4 hours ago 3

Chornobyl isn’t safe anymore... again

This audio is created with AI assistance

Chornobyl disaster occurred in the early hours of April 26, 1986, in Soviet Ukraine. Nearly 39 years after the worst nuclear disaster in history, Russia’s brazen attack on the $2 billion New Safe Confinement (the sarcophagus enclosing the destroyed reactor) in February 2025 poses a new potential radioactive danger as engineers race to repair the damage. The Kyiv Independent’s Kollen Post dives into why the restoration is not as simple as it may seem.

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Chornobyl isn’t safe anymore... again.

4:58 PM

Trump was only joking about ending Russia’s war in Ukraine in 24 hours, he says in interview with Time.

Video compilations of Trump's multiple '24 hours' claims show him speaking authoritatively, forcefully, seriously, and with little to no sign of any "jest."

4:53 PM

Trump says Crimea 'will stay with Russia,' blames Ukraine's NATO aspirations for war.

"Crimea will stay with Russia. And (President Volodymyr) Zelensky understands that, and everybody understands that it's been with them for a long time," U.S. President Donald Trump said.

4:20 PM

'End policy of appeasement' — European foreign affairs chairs rebuke Trump's Russia stance.

"Negotiating with the war criminal Putin is evidently futile," a statement signed by officials from eight countries said.

3:46 PM

CIA deputy director’s son killed while fighting for Russia in Ukraine, investigation claims.

Michael Gloss studied Human Ecology at Middlebury College in Vermont and was described by friends as an eco-activist, women’s rights supporter, and anti-fascist.

11:53 AM (Updated: April 25, 2025 2:33 pm)

Witkoff meets with Putin in Moscow, Kremlin says.

Steve Witkoff has visited Russia several times this year and met with Putin on at least three occasions.

2:25 PM

Ukraine, Europe's ceasefire proposal includes US security guarantees, no recognition of Crimea, Reuters reports.

The document, reprinted in full by the news outlet, contains numerous points that show the diverging viewpoints of the U.S. on one side, and Ukraine and its European allies on the other as they seek to end Russia's full-scale invasion.

1:05 PM

High-ranking Russian general killed in car bombing near Moscow, as Witkoff meets with Putin.

“According to available data, the explosion occurred as a result of the detonation of a homemade explosive device,” the Investigative Committee of Russia said.

9:54 AM (Updated: April 25, 2025 11:37 am)

11:36 AM

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 8, injure at least 22 over past day.

Ukrainian forces downed 41 out of the 103 Shahed-type drones and other drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported.

11:26 AM

Starmer hopes Ukraine-Russia ceasefire can be reached by summer, Telegraph reports.

"It’s got to be a ceasefire that is on terms that all parties can accept, including Ukraine," U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

1:17 AM (Updated: April 25, 2025 9:04 am)

'Russian peace in all its glory' — Mass Russian missile, drone attack on Kyiv kills 12, injures 87.

A series of explosions rocked the capital around 1:00 a.m. local time on April 24, Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported. Additional explosions were later heard around 4 a.m. local time.

9:00 AM

Ukraine may need to temporarily give up territory to Russia for peace, Klitschko says.

"It's not fair. But for peace, temporary peace, maybe it can be a solution," Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

8:10 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 946,500 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

The number includes 1,170 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

7:49 AM

NATO views Russia as a 'long-term threat,' Rutte says.

"We all agree, in NATO, that Russia is the long-term threat to NATO territory, to the whole of the Euro-Atlantic territory," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.

6:42 AM

Zelensky: We would like a 'common understanding that Russia is the aggressor,' not Ukraine.

"We would like... to have this common understanding that Russia is the aggressor... you shouldn't be saying that Ukraine and Russia started this war, I believe that it's painful for our people to hear," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

4:30 AM

Peace talks 'moving in the right direction' but 'need to be defined,' Lavrov claims.

"(W)e are moving in the right direction... we are ready to reach a deal, but there are some specific points, elements of this deal, which need to be defined," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

3:22 AM

Allies alarmed as Trump pushes Ukraine peace deal allowing Russia to keep seized land, CNN reports.

"If one country in Europe is forced to give up parts of its legal territory... no country in Europe or elsewhere can feel safe, NATO or no NATO," one diplomat told CNN.

1:57 AM

UK may abandon plans to deploy large troop force to Ukraine, the Times reports.

Instead of placing troops near the front lines, the U.K. and France now reportedly aim to send military trainers to western Ukraine, fulfilling a commitment to deploy personnel without engaging in direct defense roles.

1:08 AM

Ukraine raises issue of Russian assets in talks with US Treasury, central bank chief says.

The Ukrainian delegation raised the issue with the U.S. Treasury officials during negotiations on April 23, according to Reuters. Ukraine intends to continue lobbying for the initiative at an upcoming meeting with the International Monetary Fund, Pyshnyy said.

12:31 AM

EU to unveil roadmap in May to end reliance on Russian fossil fuels.

European Commission President Von der Leyen emphasized that the roadmap, set to be announced in two weeks, will lay out concrete steps to eliminate the bloc’s reliance on energy supplies from Russia.

12:01 AM

Ukraine will have to make compromises to reach peace deal, Polish leader says.

“It has to be a compromise,” he said. “De facto this peace should come down to the fact that neither side will be able to say it won this war. Ukraine will also have to step down in some sense, because that’s what will probably happen.”

11:32 PM

US to back Ukraine's right to maintain sufficient army in talks with Russia, Bloomberg reports.

The issue is expected to be raised by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on April 25.

11:19 PM

Trump says Russia has shown willingness for peace by not taking over all of Ukraine, calls it 'pretty big concession.'

“Stopping the war, stopping from taking the whole country, pretty big concession,” Donald Trump said on April 24 when asked what Russia has offered as part of a potential peace deal.

Inside a Kyiv apartment building hit by Russian missile strike.

Russia's devastating missile and drone attack on Kyiv on April 24 killed at least 12 and injured 90 people. The Kyiv Independent visited the residential district where a missile struck an apartment building to speak with witnesses and see the aftermath.