The French left-wing coalition, New Popular Front (NFP), is projected to win the most seats in France's parliamentary election, outpacing President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Ensemble party and the right-wing National Rally (RN) coalition. Following a bruising defeat in the European Parliament elections earlier in June, Macron called for snap elections to be held on June 30 and July 7. The first round resulted in a shocking victory for the right-wing National Rally (RN) party. Current projections show the New Popular Front (NFP) winning between 177 and 192 seats, Macron’s Ensemble taking betwe...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
Key developments on July 6,7: Ukrainian drones attack ammunition, oil depots in Russia, source saysLeaked documents suggest more Russians killed in Ukraine than previously thoughtPoll: More and more Russians think a nuclear strike on Ukraine is justifiedUkraine working on new maritime strategy, Zelensky saysTurkey proposes 'peace platform' to end war in UkraineUkrainian drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine struck a large ammunition depot in Voronezh Oblast, and two oil deports in Krasnodar Krai region over the past two days, a law enforcement source told the Kyiv Independent on J...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
The Netherlands's Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp and Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans met with President Volodymyr Zelensky during their first diplomatic visit to Ukraine, announcing additional aid for Ukraine human rights investigations and missing persons forensics on July 7. "My first working visit as the Netherlands' Foreign Minister, with a crucial purpose: to underline our unwavering support for Ukraine," Veldkamp wrote in a post on X. "This is of existential importance — the Russian aggression and destruction knows no limits." During the visit, Veldkamp announced on X his government ...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
Less than 48 hours after the United Kingdom's new Defense Secretary John Healey took his post, Healey met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Odesa and announced a new package of defense aid on July 7. The new aid announced includes more artillery guns, a quarter of a million ammunition rounds and nearly 100 precision Brimstone missiles. Healey also met with his counterpart, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. "There may have been a change in government, but the U.K. is united for Ukraine. As the new Defense Secretary, I will ensure that we reinvigorate Britain’s support by stepping up supplies o...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him he did not have positive expectations of enacting a ceasefire agreement before serious peace talks begin. Orban relayed the comments in an interview published July 7 with the editor-in-chief of the Swiss outlet Die Weltwoche. "He said that he did not have positive expectations about (such a ceasefire.) Zelensky said that he did not have positive expectations because the Russians would use it against Ukraine, and Putin - that the Ukrainians would use this pause against Russia," Orban said. Orban visited Pu...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
There is no indication that Ukraine's infrastructure agency has misused foreign funds, the EU Delegation to Ukraine told the Kyiv Independent on July 7. Ukraine's Finance Ministry accused the State Agency for Reconstruction and Development of Infrastructure of misusing Western funds in a comment to the Ukrainian online newspaper Ekonomichna Pravda, which was published earlier on July 5. The ministry claimed that the EU Delegation to Ukraine was unhappy with the agency failing to use 150 million euros allocated by the European Commission. Mustafa Nayyem, who previously headed a state infrastruc...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh set a new world record in women's high jump at the Diamond League in Paris on July 7, becoming the first woman to clear 2.10 meters. The previous high jump record had stood since 1987 when Bulgaria's Stefka Kostadinova cleared 2.09 meters. Mahuchikh raised the bar to 2.07 meters and cleared it on her second attempt, setting a new Ukrainian record. She then set the bar at 2.10 meters—one centimeter higher than Kostadinova's long-standing world record from the 1987 World Championships—and cleared it on her first try. “Coming into this competition, I had ...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
Drone attacks were reported in Russia's Krasnodar Krai region overnight on July 6, causing large fires at two oil depots. Russian state-controlled outlet RIA Novosti claimed later on July 6 that the fragments of a downed drone caused a fire at one fuel storage tank in the village of Pavlov, as well as another fire at an oil depot in the Leningrad community. On July 7, a law enforcement source told the Kyiv Independent that Ukrainian drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) were behind the attack on Russian "Lukoil-Yugnefteprodukt." "Yesterday, the Russians couldn't extinguish t...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
Ukrainian billionaire Hennadii Boholiubov, who formerly owned Ukrainian bank PrivatBank alongside oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, recently left Ukraine under forged documents, anonymous sources at the Prosecutor General's Office told the Ukrainska Pravda media outlet. According to the outlet, Boholiubov, 62, allegedly left Ukraine on June 24 after Ukraine's Bureau of Economic Security (BEB) prepared charges against him. Boholiubov left Ukraine by train from Kyiv to the Polish border town of Chelm with forged documents and entered Poland with his own, the outlet reported. He is currently residing in ...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
The Russian government plans to build a network of barrage balloons, called the "Barrier" protection system, to repel Ukrainian long-range drone strikes, The Telegraph reported on July 6. Ukrainian forces regularly conduct drone strikes and sabotage acts on Russian territory, targeting military bases, oil refineries, and industrial facilities, the profits of which fuel Moscow's war efforts. A Russian aerospace firm, First Airship, has developed a ballon prototype and started testing it, according to The Telegraph. Polina Albek, the general director of First Airship, announced that her company ...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
To continue enjoying content, please agree to our Terms of Use for Users that includes our collection and use of your browsing data, which is incorporated into our Privacy Policy.