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ILLIA NOVIKOV

Ukraine reporter

Novikov is an Associated Press reporter covering news in Ukraine since 2022. He is based in Kyiv.
In this grab from a video provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Friday, Dec 12, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy records a video at the road entering of Kupiansk, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)
Russian police and National Guard will stay in Ukraine’s Donbas postwar, a Kremlin official says
A senior Kremlin official says Russian police and the National Guard will stay on in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas even if a peace settlement ends the war.
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, holds a call with military leaders on the Ukraine battlefield situation together with Denis Pirogov, right, a Russian army brigade commander, at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Zelenskyy says US-led peace talks wrestling with Russian demands for Ukrainian territory
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says negotiators are tackling territorial issues in U.S.-led peace talks with Russia.
 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, looks back at the media in Downing Street, London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
Why Ukraine hasn’t held elections since Russia’s full-scale invasion
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected claims that he is using the war to cling to power.
 
A man walks around an improvised memorial to fallen soldiers killed in the Russia-Ukraine war at Independence square in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Ukraine to give revised peace plans to US as Kyiv readies for more talks with its coalition partners
U.S. President Donald Trump says he and European leaders have discussed proposals to end the war in Ukraine, adding that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “has to be realistic” about his country’s position on a peace plan.
 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, looks back at the media as he walks to meet Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Downing Street, London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Zelenskyy turns to WhatsApp for a midflight Q&A with reporters on his Europe trip
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used an improvised WhatsApp audio briefing during a rapid tour of European capitals to reaffirm that Ukraine will not surrender territory to Russia.
 
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Pope Leo XIV wave to journalists during their meeting in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Zelenskyy reaffirms his refusal to cede land to Russia as he rallies European support
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reaffirmed his refusal to cede territory, resisting U.S. pressure for compromise with Russia.
 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pose on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street, London, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, following a meeting of the leaders inside. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Zelenskyy meets in London with European allies on the US peace plan and Ukrainian security
British, French and German leaders met in London with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a show of European support for Kyiv at what they called a “critical moment” in the U.S.
 
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, foreground, and Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, attend the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
US, Ukraine officials say they’ll meet for 3rd day after progress on creating a security framework
President Donald Trump’s advisers and Ukrainian officials say they’ll meet for a third day of talks on Saturday after making progress on finding agreement on a security framework for postwar Ukraine.
 
A mother cries at the coffin of her son Oleh Borovyk, a Ukrainian serviceman who was killed in fighting with Russian forces near Pokrovsk, during his funeral ceremony in Boiarka, Ukraine, on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Europeans accuse Putin of feigning interest in peace after talks with US envoys
Ukraine and its European allies have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of feigning interest in peace efforts after five hours of talks with U.S. envoys at the Kremlin produced no breakthrough.
 
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak talks to the press at the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff resigns after anti-corruption investigators search home
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the resignation of his powerful chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, who was also the country’s lead negotiator in talks with the U.S.
 
A man walks in front of burning residential building after a Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)
Kremlin confirms US envoy will visit as talks on ending war in Ukraine gain momentum
A senior Kremlin official confirms that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Moscow next week.
 
In this photo provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Nov. 21, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks into the camera while delivering a video address to the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)
Zelenskyy says Ukraine faces a stark choice and risks losing American support over US peace plan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told his country that it could face a pivotal choice between standing up for its sovereignty and preserving the American support it needs, as leaders discuss a U.S. peace proposal seen as favoring Russia.
 
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
Ukraine would cede territory to Russia in draft of Trump peace plan obtained by AP
President Donald Trump’s plan for ending the war in Ukraine would cede territory to Russia and limit the size of Kyiv’s military, according to a draft proposal obtained by The Associated Press.
 
Mark Razvozov, left, listens to his mother Yukiia Dvornychenko, during a press conference on the return of Ukrainian children and civilians taken by Russia during the three-and-a-half-year war, at the Embassy of Ukraine in Italy, in Rome, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
Ukraine asks Vatican to formalize mediation role for return of citizens taken by Russia
Ukraine has asked the Vatican to formalize its role facilitating negotiations for the return of Ukrainian children and civilians taken by Russia during the war.
 
A photograph of a child lies on the ground near a residential building which was heavily damaged by a Russian strike on Ternopil, Ukraine, on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlad Kravchuk)
Russian attack kills 25 in Ukraine’s Ternopil as Zelenskyy meets Erdogan in Turkey
A Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s western city of Ternopil has killed at least 25 people, including three children.
 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at the Spanish parliament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via AP)
Zelenskyy will visit Turkey in a new bid to jump-start talks to end Russia’s invasion
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to visit Turkey this week to revive talks on ending Russia’s invasion, which began nearly four years ago.
 
This image released on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025 by Romania's Emergency services, ISU, shot from the Romanian side of the border on the Danube river, shows a cargo ship loaded with liquified petroleum gas engulfed by flames following Russian strikes on Ukrainian port infrastructure in Izmail, Ukraine. (ISU Tulcea via AP)
Drone strikes Turkish tanker in Ukraine’s Odesa, where US natural gas will go
A drone has struck a Turkish-flagged tanker in Ukraine’s Odesa region and set it ablaze. Monday’s strike at Izmail port came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a deal to import U.S. liquefied natural gas.
 
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrea Rosa)
EU renews demand that Ukraine crack down on corruption in wake of major energy scandal
European Union officials are warning Ukraine that it must keep cracking down on graft in the wake of a major corruption scandal that could hurt the country’s ability to attract financial help.
 
In this photo provided by Ukraine's 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade press service, servicemen evacuate their wounded fellow soldier Oleg Solonchak near Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (Iryna Rybakova/Ukraine's 93rd Mechanized Brigade via AP)
Russia makes gains in southern Ukraine as it expands front-line attacks
A Ukrainian commander says the Russian army has overrun three settlements in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region.
 
A worker walks in front of a transformer which was destroyed after a recent Russian missile attack at DTEK's power plant in Ukraine, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, file)
Ukraine detains 5 people in $100M energy sector graft investigation
A Ukrainian anti-corruption agency has detained five people and identified seven other suspects in a major graft investigation.
 
In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, a Russian "Grad" self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher fires towards Ukrainian positions on an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
Zelenskyy seeks Patriot systems from US to counter Russia’s power grid attacks
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he wants to order 25 Patriot air defense systems from the United States as Ukraine tries to fend off relentless Russian aerial attacks that have led to rolling blackouts.
 
In this image made from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, a Russian "Grad" self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher fires towards Ukrainian positions on an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
Ukraine gets more US-made air defense systems to counter deadly Russian attacks
Ukraine has received more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems to counter Russia’s attacks, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
 
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency personnel work to extinguish a fire in Sumy, Ukraine, on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, following Russian drone attacks. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
Russia deploys 170,000 troops for push in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has deployed about 170,000 troops in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, aiming to capture the city of Pokrovsk.
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, talks with Russian servicemen who fought in Ukraine as he visits the Central Military Clinical Hospital, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Vladimir Gerdo, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Putin claims Russian troops have surrounded 2 Ukrainian cities but Ukraine says that’s not true
Russian President Vladimir Putin is claiming that Ukrainian forces are surrounded by the Russian army in two key eastern cities and is offering to negotiate a deal for their surrender.
 
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, a residential building is seen on fire after a Russian strike in Nizhyn, Chernihiv region, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
Russian barrage causes blackouts in Ukraine as Zelenskyy seeks Trump’s help
Russia has launched a heavy bombardment on Ukraine’s energy facilities, using hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles.
 
Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, addresses MPs and Peers in the Houses of Parliament, as an Iranian-made drone of Russian's army that was shot down and captured by the Ukrainian military goes on display at the Palace of Westminster, London, Wednesday Oct. 15, 2025. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
Ukrainian officials meet with US weapons manufacturers before Trump-Zelenskyy talks
A Ukrainian government delegation has met with major American weapons manufacturers during a U.S. visit.
 
A passenger train is seen damaged following Russia's drone attack on a railway station in Shostka, Sumy region, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Kordon Media)
Russia is attacking Ukraine’s vital rail network with more precise drones
Russia is intensifying drone strikes on Ukraine’s rail network, a critical lifeline for commercial freight, passenger traffic and military logistics.
 
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, rescue workers put out a fire of a hospital damaged by a Russian strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
Russian aerial attack hits a Ukrainian hospital, days before Zelenskyy meets Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian forces have launched powerful glide bombs and drones against Kharkiv and hit a hospital.
 
Paramedics evacuate an injured woman after a Russian strike on a residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Dan Bashakov)
Russian strikes wound at least 20 in Ukraine’s capital as child is killed in separate attack
Ukrainian authorities say that Russian drone and missile strikes wounded at least 20 people in Kyiv and damaged residential buildings and caused blackouts across swathes of Ukraine.
 
A local resident sits on a bench with her pet dog during a blackout following Russia's air attacks on energy facilities in Chernihiv, Ukraine, late Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Dan Bashakov)
Russian strike seriously damages Ukrainian power plant as winter approaches, officials say
Ukrainian authorities say a Russian strike has seriously damaged one of Ukraine’s thermal power plants in an overnight attack, as Moscow pursued its campaign to deny Ukrainians heat, light and running water as winter approaches.
 
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