhazian relations will continue to strengthen for the benefit of our brotherly nations,” Putin’s message goes on to read.

Abkhazia, an occupied region internationally recognized as part of  Georgia, has been under de facto Russian control since the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia.

Aslan Bzhania, the former leader of Abkhazia, submitted his resignation on Nov. 19 in a bid to quell mounting unrest over a proposed investment deal with Russia. The agreement, which would allow Russian citizens to purchase property in Abkhazia, fueled fears of deeper Russian entrenchment in the territory and was subsequently scrapped.

Gunba, the winner of the presidential “election,” is considered to be a pro-Kremlin politician.

Freedom House, a U.S.-based NGO advocating for democracy and political freedom, said that Abkhazia’s legal framework “does not support fully democratic elections,” but noted that “incumbent officials remain vulnerable to defeat at the polls."

Despite popular uprising, Kremlin’s grip on occupied Abkhazia runs supreme

When local council members gathered in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia last week to discuss new measures promoting Russian investment, a group of protestors rose to meet them. The proposed legislation, which would have legalized Russian investment and land ownership in the occupied region…

The Kyiv IndependentKatie Marie Davies

Several European politicians that are considered pro-Russian expressed their approval for the U.S. President Donald Trump after he clashed in a heated argument with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban thanked Trump in his post on X.

“Today President Trump stood bravely for peace. Even if it was difficult for many to digest,” Orban said.

Orban, widely seen as the EU’s most pro-Russian leader, has consistently opposed military aid for Ukraine and maintained close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze wished Trump “endurance and courage in this difficult struggle” on Facebook on March 1.

Zelensky, Trump get into heated argument while speaking with journalists in Oval Office

President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump held a 45-minute-long press briefing in the Oval Office that ended in a heated argument about American aid to Ukraine.

The Kyiv IndependentOleksiy Sorokin

“President Trump and his peace efforts were condemned one after another by the people responsible for unleashing a bloody war and the cold-blooded killing of Ukraine and thousands of Ukrainians,” his statement said.

Kobakhidze sparked a political crisis by announcing the suspension of Georgia’s EU accession process until at least 2028 after the elections last October. Protests erupted in Tbilisi against the ruling Georgian Dream party, accused of democratic backsliding and dragging Georgia into the Kremlin’s orbit.

Tino Chrupalla, one of the leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said on X that peace in Ukraine should be achieved even without Zelensky’s participation.

“President Trump is cancelling talks with President Zelensky because he is not ready for peace. Peace must still be achieved, even without the beggarly President Zelensky,” Chrupalla wrote.

“Since the EU and Germany cannot act as mediators, the US and Russia must come to an agreement,” he added

Earlier, AfD showed support for Russian politics and has been mired in scandal after reports of its affiliations with neo-Nazi groups.

The statements come as many democratic European leaders expressed their support for Zelensky, who has reportedly landed in London for a summit of European leaders on March 2.

Editorial: A president just disrespected America in the Oval Office. It wasn’t Zelensky

It’s time to say it plainly. America’s leadership has switched sides in the war. The American people have not, and they should speak up. In the past several weeks, the U.S. leadership has demonstrated explicit hostility towards Ukraine and aligned its rhetoric and policy with Russia. The

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent

Thousands of people rallied in support of Ukraine on Feb. 23 ahead of the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion which began on Feb. 24, 2022.

Rallies were held across Europe on Sunday, with thousands of demonstrators lining the streets of Prague, Paris, and Brussels.

Czech President Petr Pavel addressed rally-goers in Prague, emphasizing his country’s support for Ukraine.

“From what happened, I think it is quite clear who is the aggressor, who violated international law, and who is the victim, whose side we should stand on,” Pavel said. “And if we allow (international law) to be compromised, if we reward the aggressor, then sooner or later it will affect us too."

Thousands also took to the streets of Brussels' and Paris' city center to mark the third anniversary. In Paris, participants unfurled a 262-meter flag in an effort to mark solidarity with Ukrainians.

Amid the start of the fourth year to Russia’s full-scale war, European allies have grown increasingly concerned over Kyiv’s role in upcoming peace talks between Russia and the United States to end the war.

European leaders have scrambled to deliver military support to Ukraine as the U.S., under the Trump administration, races to make a deal with Moscow.

Trump has said he wants Europe to play a greater role in supporting Ukraine’s financial and defense needs, but his administration has sent mixed signals as to whether Europeans are welcome in the negotiations process.

Thousands of Ukrainian Canadians also attended a protest against Russian aggression in Toronto, Canada, in a rally attended by the Kyiv Independent.

Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s former Finance Minister, who is running to replace outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, attended the rally and touted the country’s support for Ukraine.

“In this fight, we are on the side of democracy versus dictatorship,” Freeland, who is of Ukrainian descent, said during the rally. “We are on the side of rule and order, and not bullies."

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Feb. 18 that Canada is interested in partaking in conversations about security guarantees for Ukraine.

EU preparing military aid package for Kyiv worth $20.9 billion, Bloomberg reports

The additional military support would supply Kyiv with air defense systems, artillery ammunition, long-range missiles, and drones.

The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert

Kiril Demchenko has lived in Hungary for four years, so he knows how a country changes when its authorities flirt with the Kremlin, as Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban has done.

Kiril says after the start of the full-scale invasion, Hungarians began to treat Ukrainians badly, especially older people who see Russia as an ally, not an aggressor.

“I saw a situation where a man in his 50s heard a girl speaking Ukrainian in a store and hit her – just because she was Ukrainian,” he told The Counteroffensive.

Could Germany be set to turn against Ukraine too?

The country will elect a new parliament on Sunday Feb. 23, and polling suggests the pro-Russian, far-right AfD party could gain record support.

Elections in Germany could change the balance of power in Europe by determining the direction of the continent's politics. If the pro-Russian far-right AfD gains significant support, it will threaten EU unity, weaken support for Ukraine, and open up more opportunities for Kremlin influence.

Germany risks repeating the path of Hungary, which has already become a pro-Russian center in the EU, which could change the fate of Ukraine and the future of European security.

Kiril is 25 years old and from the Dnipro region in Eastern Ukraine. In 2021, he and his friends decided to move abroad for a better life. At first, they considered Poland, but felt that finding a job there would be too challenging, due to the many Ukrainians who had already done the same.

He finally decided on Hungary, with which Ukraine has a visa-free regime, because his friend's sister had moved there six months earlier. Kirill lives near Budapest, the Hungarian capital, in Balassagyarmat town, and has found a job. But Hungary is not the country of his dreams.

"I thought I was going to Europe, that there would be progress, that everything would be good, but when I arrived, I felt that there was such stagnation, that people were living in some kind of past... There were old houses everywhere, and I had to go to Budapest to buy food [the city where he lives does not have a wide selection of goods]," Kiril said.

Under Viktor Orban's leadership, Hungary is gravitating toward Russia, combining conservatism with authoritarianism in a process called ‘Orbanization.’

Orban has concentrated power around himself, blocked EU sanctions, and slowed military aid to Ukraine. Despite the status of parliamentary democracy, he makes key decisions alone. He has also promoted Russian narratives around the war in Ukraine: he maintains close ties with the Kremlin, and meets regularly with Putin.

Kiril says that Hungary suffers from inflation and low wages, partly due to the prime minister's policy of rapprochement with Russia.

"Hungarians are complaining about this... They don't like Orban. Hungary is dependent on Russian oil and gas, and while other countries were looking for alternatives to get rid of Russian influence, Orban was signing supply contracts," Kiril said.

If a far-right party wins influence in Germany, they could forge closer ties with Russia. In the recent Germany campaigns, security and Ukraine have been drawn to the center of the election debate.

Friedrich Merz and his conservative CDU/CSU bloc lead in the polls with 29% and have the best chance of forming a coalition.

The conservative bloc supports EU unity, and NATO. Their leader, Friedrich Merz, a long-time opponent of Angela Merkel, pursues right-wing economic policies, but actively supports Ukraine, in particular calling for the use of long-range Taurus missiles against Russia.

At the same time, the right-wing populist pro-Russian Alternative for Germany is polling a record almost 21%.

AfD’s policies include leaving the EU, restoring Nord Stream 2, decreasing aid to Ukraine, and lifting sanctions against Russia – changing Germany's foreign policy to repair relations with Russia. The party is regularly criticized for its ties to Russian special services and support for pro-Russian rhetoric.

In a recent debate, Merz called out AfD Alice Weidel:

"You say we are not considered neutral by Russia. No, because we are not neutral! We are on Ukraine's side. We are defending the values we share. Your words this evening only confirm for me that I will do absolutely everything to prevent you from ever taking political responsibility in this country."

The AfD could increase isolationist sentiment in Germany and the EU, reduce military and financial aid to Ukraine, create a split between Eastern and Western Europe, and strengthen pro-Russian voices, according to Ihor Todorov, a professor at Uzhhorod National University in western Ukraine.

The Social Democratic Party of Germany, who have been polling 15%, and the Greens, who are predicted to get around 13% of the vote, could be key players in coalition negotiations. The SPD has been cautious about military aid to Ukraine, while the Greens remain strong advocates of support, pushing for more weapons and a tougher stance on Russia.

The question for Germans looks likely to be whether Merz will form a coalition with the left of the far right. Although the far right will almost certainly not win outright, it is likely to have its best result for the first time since World War II.

The AfD is known for its radical populist rhetoric. They actively oppose LGBT people and illegal immigration, calling for harsh measures such as closing borders and deporting migrants.

Investigations by The Insider and Der Spiegel confirmed that the Kremlin financed the AfD party through pro-Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Sergienko, who acted as an intermediary. The journalists found out that the AfD not only received cash from Moscow but also coordinated its initiatives and speeches with Russian curators. One such project was a lawsuit filed by the party with the German Constitutional Court to block military aid to Ukraine.

In addition to funding, Russia is using anti-war movements in Germany to weaken support for Ukraine by spreading disinformation, messages about "peace talks," and the “futility” of military aid.

Among the most vocal supporters of Alternative for Germany is Russian far-right political philosopher Alexander Dugin, an ideologue of Russian imperialism, sometimes called “Putin’s brain” in international media.

Elon Musk, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, is also a supporter of the AfD, openly praising them in the media, calling them the “last spark of hope” for Germany in a newspaper article.

"The AfD's unabashed populism contributes to its popularity, especially in the eastern German states, which are poorer than western Germany. Sometimes you can hear notes of nostalgia: everything was fine when the Soviet Union was there... In addition, their popularity is growing because of Angela Merkel's government's less-than-successful migration policy," Todorov said.

The main question of the election is whether Merz will be able to win by a large margin and prevent the far right from gaining more than 20%. Roland Frodenstein, director of the Brussels Freedom Hub, said a coalition with the Greens would maintain a tough stance on Ukraine and Russia.

Kiril, a Ukrainian who watched Hungary as it descended into pro-Russian rhetoric and action, warns of the fateful consequences that will occur if Germany follows a similar path.

“If they choose a pro-Russian party, I don't even know what will happen... It will probably be worse... I'm afraid that then Russia might not stop at Ukraine and go to Europe,” warned Kiril.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

U.S. MAY CUT STARLINK FOR KYIV’S TROOPS: The U.S. could block Ukraine’s access to Starlink amid its refusal to accept a deal over minerals, Reuters reported. The issue was again brought to the table when the U.S. envoy on Russia and Ukraine Keith Kellogg visited Zelenskyy this Thursday. Starlink is a vital element for Kyiv’s defense since it provides a stable internet connection and communications to the frontline.

Meanwhile, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation Andrii Kovalenko reassured that nobody plans to cut off Starlink’s connection to Ukraine. Besides, the Ukrainian military has “other alternatives.”

ZELENSKYY MAY SIGN MINERAL DEAL TODAY: The U.S. and Ukraine could reach an agreement on a deal that would cede rare earth mineral rights to Washington today, according to the Wall Street Journal. Trump considers it compensation for the U.S. military aid provided to Ukraine, even though it does not offer any security guarantees for Kyiv. Kellogg has reportedly built trust with Zelenskyy and played a significant role in finalizing the deal during his visit to Kyiv.

At the same time, Zelenskiy is not ready to sign the deal on rare earth minerals, according to Sky News. The draft agreement allegedly does not reflect a partnership in the deal. Instead, it contains only unilateral commitments by Kyiv.

U.S. PROPOSES NOT TO CALL RUSSIA AGGRESSOR IN UN RESOLUTION: The United States has drafted a UN resolution on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine that has no mention of Ukraine's territorial integrity or criticism of Moscow's actions, AFP reported. It mourns "the tragic loss of life in the Russia-Ukraine conflict" and "urges a swift end to the conflict and continues to call for a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia."

EU TO DELIVER €20 BILLION OF MILITARY AID TO UKRAINE: Europe is preparing a new package of additional military aid worth about €20 billion, which is expected to be agreed upon on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg reported. Europe is rushing to provide Ukraine with the necessary assistance and security guarantees because of Trump's initiative to achieve a quick peace on unfavorable terms for Kyiv.

The package includes artillery ammunition, air defense systems, deep-precision missiles, drones and other weapons. However, approval may be delayed due to possible blocking by Hungary and elections in Germany.

TAIWAN PRESIDENT PLEDGES 3% GDP ON DEFENSE: President Lai Ching-te said that in the face of Communist China’s threats toward the island nation, his government would seek to spend at least three percent of GDP on military spending.

Taiwan also seeks to establish itself as a critical part of the “democratic supply chain,” especially as it comes to semiconductors. The project comes as world trade is beginning to bifurcate more towards a democratic chain and an autocratic one. Lai made these comments to kick off the Halifax security forum in Taipei this past week.

DOG OF WAR

Today’s dog of war is Mariana’s traveling companion, who was sitting calmly when Mariana visited her parents. The dog didn’t bark even once — just curiously observing other train passengers and breathtaking scenery from the window.

Stay safe out there.

Best,
Mariana