Amy B. Zegart
Key developments on Jan. 3-4:
Ukraine’s Defense Forces say they control Rodynske and that Russian troops have not taken Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad or Hulyaipole, with heavy fighting ongoing, Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National …
On January 4, 2026, a privately owned undersea optical cable suffered damage near Liepāja in the Baltic Sea. The incident did not affect Latvian communications users. The Latvian Crisis Management Center and relevant agencies were notified, and the …
Amid rising security tensions in Venezuela, Ukrainian journalist and serviceman Andriy Tsaplienko drew attention to the role of Russia’s military presence there and the fate of its commander, Gen. Oleg Makarevich. Kyiv accuses Makarevich of war …
The U.S. military operation in Venezuela has revealed a new reality: Washington no longer feels the need to consult allies and is ready to redraw spheres of influence by force.
The operation’s significance extends far beyond Latin America. Washington …
Ukrainian President Zelensky announced a sweeping reset of the government and the security sector, saying he will personally oversee “rotations of all leaders.” He added that a change in the post of Commander-in-Chief is not planned at this time.
The …
Editor’s Note:
You may have noticed that 60 Minutes recently held up a report on this El Salvadorian prison, CECOT.
We decided to double down on our independent journalism and push out this story so you could get a sense of the conditions there. …
According to the commander of the Norwegian Finnmark Brigade, Russia has stepped up espionage activities along its border with Norway, including infiltration attempts using fishing vessels arriving at Norwegian ports. Several Russian spies were …
Editor's note: This essay was originally published in the Kyiv Independent's first-ever print edition, titled "The Power Within," in July 2025. You can order a copy in our e-store.
Soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names only due …
Brigade Commander - Colonel
Unit: 136th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade, 58th Guards Combined Arms Army, Southern Military District, Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD)
Cargo ID: #2001
English Name: Erik Anverovich Selimov
Russian Name: Селимов …
A large-scale power outage occurred in southwest Berlin on January 4, 2026 after an arson attack on a cable bridge above the Teltow Canal feeding the Lichterfelde power plant. The left-wing extremist group ‘Vulkangruppe’ took …
