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New customs reform aims to tackle Ukraine’s ‘single biggest cash cow’ of corrupt money in politics

At a time when state coffers are starving for money to fund Ukraine’s survival, illegal smuggling is costing the country billions of dollars a year in lost tax payments. Through bribery or lying, smugglers avoid an estimated $2.4 to $3 billion in customs payments each year as they smuggle everything from cigarettes and iPhones to […]

Ukraine

October 14, 2024

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The Counteroffensive: Ukraine’s nuclear ambitions fueled by betrayal, hindered by feasibility

Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on Nov. 23, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to The Counteroffensive, click here. For a brief period just over 30 years ago, Ukraine possessed the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world. Its […]

Ukraine

November 25, 2024

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MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak: Developments in Ukraine’s parliament on economic reforms, international obligations — Issue 77

Editor’s note: This is issue 77 of Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak’s weekly “Ukrainian Economy in Brief” newsletter, covering events from Oct. 7- Oct. 13, 2024. The digest highlights steps taken in the Ukrainian parliament related to business, economics, and international financial programs. The Kyiv Independent is republishing with permission. Benchmarks and soft commitments in the […]

Ukraine

October 19, 2024

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Ukraine’s drones have a reputation for low cost. Buntar Aerospace wants to make them boutique

The day Russia invaded Ukraine, Ivan Kaunov watched from his 23rd-floor Kyiv apartment in disbelief as rockets came down on his city. He was 30, married, and running a fintech startup that was seeing remarkable traction. The scion of a Kyivan family that had gotten wealthy on construction and IT, Kaunov had gone to university […]

Ukraine

November 26, 2024

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Ukraine’s NATO Membership on "irreversible path," G7 defense ministers reaffirm

Defense ministers of the G7 countries reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine's integration into NATO, according to the joint statement following their meeting in Naples on Oct. 19. "We support Ukraine on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership,” the statement said. The ministers also pledged continued military assistance to Ukraine, both […]

Ukraine

October 19, 2024

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Journalists, anti-corruption groups denounce Ukraine’s attempt to increase punishment for state leaks

Parliament is scheduled to vote on Dec. 3 on a new law proposing up to eight years imprisonment for accessing or disseminating confidential state register information during martial law, a bill that Ukrainian media and human rights organizations have urged parliament to reject on free speech concerns. “This is an attempt by the authorities to […]

Ukraine

December 3, 2024

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MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak: Developments in Ukraine’s parliament on economic reforms, international obligations — Issue 78

Editor’s note: This is issue 78 of Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak’s weekly “Ukrainian Economy in Brief” newsletter, covering events from Oct. 14- Oct. 20, 2024. The digest highlights steps taken in the Ukrainian parliament related to business, economics, and international financial programs. The Kyiv Independent is republishing with permission. Benchmarks and soft commitments in the […]

Ukraine

October 22, 2024

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US announces $266 million in sales to bolster Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jets

The State Department approved a $266 million foreign military sales package for Ukraine on Dec. 10, enabling the sustainment of services as well as repairs necessary for the upkeep of the country's F-16 fighter jets. The proposed sale, which has not yet been formally finalized, includes key support systems for Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets, including […]

Ukraine

December 10, 2024

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US urging China to pressure withdrawal of North Korean troops from Ukraine’s front line, CNN reports.

United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has been urging China, which maintains relations with North Korea, to put pressure on Pyongyang to withdraw North Korean troops from Ukraine's front line, CNN reported on Oct. 29, citing a U.S. official. According to the unnamed official, Sullivan “directed the US government to engage the PRC to […]

Ukraine

October 29, 2024

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Breakaway churches, spiritual awakenings, prayers in captivity. How war is changing Ukraine’s faith

For a decade, the world has seen how Russia has scarred Ukraine’s landscape with tens of thousands of bombs and missiles. The spiritual wounds — and awakenings — experienced by millions of Ukrainians are less visible. Almost a third of Ukrainians say their religious faith has grown since the war broke out, according to a […]

Ukraine

December 13, 2024

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Ukraine’s 2025 budget clears first reading, allocates $53 billion for defense

Ukraine’s proposed 2025 budget passed its first reading in parliament on Oct. 31, allocating approximately 26% of the country’s GDP to defense and military spending. “The priority of next year's budget will also be security and defense. All taxes paid by people and businesses will go toward strengthening our defenders and military capabilities,” Prime Minister […]

Ukraine

October 31, 2024

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Peace talks with Russia only possible when Moscow runs out of resources, Ukraine’s Yermak says

Peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow will only be possible when Russia has run out of resources to fight its full-scale war, Andriy Yermak, head of the Presidential Office, said on Dec. 17. "I would like to emphasize once again that only the strong are helped, so we must remain strong," he told the Congress […]

Ukraine

December 18, 2024

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