Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Swipe for next article
Kyiv says its military still holds on in northern part of Pokrovsk and is defending a smaller city nearby
Removed from bookmarks
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
The Russian military is continuing to suffer heavy losses in Ukraine, as troops attempt to finalise the capture the key city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv‘s military said.
Moscow’s forces have suffered more than 2,000 casualties in the past two days, according to figures from the Ukrainian military’s General Staff, as it throws large numbers of personnel towards heavily fortified Ukrainian defences.
Kyiv says Russia’s army suffers around 1,000 injuries and deaths every day. A January report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found that at least 325,000 soldiers have been killed, the most by any major power since World War II.
Vladimir Putin’s troops are still waging a months-long campaign to seize the strategic railway hub and capture the whole of the Donetsk region while his negotiators stall peace talks.
The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces still held the northern part of Pokrovsk and were also defending the smaller city of Myrnohrad nearby.
But Ukrainian open-source researchers DeepState said Russian infantry were moving into the northern part of Pokrovsk, and described the current fighting as “the last battles” for the two cities.
The suspect of an attack on a top Russian general has been extradited to Moscow after being arrested in Dubai, according to Russia’s security service.
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev was shot in an alleged assassination attempt on Friday, and is currently recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery.
Lyubomir Korba, a Russian citizen who Moscow says was working under Kyiv’s instructions, has now been detained in Dubai and is now in detention in Russia.
Ukraine denies all involvement in the attack, which comes following a spate of killings of senior military officers in Moscow last year that were linked by Russia to Ukraine.
Here is everything we know about the shooting of a senior military intelligence officer so far.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has warned against “overly enthusiastic perceptions” of peace talks on Ukraine and warned there is a “long way to go”.
Speaking in an interview with Russian channel NTV, Lavrov said, according to Ukrainska Pravda: “We have said this more than once: we must not fall into some kind of excited perception of what is happening – that President Trump has put the Europeans in their place, put Zelenskyy in his place, and is demanding compliance from them.
“All of this is fine if we want to achieve peace in Ukraine, but we are not there yet. The negotiations are ongoing; a second round took place in Abu Dhabi, and there is still a long way to go.”
He also criticised the Trump administrations use of trade wars on the international stage, stating that the US “abuses the position of the dollar in the global economy and turns the American currency into a weapon against states it finds objectionable”.
Russia’s FSB security service has detained a third suspect over an attempt last week to kill a senior military intelligence officer, Vladimir Alexeyev, Russian news agency Interfax quoted the FSB as saying on Tuesday.
Alexeyev was shot in an alleged assassination attempt on Friday, and is currently recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery.
Lyubomir Korba, a Russian citizen who Moscow says was working under Kyiv’s instructions, was previously detained in Dubai and is now in detention in Russia.
Ukraine denies all involvement in the attack, which comes following a spate of killings of senior military officers in Moscow last year that were linked by Russia to Ukraine.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz will meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Berlin has confirmed.
Mr Merz is set to open the annual security forum with a speech that will outline German foreign policy in times of great power politics and strained transatlantic relations, the official told reporters in Berlin.
“The chancellor has repeatedly made clear that he is not among those who say we are in a situation in which we must — or even can – write off the United States,” a German official said.
“I expect he will outline what he sees as a path forward for transatlantic relations.”
Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych has been informed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that a helmet he intended to use at the Milano Cortina Games, featuring images of compatriots killed during the war, violates rules on political statements and cannot be worn in competition.
The helmet, which depicts several athletes who died in the conflict – some of whom were personal friends of Heraskevych – is now expected to be shelved.
Heraskevych, who serves as his country’s flag bearer at the Games, had been using the helmet in training.
He was reportedly informed of the ban by Toshio Tsurunaga, an IOC representative responsible for communications with athletes, during a visit to the Athletes’ Village.
Read our full report here:
Russia’s defence ministry has said its forces have seized the settlement of Zaliznychne in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.
The Independent could not independently verify Tuesday’s battlefield report from Moscow.
The Kremlin has said it does not see a desire from France to resume dialogue at the highest level, despite recent contacts having been made between Moscow and Paris.
French president Emmanuel Macron sent his top diplomat to Moscow last week, sources told Reuters, as he explored the possibility of reopening direct talks with the Russian leader.
The pair last spoke over the phone in July 2025, their first conversation in nearly three years.
“Indeed, contacts have taken place, we can confirm this, which, if desired and necessary, will help to quickly establish dialogue at the highest level,” Peskov said.
“So far, we have not received any indication of this desire, although we have noted Mr Macron’s statement on the need to restore relations with Russia. We are impressed by such statements.”
We’ve now heard from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who has been speaking on the possibility of further trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US.
No date has been set yet, he said, but negotiations are likely to take place soon.
The second round of trilateral peace talks took place in Abu Dhabi last week, yielding no major breakthrough though 314 prisoners of war were exchanged, the first such swap since October.
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in