It's a wrap! What 2024 meant for Ukraine (Patreon)

Dear readers and supporters,

This is Olga Rudenko, chief editor of the Kyiv Independent.

We are now in the last hours of 2024, and I'm here to express my gratitude, reflect on the year that passed, and share my New Year's resolution (which I invite you to borrow).

First, thank you for this year. Whether you're a supporter who has donated to the Kyiv Independent or a reader subscribed to one of our newsletters — you're a part of our larger community of people who follow and support Ukraine. For that, on behalf of the whole team — thank you. We wouldn't be here without you.

Phew, what do we make of 2024? Here in Ukraine, it's been a tough, sobering year. If last year was disappointing because of a failed Ukrainian counteroffensive, this year has rubbed the feeling in.

We spent the year watching Russian troops slowly advancing in the east and hearing pro-Russian voices lambasting Ukraine in the West. It was the year to learn who our true friends are and how far our enemies are ready to go to destroy us. 

Despair followed us like a shadow this year, tapping on our shoulders, eager to consume us — if we only let it. At times, it was tempting to give in. But if "resilience" was Ukraine's word at the beginning of the war, today, it's given way to "perseverance." Hope is a choice — this motto has never rung closer to home than now.

I see it everywhere — and right now, literally around me. I'm writing this email to you in a cozy coffee place, perched with my laptop at the corner of a large wooden table. This time, I'm not in Kyiv, but in Dnipro, my hometown in central Ukraine. If you're trying to remember where you heard of this city recently — it was Dnipro that Russia hit with its new missile, Oreshnik, just last month. The place it targeted is approximately 5 kilometers, or 3 miles, from where I’m sitting. 

And yet, if you could be here with me, you would hardly believe it. The little cafe is buzzy and full of life. People meet to exchange holiday presents. A chonky corgi is curled under my chair, and I'm trying not to disturb him as I type this up.

His owner is having a loud conversation behind me — which I don't mind because it's in Ukrainian, a language you could hardly hear in Dnipro when I was growing up here — and I rejoice in this change. (I wrote about this here.)

Today's Dnipro isn't the place I remember. The closest big city to the eastern front, it has become a support hub for Ukrainian troops. They pass through Dnipro on their way to the front and are brought here for treatment when wounded. The war is felt here more than in Kyiv. 

Like many of you, I'm spending the holidays with my family. This year, it feels like a special privilege. Unlike so many in Ukraine, I still have my hometown and childhood home to come back to. The same can't be said about the hundreds of thousands of people who grew up in Donetsk, Crimea, Mariupol, Bakhmut, and other places occupied or destroyed by Russians. They can't go home, for holidays or ever.

To me, my hometown represents strength and stubborn perseverance — so I'm here, at the source, to replenish mine. Because, oh boy, will we all need it in 2025.

What is there for us in 2025? Well, there's a lot of variables. The incoming U.S. administration will try to end the war, but can it? Russia doesn't appear to want peace, at least not on the conditions that Ukraine would consider acceptable. Meanwhile, Russia continues saber-rattling its Oreshnik missiles and nuclear weapons. 

Making any steadfast predictions would be a waste of an email. One year ago, we had no idea that Ukraine would invade Russia's Kursk Oblast, and North Korean troops would be fighting alongside Russians. Yet today, it's our reality. 

Whatever the next year brings, one thing is for sure — we are staying here. The Kyiv Independent will continue our mission to bring you the best on-the-ground journalism, informing the world about Ukraine. 

We will be able to do it thanks to the support of our readers. If you can afford to support the Kyiv Independent, pledge a donation here — they start at just $5 a month. Your bank data will be processed by a secure third-party service. 

Finally, do you already have a New Year's resolution? If not, you can borrow mine. This time, I'm not pledging to start exercising or save money. My resolution is very simple: I promise never to let despair win me over. 

After all, hope is a choice, and it's ours to make. So when despair tries to get in, let’s slam the door shut, right in its sad face. 

Sending you holiday wishes and hugs from the heart of Ukraine. 

Thank you for being with us in 2024 — and thank you for choosing to stay in 2025.

Best,Olga RudenkoEditor-in-chief The Kyiv Independent