We interviewed a female soldier about her time on the front line: Here's what your contributions have helped us accomplish this week (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Just in case you missed it, we're launching a new newsletter: Ukraine Weekly. Every Saturday, editor-in-chief Olga Rudenko will share her reflections on key events that shaped the week in Ukraine. Sign up to have it delivered directly to your inbox here.

We'd also like to welcome the 93 new members this week. Your support makes a difference. Our work is funded by members like you.

Here are some highlights from the Kyiv Independent this week:

We interviewed a front line female soldier about the struggle to save wounded soldiers. In late 2023, Ukrainian officer Iryna, callsign "Dyka," recounts her deployment as an assault solider near the Russian-occupied town of Kreminna in Luhansk Oblast and how Russian shelling made it impossible to evacuate a wounded soldier.

Our most popular story last week was an op-ed by military historian Andrii Kharuk about Russia's Black Sea Fleet and how Ukraine systematically destroyed it, despite virtually not having a navy of its own.

Another popular story last week was our explainer on Russia's latest threat: the hypersonic Zircon cruise missiles and what we know so far about the new weapon.

We interviewed Hollywood actress Ivanna Sakhno about her advocacy for Ukraine. "I’ve never felt more at home in Ukraine than during full-scale war," Sakhno said. "It has to do with this feeling of collective presentness of a nation." Watch the video interview here.

We explained how Belarusian dictator Lukashenko continues to tighten his grip on power, including staged votes and a new extra-governmental body called the All-Belarus People’s Assembly, in preparation for the country's presidential elections in 2025.

We wrote about Russia's war on religion in occupied territories. Martin Fornusek's story looks at why attacks against Ukrainian priests and religious sites aren't arbitrary – but part of the Kremlin's playbook to weaponize religion, using it as a tool of control and propaganda.

We want to hear from you – if you have a few minutes, please take our community survey. We value hearing from our members, and your feedback helps us improve our community. You can take the survey here. Thank you for your support.

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