Our War Crimes Investigations Unit released a new documentary: Here's what we've accomplished with your support this week (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Thank you for your support. Today, our War Crimes Investigations Unit released their documentary "Destroy, in Whole or in Part," which investigates whether Russian war crimes in Ukraine qualify as genocide, both legally and analytically. You can watch the full documentary on our YouTube channel, here. Pictured above is some of the artwork, accompanying the documentary.

We'd also like to welcome the 77 new members this week. It's your support that helps us keep reporting. Thank you for standing with us.

Here are some highlights from the Kyiv Independent this week:

We wrote about the latest developments around weapons being sent to Ukraine. Here are the five things you need to know about recently pledged assistance, including minehunters and artillery ammunition, and an explainer about Taurus missiles: why Ukraine wants them – and Germany hesitates.

Our most popular story last week was about Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries. Though Ukraine has been attacking Russian oil infrastructure since the start of the full-scale invasion, in the past several weeks alone there have been dozens of attacks, across nine regions in Russia, all targeting oil refineries.

We reported from Donetsk Oblast on those who look after civilians on the front lines. Alexander Khrebet covered how the White Angels — a special unit of Ukraine’s National Police – evacuate, deliver aid, and check in with the few remaining civilians in the front-line towns of Torske and Zakinte.

We covered Russia's mass missile strike on the morning of March 21. Dinara Khalilova writes about how Kyiv residents were affected by the attack where two ballistic and 29 cruise missiles were launched at the capital and the surrounding region. "It will all be restored," one woman said. "But people's lives are falling apart."

We wrote about Russia's economy and defense production in war. Russia’s war machine may not be as formidable as it seems, as serious vulnerabilities plague Russia’s personnel and materiel pipelines, though on the other hand, some American fast food companies still refuse to leave the Russian market.

We published an explainer by The Counteroffensive on the Kremlin's illegal chemical weapons playbook. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has used chemical weapons 1,068 times, violating the Chemical Weapons Convention and potentially testing the world’s resolve against such acts.

We wrote about the fight in Kyiv to save the iconic Zhytniy Market. Dominic Culverwell's piece explains how local authorities postponed a recently announced auction for the market after accusations the competition was unfair but it may still be at risk – this wouldn't be the first time Kyiv has lost its architectural heritage to developers.

This week, Belarus Weekly looks at Poland's decision to cut funding for exiled Belarusian media, jeopardizing the survival of independent press. Belarus ranks 157th in the worldwide press freedom rating, with 40 media workers and journalists having been imprisoned by the Lukashenko regime for their work.

In case you missed it, we're adding a new benefit for our community members: free Ukrainian language lessons. Lessons with a Ukrainian teacher, Vitalii, will take place every Tuesday, starting at 5 p.m. GMT. We'll be sharing updates and learning materials on our community Discord server. If you have any questions, reach out to us at community@kyivindependent.com.

Thank you for standing by our side as we bring independent, locally sourced news about Ukraine to the world.