Articles — OstroV

“Prove that you are under occupation”: How the 2026 admission campaign put applicants from TOT at risk

09/29/2026 15:55 138

Human rights organizations consider this practice dangerous for applicants and their families, as the digital materials they create may be discovered during checks and filtration procedures when leaving occupied territories...

The conflict between Kravchenko and NABU, an energy truce and U.S. pressure: political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko on the challenges facing Ukraine this autumn

09/22/2026 11:10 258

Recent statements by U.S. presidential adviser Jared Kushner have once again brought the issue of Ukraine’s territorial concessions and possible pressure on Kyiv to reach agreements with moscow to the fore...

It’s a new reality. Luhansk journal

09/16/2026 13:43 325

And this is such a difference between the stories in the news and reality. In the news, we are one step away from victory, while in reality there are dishes in the sink that we could not wash after lunch...

Russia has reached the maximum level of pressure, but there will be no breakthrough: Roman Svitan on the situation at the front and strikes on Kyiv

09/11/2026 15:39 377

Russians have positive momentum in all directions, meaning they are advancing everywhere, albeit with heavy losses. We are slowly withdrawing from some positions...

“Minsk” behind the scenes. Confession of a non-diplomat. Part 7

09/03/2026 17:07 524

I studied russia when I was studying in moscow, I calculated everything: starting from Kyivan Rus and up to the present day — russia has been at war for 150 years. Actual time! 150 years! A war elite has been created, military and security structures of war have been created. There are no other issues there. And a person in russia is worth nothing: ‘so long as the motherland exists, there are no other concerns’…

CIA Director Ratcliffe in moscow, talks with russia and the surrender of Donbas – expert analysis

08/26/2026 18:03 492

Ihor Petrenko, head of the Analytical Center “United Ukraine”, about what lies behind John Ratcliffe’s visit to moscow, whether it could signal a new stage in negotiations, and how realistic it is to end the hostilities before winter...

A Luhansk oblast community whose territory has been completely destroyed: how the Popasna community works and stays united

08/25/2026 08:44 837

The total population of the Popasna city community before russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was 24,600 people. Now, around 250 people remain in the occupied territory of the Popasna community...

Conflict on pause: how Zelensky and Fedorov are looking for a way out

08/17/2026 15:44 568

For now, while parliament is not working in a normal plenary mode, the issue can be postponed. But when the question of appointing a new defense minister arises, a decision will have to be made...

Between home and life: how Donetsk oblast residents are being rescued and why they refuse evacuation

08/10/2026 17:30 546

"Where would I even go? My whole life is here. I'll wait a little longer", - says Mykhailo, an elderly resident of Kramatorsk, explaining why he refuses to evacuate despite months of persuasion. Despite constant russian shelling, he, like thousands of other residents of the Donetsk oblast, still cannot bring himself to leave his hometown...

Occupied Donbas in the 2026 russian State Duma elections

08/04/2026 14:36 809

It is clear that voting carried out under the risk of losing one's life is not what people are asking for—it is putin's demand. He needs to demonstrate a full-fledged electoral process in the occupied Ukrainian territories, signaling to everyone that the process of "integrating the new regions" is moving ahead in full...

“Minsk” behind the scenes. Confession of a non-diplomat. Part 6

07/28/2026 14:36 602

I should say right away that my impression of Leonid Kravchuk did not remain the same throughout his entire time in the delegation. The First President's age, his health, and the routine nature of the negotiations sometimes took their toll. There were occasions when the old man would fall asleep during TCG meetings, and he could greet or say goodbye to you twice—"for a good person, no greeting is too much". There were also moments that revealed his belonging to the species of "political animals"...

New government: Fedorov's dismissal, conflict with Syrskyi, and the future of Zelensky's chief manager

07/23/2026 15:47 615

No final decision has been made yet. On the one hand, the relationship between Zelensky and Fedorov will no longer be what it once was. On the other hand, the president does not want to lose him. They are now looking for a role in which he can be of the greatest benefit while at the same time avoiding overlap with the areas where conflicts previously arose...

The shadow of elections in Ukraine: nobody believes, yet everyone is preparing

07/17/2026 16:31 689

The map of potential frontrunners in the Office of the President's internal polling is currently extremely dynamic. Zelensky consistently remains the race leader, and his core support base has not disappeared, but the main concern of political strategists is the runoff...

"The documents were processed quickly, but then the issues began". How the state (doesn’t) support civilians after russian captivity

07/10/2026 18:51 757

The released civilians themselves admit that while the first days after their return are generally well organized, they are often later left alone to deal with problems that require long-term solutions...

State of emergency in Crimea: "An order was received to free up as many hospital beds as possible"

07/03/2026 16:08 890

First, gasoline virtually disappeared from filling stations. Then widespread disruptions to electricity, water supply, and mobile communications began. The occupation "authorities" suspended fuel sales to civilians, reduced public transportation services, and on June 26 declared a state of emergency...

“Minsk” behind the scenes. Confession of a non-diplomat. Part 5

06/26/2026 16:01 931

The same “debut” meeting of the delegation was attended by Deputy Prime Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov. At first I could not understand what he was doing there. Then the deputy prime minister asked a question that literally hung in the air in heavy silence without an answer...

Why did Akhmetov break his silence?

06/22/2026 11:05 826

Overall, it appears that with this interview Akhmetov managed to achieve two main objectives. On the one hand, he made a serious bid to participate in postwar political life...

“There came an understanding that not everything is so good in the new life”. Luhansk journal

06/12/2026 20:56 844

The tragedy in Starobilsk left its mark on everything that is happening, but most importantly, it deeply undermined people from within. A fear appeared that had never existed before. Even in 2014, it was different...

“Minsk” behind the scenes. Confession of a non-diplomat. Part 4

06/08/2026 16:44 862

"I didn’t expect it to feel so homely." That is how Oleksandr Merezhko, deputy head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group, described his first impressions of Minsk Online...

Russia is incapable of anything except attempts to seize Donbas and expand the land corridor — military expert Roman Svitan

05/27/2026 13:49 1047

We are now observing a slowdown in large-scale offensive operations by russia. Instead, preparations are underway for future staging areas. This primarily concerns the areas around Pokrovsk and Sloviansk, the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk direction, as well as the Kharkiv oblast—specifically the Velykyi Burluk and Kupiansk-Lyman directions, where a certain level of increased activity is also being observed...

Can IDPs lose the chance to get their own housing? Why a conflict has emerged around the State Youth Housing agency

05/25/2026 15:55 952

When we talk about housing for veterans, internally displaced persons, or young people, we are not talking only about a financial instrument. It is part of housing policy and social support. Therefore, it would be important to preserve the functioning of Derzhmolodzhytlo under the ‘umbrella’ of the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development or another body that implements housing policy specifically as a social policy...

“Battle for values”: How the new Civil Code is becoming part of big politics

05/19/2026 15:51 1060

Some lawyers, human rights advocates, and members of parliament speak of an attempt to push through parliament a document that changes the rules of the game in matters of property, media, privacy, and family law without broad public discussion. Others call the criticism exaggerated and explain it as a struggle between various political influence groups...

Crimea during the war: security is replacing tourism and changing life on the peninsula

05/08/2026 16:24 1656

Crimea is becoming increasingly integrated into the logic of war. The peninsula remains a key logistics hub for the russian army, which automatically makes it one of the main targets for Ukrainian strikes, alongside facilities deep inside the russian federation, particularly oil refining infrastructure in the Krasnodar Krai...

“Minsk” behind the scenes. Confession of a non-diplomat. Part 3

04/29/2026 16:43 1116

It was precisely this second meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group that marked the starting point for the ambiguities and uncertainties which, right up until the very end of its work in February 2022, were the main reason for the ineffectiveness of the negotiations. The very fact that the TCG travelled to Donetsk, and indeed the participation of ‘bandits’ in its meeting, allowed Moscow to claim that it was not a party to the conflict, but was present at the ‘negotiations between Kyiv and representatives of the Donbas’ as a mediator...

Serhii Harmash: AFU’s voluntary withdrawal from Donbas would legitimize russia’s annexation

04/20/2026 15:17 1039

a theoretical capture by the enemy of Kramatorsk/Sloviansk in a year, against the backdrop of deteriorating living conditions for russians, growing problems in the russian economy, and the loss of at least 300 thousand personnel… Will this be considered a victory?

“Minsk” behind the scenes. Confession of a non-diplomat. Part 2

04/14/2026 16:04 1071

She then appeared on the screen, flushed, fastening the top buttons of her blouse. “Natalia Vladimirovna, where on earth are you?” asked Ambassador Grau, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office’s Special Representative, with a touch of feminine sarcasm. Nikanorova did not reply. — Either from the beach, or after...

“Minsk” behind the scenes. Confession of a non-diplomat

04/08/2026 16:39 1130

“Minister” Nikanorova rolled her eyes, jumped up and ran off somewhere. And her brother, who represented the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in the security subgroup and, as it turned out, headed an entire “administration” of Pushilin (the leader of the “DNR”), was outraged that I equated myself with their “ministerial” status...

Without Telegram. Luhansk journal

04/01/2026 16:43 1370

On March 22, they slowed down Telegram. As loud as it may sound, it felt like the world stopped. What about all the texts, connections with family members!? It turned out that all life was in Telegram...

Intensification of mobilization in Ukraine: digitalization and total tracking

03/30/2026 19:35 1078

Mobilization in Ukraine may soon move into a significantly stricter and more controlled phase. This is not about isolated targeted changes, but about an attempt to close several key “gray zones” at once...

“The war in the Middle East is a blow to China and a chance for russia”: expert Mykhailo Honchar explained what’s going on in the energy market

03/24/2026 23:44 1054

Will the current crisis become a new “energy shock” for the world? Who actually benefits from rising oil prices? And is China capable of stabilizing the situation by acting not only as a consumer but also as a geopolitical mediator?

Forced evacuation: what the new law provides for and why human rights defenders criticize it

03/17/2026 14:12 1184

This concerns not only cases of refusal to evacuate. The norm may also be applied in other situations. For example, if parents do not go with the child to a bomb shelter or leave the child alone at home. Theoretically, this may be interpreted as failure to ensure the child’s safety and become grounds for removing the child...

Crimea in a state of tension: 12 years of occupation and systemic problems

03/09/2026 11:09 3448

Yes, russia illegally took Crimea in 2014, just as it is now doing with another territory of Ukraine. But this has already happened, and let’s be honest, no fair referendum or vote today would be on Ukraine’s side...

It’s not about territories! Or why Donbas must not be surrendered

03/02/2026 17:15 1249

If Zelensky agrees now to voluntarily withdraw the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Donbas, then this will no longer be negotiations, but simply the signing of a capitulation. Since peace on the terms of one side is exactly that — capitulation. That is, in such a case, Kyiv will de facto recognize its defeat in the war and moscow’s victory. But objectively, Zelensky has no reasons to take such a step...

Second-hand embarrassment of the “liberated” Avdiivka. Overview of the occupied Donbas media

02/27/2026 21:40 1211

It is obvious that the propaganda of the occupied Donbas loves cheerfully patriotic news hooks. The most valuable are anniversaries of past victories and, of course, the successes of the so-called “special military operation”. Thus, last week, the collaborationist authorities recalled that two years ago russian troops managed to capture Avdiivka, which had been almost completely destroyed by the occupiers’ missiles and bombs...

The Dayton Accords: how an “imperfect peace” stopped the war… and froze the conflict

02/19/2026 15:33 1270

For Ukraine, this experience matters not as a model to copy, but as a warning about the price of compromises concluded under pressure and without a clear understanding of what the state will look like “after peace”...

We are ungrateful. Luhansk journal

02/12/2026 20:48 1268

An elderly person definitely won’t cope with this. The world is changing too fast, it’s not for the elderly. Not for weak people. And, strangely enough, on social media people don’t thank anyone for new paths, but complain about new tariffs, about changes that are too rapid, about a world that is often not as friendly as we expected...

Fake victories of the russian army, marines near Pokrovsk, and the energy crisis — Ivan Stupak on enemy’s plans

02/04/2026 19:36 1205

It looks like a constant attempt to demonstrate positive results. Because those at the top are waiting for them. Their logic is simple: not a day without a result, not a day without a capture...

Personnel rotation in wartime: what the latest appointments in power really mean

01/29/2026 16:38 1359

This is the strangest dismissal. Some say it is revenge for Yermak, the Mindich story; others say it is a request from Kyrylo Budanov, because they have rather tense relations (not conflictual); still others say it is simply renewal for the sake of renewal. The most discussed version in the corridors is Maliuk’s excessively high media activity and his contacts with the Americans....

“Short-lived happiness”. Luhansk journal

01/19/2026 16:42 2122

A refrigerator truck with a “200” sign (a euphemism for "killed in action" – ed.) is driving toward me. There are very many of them in the city. This one is small, cozy. And the “200” sign on the windshield is framed with Christmas fairy lights… Most likely, it’s just ordinary lighting the driver managed to find, but it turned out so festive, playful, like in a Coca-Cola commercial...

Diary of an 18-year-old volunteer’s mother: war is profitable, it is hard to compete with it

01/07/2026 12:31 2306

And in the 12th year of the war, I begin to realize it as my competitor, against which I have little chance. Because it can give many people much more than just a single mother — war can give earnings, positions, power, lucrative contracts to drone manufacturers and funeral homes, income to barbershops in Izium and brothels in Kramatorsk…

Volodymyr Fesenko: The window of opportunity is only slightly ajar, russia isn’t ready to compromise on Donbas, and talks have hardened after the U.S. meeting

01/02/2026 18:42 1367

The intensification of international contacts around a possible ceasefire and the search for a formula for a peace agreement between Ukraine and russia is accompanied by growing diplomatic tension and a significant complication of negotiation dynamics...

War and people. What determines the future of Ukrainian Donbas

12/24/2025 20:15 1393

The war determines how many citizens of Ukraine will leave the region and whether they will have anywhere to return to. People determine whether they will want to live in a country where russia kills them and where their own “nationally conscious” compatriots stigmatize them…

What locals say. Residents of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk on the “surrender of Donbas”, language, faith, and corruption

12/18/2025 17:10 1442

Extremely negatively. The percentage of those who are actually waiting for russia here — I wouldn’t call it negligible, but such people are much fewer, percentage-wise, than those who want to live in Ukrainian Donbas. Even if the line of demarcation runs through Druzhkivka...

How the front-line Donbas lives. A first-person report

12/15/2025 11:53 1387

It so happened that the cities in Donbas where I had been on my recent trips — Kurakhove, Pokrovsk — are now impossible to return to. At least in the near future… I noticed this trend in the spring, while being in Sloviansk. I wouldn’t say I’m superstitious, but back then, just in case, I tossed a coin onto the soggy road...

“The military will do what they are ordered” – Donetsk-born officer on the “withdrawal of troops from Donbas” and the AFU issues

12/08/2025 15:10 1343

If, God forbid, that happens, it will be the maximum level of stupidity imaginable. I don’t believe that can happen. Pulling the military out of there means voluntarily giving up our territory. And what would change? The war will continue — only with unprepared positions and more of our people dying...

The “DNR” leader has confirmed that settlements destroyed during the “SMO” will be shown to tourists rather than restored. Overview of the occupied Donbas media

12/02/2025 12:26 1509

For the first time, Denis Pushilin voiced the idea of preserving the Donbas city districts and settlements destroyed by the russian occupiers “to preserve memory” half a year ago. At that time, he named Avdiivka, Vuhledar, and Bakhmut as candidates for an “open-air museum”...

“This is not a document, this is a venture. But there are positive points”: Serhiy Harmash on the new U.S. “peace plan”

11/26/2025 11:46 1438

Marinka and its only resident, FC “Shakhtar’s” stolen biography and their own chicken wings. Overview of the occupied Donbas media

11/20/2025 13:51 1489

t’s hard to explain why, but from time to time the media of the occupied Donbas churn out news or reports that, according to russian censorship, clearly fall under the criminal article “discrediting the SMO” or even “sabotage”...

Military expert Roman Svitan: Ukraine has strategically lost Pokrovsk, the city is under threat of encirclement

11/07/2025 14:29 1589

Military expert Roman Svitan explained to OstroV why Pokrovsk has become the strategic centre of the russian attack, what the loss of this line would mean for the entire eastern defensive system, and what decisions the Ukrainian command and authorities now need to make...

Diary of an 18-year-old volunteer’s mother: a year has passed. Turns out, one can live like this

11/03/2025 12:57 1669

...We talk about mercenaries in the army of russia, but we also have Colombians who have already become part of everyday reality. They also fight on the opposite side, where the payments are much higher. One can conclude that those who choose to fight for Ukraine do so consciously, not just for money...

The kremlin hopes to break Ukraine in winter, but Trump’s sanctions change the negotiation game

10/29/2025 13:40 1704

Later it became known that he had three options: the lightest, medium, and heavy. He, accordingly, imposed the medium option of sanctions, hinting to putin that he still had a tougher package...

Rehabilitation after russian captivity resembles a Tarantino movie

10/24/2025 11:39 1660

This man (like all of them) is in prison again — though a different one. Yes, it’s not russian captivity. But it’s still a prison. And within him, the feeling of dependence on the system continues to grow...

Pavlo Lakiichuk: The summer offensive failed, but russia is preparing a new campaign, the enemy has not abandoned plans to capture all of Donbas

10/17/2025 14:26 1623

Gerasimov had to replan the operation. That’s what he meant when he was shown on television: “We will continue the autumn offensive”. In other words, a new operation is being planned, resources are being allocated, and it will be implemented...

The Moldovan elections as a prototype of future elections in Ukraine

10/13/2025 15:39 1622

The geopolitical confrontation between the EU and russia that raged during the parliamentary elections ended not only with the victory of Sandu and the European Union but also with the further polarization of Moldovan society amid deepening internal problems...

"The kremlin suffered a defeat": Volodymyr Fesenko on the elections in Moldova and the prospects of reintegration of Transnistria

10/03/2025 12:57 1599

A victory for pro-Russian forces in Moldova would be a powerful argument for those European politicians who oppose EU enlargement. And this would undoubtedly work against both Moldova's European integration and Ukraine's European integration...

Russian elections in occupied Sevastopol: the triumph of Razvozhaev and "United Russia"

09/29/2025 14:41 2681

SVD-2025 confirmed the trend of monopolizing the political space. No governor was replaced, and "United Russia" only strengthened parliamentary positions; war veterans became a new tool of legitimation...

Consumption of reality. Luhansk journal

09/22/2025 14:50 5655

With water, the situation is very different. In Luhansk, the decade long problem has been solved, and it’s still hard to believe that one can live without water supplies stored on every surface in the house. A little further from Luhansk the situation is not so euphoric, but everything is covered by the capacious phrase — repair and replacement of outdated pipes...

Diary of an 18-year-old volunteer’s mother: The imbalance between official news and realities is traumatizing

09/17/2025 15:51 10836

He’s allowed to go to the MMC at his place of registration for two days. His commanders let him at their own risk, because you could get yet another AWOL. And at the MMC, the key doctor’s appointment is scheduled FOR 20 DAYS LATER!

The drawn “hero” Zakharchenko and Pushilin handing out empty promises. Overview of media in occupied Donbas

09/12/2025 13:06 15693

On August 31, occupied Donbas, under the close watch of local media, marked Donetsk Day, Miners’ Day, and staged an imitation of nationwide mourning for the anniversary of the liquidation of the “DNR” leader Alexander Zakharchenko...

Vladyslav Selezniov: Russia’s summer offensive turned out to be a “soap bubble” with no strategic results

09/09/2025 12:04 17720

Meanwhile, according to experts, the russian command is concentrating resources in the south of the Zaporizhzhia oblast, preparing new attacks that could become another attempt to turn the course of the war in its favor...

Crimea without gasoline: strikes on oil refineries, vouchers, and the black market for fuel

08/29/2025 16:19 21595

August 2025 turned out to be especially difficult for the russian fuel market. After a series of strikes on oil refineries, russia lost a significant part of its refining capacity (about 1–1.5 million barrels per day). Exchange prices for AI-95 gasoline reached 80.51 thousand rubles per ton, setting a historic maximum...

There will be no peace, even if... Forecast with analysis of the "root causes"

08/20/2025 15:19 19528

The problem for putin is not the war. The problem for putin, which forced him to ask Trump for a meeting in Alaska, is the economic incapacity of the russian federation to continue the war further. The state of the russian economy is forcing moscow to cut the military budget, which threatens both the loss of the war and social instability if it continues...

"The Finnish scenario". History repeats itself. Then – war returns

08/19/2025 16:28 25486

Moscow’s demands for the transfer of territories not yet seized by moscow in exchange for “peace” make this analogy almost absolute. It turned out that in more than 80 years, the kremlin’s creativity has not advanced one iota...

Tourist season 2025 in occupied Crimea: queues, internet shutdown, high prices, and fear of attacks

08/15/2025 13:20 29819

The occupation authorities are calling the 2025 holiday season the best in five years. The “Ministry of Resorts of Crimea” reported that from the beginning of the year to July 31, the peninsula received 3.74 million vacationers, which is 14% more than in the same period of 2024...

Unstable Trump. Witkoff, tariffs, and the trend toward freezing the war for 8–10 months

08/08/2025 16:30 13370

Recent Witkoff’s visit to putin and the subsequent statements from Washington did not answer the main question – what will happen on August 8, after the deadline set by Trump for moscow to make a “deal” with Ukraine?

Surviving without water: How the occupiers drove Donetsk to a humanitarian catastrophe

07/31/2025 12:07 18610

In four hours, people must gather enough for three days, fill every possible container, wash themselves, do laundry. Residents call this torture, because water is often absent or disappears an hour after it starts...

New water supply schedule: "DNR" residents nostalgically recall the times when it was given every other day. Overview of media in occupied Donbas

07/24/2025 16:37 15638

Last week, local information resources were diligently preparing their readers and viewers for a further worsening of the tap water shortage problem. Local authorities once again “reminded” that the occupied Donbas was left without water due to a water blockade, the beginning of which coincided with the open invasion of Ukraine by russian troops, but which, allegedly, was arranged by Kyiv...

"Trump’s 50 days". Political analyst Ihor Chalenko explains what lies behind Washington’s new strategy

07/21/2025 16:17 11008

Trump realized: if he continues pursuing a policy of appeasing putin, it won’t bring any results. That’s why we’re now seeing tactical changes. I don’t believe these are strategic shifts. Because again, Trump operates in very short-term timeframes. This is even supported by his own statements — for example, about “50 days”, and then “we’ll see if putin agrees to negotiations or not”...

Head of the Luhansk Oblast State Administration Oleksii Kharchenko: on the (im)possibility of working with Luhansk tax offices, the (in)expediency of administration operations, and housing for IDPs

07/16/2025 14:55 15476

Right now, there’s a narrative about 4.5 million IDPs existing. Of course, it’s impossible – for any country in the world – to provide housing to 4.5 million of its citizens. We can only begin solving this problem with the state when we understand the real number of IDPs, not the declared one, and the real need for service housing...

"Next to them, we are a dying species". Luhansk journal

07/09/2025 17:12 15318

There are a lot of non-russians. We’re not used to that. They work until the very end, until it gets dark. Ours don’t, not like that — our people take care of themselves. But these ones are quick, tireless. They can be on their feet for 12 hours, smiling. They need to feed their family, pay rent, secure a place here...

Diary of an 18-year-old volunteer’s mother: relationships between “locals and military” and “women and men”

07/02/2025 18:45 15495

Lately, there’s been this vile trend in social media of people saying that some girls/women supposedly marry young assault soldiers up to three times: one gets buried, she collects the payout, marries the second… and so on — till the end of time...

"Putin wants Ukraine to initiate a capitulation scenario itself" — Kostiantyn Matviienko on the imitation of negotiations

06/27/2025 10:15 11192

In fact, no one in the world right now is putting pressure on him with demands to at least call a ceasefire and stop the killing of Ukrainians, so he’s trying to push this issue off the agenda...

Roman Svitan: Russia is hastily forming new reserves to intensify the offensive by the end of summer

06/23/2025 13:56 15371

Law enforcement officers must be brought into service. There are simply no other options. We can't buy North Korean soldiers. But we have our own. Hundreds of thousands of law enforcement and security personnel within the country who are trained at least for defensive actions. They don’t need to go on the offensive, just to hold the line. They know how to do that...

Diary of an 18-year-old volunteer’s mother: wound, sister, billboards with the fallen

06/16/2025 17:31 15492

Mom, people are dying because of them! At our training base, a junkie was working in the kitchen. That’s disgusting! You come back from a forced march, and someone like that is serving you soup! It’s disgusting! He’s taking a spot that could go to a normal, decent person with a disability!

The kremlin is playing a "Minsk-3" game: Serhiy Harmash on the Istanbul negotiations, memorandums, and putin’s tactics

06/06/2025 12:35 13254

It can be said that the negotiations are not being conducted for results, but rather for the sake of one spectator sitting in the Oval Office. Both sides are interested in his favor, and each is trying to gain certain tactical preferences — whether it be prisoner exchanges or informational and political bonuses.

Diary of an 18-year-old volunteer’s mother: Baibak is “200”. I can’t sleep

05/30/2025 17:18 15699

The instructors told us before deployment not to get too attached to each other, ‘cause many of us will be ‘200’, maybe all...

“No grounds for peace exist. And even putin is showing that”: military expert Serhii Hrabskyi on the situation at the front, negotiations, and mobilization

05/22/2025 13:58 15561

So all this talk about an imminent ceasefire is meaningless. Both putin through his actions and Ukraine through its resistance show that the situation is not yet ripe for any negotiations. Moreover for us, peace negotiations, as practice shows, can be deadly dangerous, because putin uses any pause in the war to his advantage...

Putin is trying to seize the initiative and calls for negotiations in Istanbul: what’s behind it

05/14/2025 12:50 11329

What’s behind putin’s “Istanbul initiative”, why the russian dictator chose Turkey specifically, and whether there are real grounds for a peace process now...

Economic reservation from mobilization: case closed?

05/12/2025 14:07 15485

In recent months, the topic of economic reservation from mobilization has practically faded away. While last year members of parliament, government officials, and even the president discussed possible parameters and details, today this topic is barely mentioned...

Trump’s plan to end the war: chances of implementation and next steps

05/02/2025 11:31 15622

Trump needs a success in this area, and he will work on it. He understands that pressuring Ukraine is useless since neither the government nor society responds to or acknowledges his pressure. So maybe he’ll start putting pressure on russia...

Everything is “ownerless” and everything is mine: A review of media from occupied Donbas

04/23/2025 19:38 15482

Last week, media in the occupied Donbas explained how to carve up property stolen from Ukrainians and kept assuring locals that, once the choicest assets are turned into “federal” property, life will finally get better… It suddenly turned out that the non‑government‑controlled parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts contain huge amounts of “ownerless” real estate: industrial plants, farmland, shopping malls…

The russian myth of the "revival of Donbas". Construction boom or construction noise

04/10/2025 11:23 15467

The “liberation” of Donbas, which russian propaganda has tirelessly repeated since February 2022, turned into total destruction of everything the occupier set foot on. No surprise that amid the bombed-out Ukrainian towns and villages, a myth had to be quickly implanted in the public consciousness: “russians don’t abandon their own and everything will be rebuilt better than before”...

The most important thing is not to compare! Luhansk journal

03/31/2025 12:03 15383

The locals are completely bewildered. How were they allowed to return? It's not even about them, it's about us. How are we supposed to work with them and pretend everything is normal?

Defender of Mariupol Vladyslav Ivakhov: among the jailers were frenzied sadists

03/24/2025 17:32 15415

I would kill them. Or first, I’d do to them exactly what they did to us, put them on trial, and then… I’d kill them anyway. One of my comrades is still in captivity. I know exactly what he’s going through every second in those prison dungeons...

Putin’s response on the truce: was it a “yes” or a “no”?

03/18/2025 12:54 11155

That was a “yes” to Trump but a “no” to Trump’s proposal for a quick truce. Yes, 25 years in power have made putin a skilled diplomat, teaching him how to say “no” while pronouncing “yes”. And in doing so, leaving hope for a “yes” without giving a reason to react to his “no”...

Serhiy Harmash: The question is not whether putin will agree to a truce, but why he would agree to it

03/17/2025 16:17 11070

Why would putin publicly humiliate Trump by refusing when he could simply agree, present himself as a peacemaker, and then break the ceasefire anyway, while blaming Ukraine for it?

Serhiy Hrabsky: The cessation of hostilities today means catastrophe for Ukraine and Europe

03/10/2025 16:09 15616

The situation is further complicated by the fact that we are moving out of the densely built-up urban areas of Donbas. In these open fields, maneuvering is difficult. It is one thing to fight the enemy in an area where we have been fortifying our defenses for years and know the terrain well, but if the russians break out into operational freedom with air support—where they have superiority—and employ large numbers of tanks, which they can deploy, they may be able to advance much farther...

The agreement of disagreement. How long can Kyiv keep Trump on the "hook" of vanity?

03/05/2025 14:20 11303

Therefore, no illusions are needed: this Agreement does not guarantee us any benefits from the U.S., nor "colonial plundering", nor, even more so, a quick end to the war...

If America abandons us. A frontline perspective

02/26/2025 15:01 15406

There’s a reason this war is called the "first drone war"—it means that the majority of strikes are carried out by drones of various types. And most of these drones are not from the U.S...

Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko: The resonant Munich-2025, China's role, and peace negotiations

02/24/2025 13:50 11234

There is a risk—one that many are already discussing—that the West, as a unified geopolitical entity, may become a thing of the past. Europe and the U.S. could, so to speak, become separate geopolitical actors...

"Unfavorable conditions". The running water supply situation in Donetsk has sharply worsened

02/17/2025 12:13 15876

The miracle didn't happen. The water promised by the "DNR" leader Pushilin did not flow into Donetsk homes this morning...

Hryvnia: a test of strength

02/10/2025 15:58 10896

It is clear that under such conditions—where the national currency is held up solely by foreign financial injections—it is difficult to speak of its stability or predict any "bright future"...

"Other facets of life...". Luhansk journal

02/05/2025 10:29 15501

A friend of mine, after ten years of waiting for Ukraine to return to Luhansk, has revived his business in the "capital". Not directly—he's not allowed to enter the "republic"—but through former subordinates. His retail chain once had a foreign name, but now it's been rebranded with a traditional russian one, currently in vogue...

Elections in the de-occupied territories: a paradigm shift

01/27/2025 16:14 14440

As we can see, the conditions for holding elections in de-occupied territories before and after 2022 are fundamentally different. This means the election paradigm for these territories must also change...

Russian PSYOP: "The Jewish question" in Ukraine

01/21/2025 16:36 13505

The purpose of the state is precisely to regulate interactions between members of society, not based on emotions and traumas but on the rational maintenance of societal harmony and the country’s development...

Why is real estate in Donetsk so expensive?

01/14/2025 16:31 12758

First, high real estate prices are tied to high salaries. Of course, this doesn’t apply to the average Donetsk resident, whose salary ranges from 30,000 to 60,000 rubles...

Janissaries of the "russian world". How Ukrainian children are turned into enemies of Ukraine

01/07/2025 17:17 12009

The most vulnerable category of the population to propaganda is children. Their unformed psyche, lack of life experience, and often limited intellectual development make them easy prey for adults instilling any ideas...

Fake "revival"! Or why tax revenues are increasing in the occupied territories

12/30/2024 13:07 11011

During his latest "Direct Line" call-in show, putin stated that in the annexed regions of Ukraine, "revival is progressing quite quickly, and all these regions are reaching self-sufficiency"...

An inside look from Donetsk. Myths and reality of life under occupation today

12/23/2024 16:59 12606

It’s just that on TV, they show how much everyone in Donetsk loves russia and putin. In reality, there’s no love. People just endure and keep quiet so they won’t get arrested. Or, if their job requires it, they “love” it...

“Waste management doesn’t start with sorting”: about one of the reforms on the path to the EU that no one talks about

12/17/2024 11:54 10910

The recycling rate in Ukraine is about 10%, with the rest ending up in landfills, the overwhelming majority of which are illegal. In European Union countries, the situation is roughly the reverse: about 90% of waste is recycled, with only a small portion incinerated...