We are launching our travel show "Dare to Ukraine": Here's what you helped us achieve this week (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

We have some exciting news for you! The Kyiv Independent is getting ready to debut its travel show "Dare to Ukraine" at the end of August. 

Most people know Ukraine through the lens of war, but our travel show aims to introduce the country beyond the wartime headlines, showcasing its rich history and culture.

Above is a still from our first episode of "Dare to Ukraine" which focuses on Lviv. Our TikTok producer and travel show host Masha Lavrova is pictured exiting a train. At the end of the email are additional behind-the-scenes photos from the Lviv episode.

We'd also like to give a warm welcome to our 105 new members this week. Thank you for your continued support!

Here are some highlights from the Kyiv Independent this week:

We reported from Russia’s Kursk Oblast. Our most popular story this week was “Morning in Sudzha: Inside Ukrainian-occupied Russia” which takes a first-hand look at Ukraine’s ongoing incursion in Kursk. “Everything happened so quickly, at first when the command came down we thought they were joking,” said one soldier, who was part of the operation. 

You can also watch the video report of our reporting from Kursk Oblast. Our reporter speaks to civilians in the Russian city of Sudzha who are still waiting for the evacuation about how they are treated by Ukrainian soldiers and why they think the incursion is underreported in Russia.

We also wrote about the Kursk incursion from a military strategy perspective, as Ukraine continues to successfully advance, and what the next moves might be, now that a number of Russian troops are cut off by Ukraine's targeted attacks on key bridges in the area. 

We interviewed Ben Hodges about Ukraine’s Kursk incursion. The retired U.S. general said Ukraine’s surprise “counteroffensive” into Russian territory and Russia’s failure to respond mark a catastrophe for the Kremlin. Watch the video version of the interview here. 

We covered the Democratic National Convention from Chicago. Owen Racer’s recent articles look at the convention’s kickoff and the little mention of foreign policy – as well as Harris’ closing speech, where she affirmed she would “stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies.”

We analyzed Modi's visit to Kyiv, after the Indian Prime Minister was recently in Moscow and shared a widely criticized hug with Putin. Nate Ostiller's article explains what Ukraine can hope to gain from Modi's visit and how India will likely maintain its neutral path.

We also published an explainer on Ukraine's controversial "church bill." Martin Fornusek's article breaks down the recently passed bill, which does not restrict faith, but bans activities of religious organizations with ties to Russia, and most directly concerns the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

This week Belarus Weekly looks at the decision of Ukraine’s parliament to pass a bill that simplifies the process of obtaining residency permits and citizenship for foreign volunteers defending Ukraine, a clause particularly important for Belarusian volunteers. Since November 2023, Belarusian embassies have been banned from issuing new passports abroad. 

We launched the Kyiv Independent store – and we're looking for photos of members in our merch, especially in front of landmarks so we can showcase how global our community is. Please feel free to reach out to us at community@kyivindependent.com if you'd like to share photos or feedback. We'd like to thank those who have already sent something in! And, in case you missed it, you can start shopping our first collections here – with the 15% discount code WELOVEOURMEMBERS.

Our analytical unit KI Insights will host a panel discussion "What happened to Ukraine's oligarchs?" Our team will discuss the key events in the history of oligarchy in Ukraine, the power players in 2019 and where they are now, and the place oligarchs hold in wartime Ukraine. The event will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 4 p.m. Kyiv time. You can register here, and reach out to Olena Yermakova at o.yermakova@kyivindependent.com if you have any additional questions. We hope to see you there!

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