We reported from Donetsk Oblast, embedding for two days with Azov's foreign drone team: Here's what you helped us accomplish this week (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Thank you for your continued support.

This week, we announced the next documentary from our War Crimes Investigations Unit, "The War They Play," which exposes how Russia is militarizing Ukrainian children in occupied territories — drawing them into youth organizations and systematically conditioning them for military service.

Before the documentary premieres in Kyiv next week, we'll have an exclusive screening for our members, followed by a Q&A with Olesia Bida of the War Crimes Investigations Unit and and our editor-in-chief Olga Rudenko.

The online screening of "The War They Play" and Q&A will be on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. Kyiv time. You can register and submit your questions here.

We'd also like to give a warm welcome to the 248 new members who joined this week. Your contributions make our work possible, and we're grateful to be backed by our community!

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

We reported from Donetsk Oblast, embedding with Azov's foreign drone team. Francis Farrell and Nick Allard spent two days with volunteers from around the world who joined International Battalion of Ukraine’s Azov Corps. Watch the video report here, which shows how the foreign volunteers have integrated into Ukraine's ranks and have adapted to modern drone warfare — and what inspired them to fight for Ukraine in the first place. Pictured above is a still from the video report.

Could Tomahawks force Putin to end Russia's war? Chris York sat down with U.S. defense expert Tom Karako to discuss the U.S. potentially supplying Tomahawks — its most advanced cruise missile — to Ukraine, and how a single decision might affect the balance of the war, from the potential impact on Russia’s operations to the political risks facing Trump.

We wrote about what to expect from the meetings between Putin, Trump, and Zelensky. Martin Fornusek's article explains what we can expect from the Zelensky-Trump meeting — Ukraine is hoping for for Tomahawks — while Alexandra Brzozowski's article takes a look at what we know about the Putin-Trump meeting, as even the EU is left in the dark about it, despite the meeting taking place within EU borders, in Hungary.

We reported on how the Ukrainian army's shift to a new structure — a corps-based command — struggles to deliver. In the fall of 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces unveiled its plans for a major restructuring — transitioning the army to a corps-based command system. Kateryna Hodunova's article breaks down exactly what a corps-based command system is, how it compares the previous organizational structure, and why problems from the previous system still persist.

We also wrote about Putin's "desperate attempt" to retain a foothold in the Middle East. On Wednesday, Putin met with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in what experts call the Kremlin's bid to cling to influence in the Middle East. Tim Zadorozhnyy's article explains how Russia's position in the region has become so weak and what we can expect next. This week, we also republished an investigation from the OCCRP which reveals how three ships, accused of stealing Ukrainian grain, are linked to the regime of disposed Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad.

We reported on how political advertising is booming in Ukraine — despite the country not being able to hold elections. Kateryna Denisova takes a look at these advertisements, and experts believe that public figures may be laying early groundwork for post-war runs.

In case you missed it, the tickets to our event in NYC are live. On Dec. 9, the Kyiv Independent will be hosting "Stories From Democracy's Front Line" — a night of live storytelling, with the proceeds of the event going to fund our War Crimes Investigations Unit. Tickets start at $200, and are limited. You can find out more about the event and get your tickets here.

Finally, to end on a positive note, last week we launched our fall community survey — and we already have over 1,100 responses! We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has already filled out the form. Your responses help us tremendously and we read every single one. If you haven't taken the survey yet, we'd love to hear from you! It takes about 7-12 minutes and you can find it here.

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