Our War Crimes Investigations Unit premiered their documentary "No God But Theirs" about Russia's religious repression: Here's what you helped us achieve this week (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Thank you for your continued support.

We had a loud weekend in Kyiv — with three consecutive nights of mass attacks. The first explosions were heard in Kyiv on Friday night at 10 p.m., just hours after Ukraine and Russia began their largest POW exchange of the war so far.

The air attacks, including hundreds of suicide drones, as well as almost 70 ballistic and cruise missiles, continued on Saturday night. Saturday marked the most extensive drone strike against Ukraine during the full-scale war, with 298 drones launched at Ukraine — until the next day.

On Sunday night, Russia broke its record again, launching 355 drones at Ukraine. Pictured above, is a photo of Kyiv by our videographer Olena Zashko, after Russia’s overnight mass missile and drone attack on May 24.

Thank you for your support — it's because of readers like you that we have a stable source of revenue, so we can keep reporting the truth, showing the world the reality of Russia's full-scale invasion from the ground.

We'd also like to give a warm welcome to the 567 new members who joined this week. We recently launched an effort to reach 20,000 community members, to prove that independent journalism can survive without a paywall, without a billionaire, and without compromise. We have less than 500 members left until we reach our goal. Thank you to everyone for standing with us.

Here's what you helped us accomplish at the Kyiv Independent this week:

Our War Crimes Investigations Unit premiered their documentary "No God But Theirs." The film reveals how Russia targets Ukrainian Christian churches in occupied territories — and debunks Kremlin propaganda that casts Putin as a defender of Christianity. This week, the unit's documentary "He Came Back," which investigates sexual violence by Russian soldiers, also won the 2025 Ukrainian journalism award, "Honor of the Profession," in the "Best Investigation" category.

We reported on the 1,000 for 1,000 POW exchange — the largest of the war so far. Last Friday, our journalists traveled to the site of the exchange, showing the long-awaited return of soldiers and the happy reunions, as well as the hopes of those families who are still waiting for their loved ones to be released.

One popular story last week was about Germany's reported plans to send Ukraine Taurus missiles. Kollen Post and Chris York explain the Taurus missiles capabilities and what falls within its range — which includes the Crimean Bridge becoming a potential target.

Another widely read story debunked the Kremlin propaganda around the "root causes" of Russia's war. Andrea Januta's article breaks down Putin's talking point about needing to "address the root causes of the war" before agreeing to a ceasefire — and why the idea of an "aggressive West" is a false narrative.

We looked at how much a Russian drone attack costs. Last weekend, Russia launched its largest drone attack on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, and Andrea Januta took a look at how much one of these mass drone and missile attacks might cost. We also reported on Trump's apparent inaction after the attacks, even as calls for increased sanctions on Russia intensify.

We also published a video explainer about how drones have changed warfare in Ukraine. Francis Farrell explains in-depth what the typical fight for a Ukrainian village now looks like, after embedding with a drone unit from the National Guard’s 14th Chervona Kalyna Brigade.

We reported on European rearmament efforts — and their shortcomings. While some countries are committing real resources to their defenses, the collective EU government is still nowhere near becoming a military power, as the rearmament plans fall victim to infighting, even in the face of Russian aggression and U.S. withdrawal.

We also reported from Bosnia and Herzegovina on the country's pro-Russian leader. The Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik is tightening his grip on power in the autonomous Republika Srpska, using Kremlin support and pushing the country toward its worst crisis since the war in the 1990s.

Finally, to end on a positive note, the Kyiv Independent is taking part in this year’s Book Arsenal festival, one of Ukraine's premier cultural events, which you can find the details of in Kate Tsurkan's article here. This month, the Kyiv Independent also participated in the Lviv Media Forum, as one of the event's media partners. Our CEO and COO took part in panel discussions about how to run a newsroom during war and how to keep Ukraine in the headlines, despite war fatigue. This is what your support helps us accomplish.

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