We premiered our latest documentary about Russia's militarization of Ukrainian children: Here's what you helped us accomplish this week (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Thank you for your continued support.

On Thursday, we premiered the latest 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. This is the tenth documentary from our War Crimes Investigations Unit, and it is free to watch on our YouTube channel, here.

Pictured above, Olesia Bida, the author of the film, poses next to the Ukrainian version of the poster for "The War They Play" on Thursday evening in Kyiv.

In December, we'll host an event "Stories From Democracy's Front Line" in New York City to raise money for the work of our War Crimes Investigations Unit in 2026. Speakers will include our front-line reporters Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko, as well as Olesia Bida from the War Crimes Investigations Unit. You can find out more and get your tickets here.

We'd also like to give a warm welcome to the 227 new members who joined this week. Thank you so much for being a part of our community. We genuinely wouldn't be here without our members.

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

Why does Russia want Donbas? Our most widely read story last week was Tim Zadorozhnyy's article breaking down why Ukraine is being pressured to give up the eastern Donbas region and why Russia is so obsessed with it.

We analyzed the battlefield situation, as Russian troops and drones infiltrate deeper into Ukraine's fortress city Pokrovsk. Francis Farrell's article takes a look at the current state of the fight for Pokrovsk — including the two Ukrainian civilians shot dead and the drone-saturated sky — and explains why attritional battles around fortress cities are critical for deciding the course of the war.

We published an investigation in collaboration with the Guardian about wildfires in Ukraine. In 2024, a million hectares of Ukraine’s forests and land burned. Heat, mines and shelling all contributed, but footage of Russian drones targeting firefighters has raised the question of war crimes. Linda Hourani and Patrick Greenfield's investigation looks at whether Russia is deliberately fueling the flames.

We reported on Russia's series of deadly missile strikes on Ukraine's military training centers. Asami Terajima's article takes a close look at why these attacks are so difficult to defend against — and why Ukraine struggles to adapt, as Ukraine's army command faces criticisms of mismanagement and negligence.

We wrote about how Russia has upgraded its already devastating glide bombs. For the first time last week, Russia targeted residential areas in three cities in Kharkiv Oblast with long-range glide bombs. Tania Myronyshena's article explains what the KAB munition is, the range and capabilities of the bombs, and why Russia is focusing on upgrading them now.

We also wrote about the myth that Russian soldiers in Ukraine are being forced to fight against their will. Tania Myronyshena's article explains the structure of Russia's armies — and explains how most Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine chose to do so, and did so not for values, but for cash.

We reported on the latest struggle for Ukraine's embattled steel industry — Polish protectionists. Business reporters Dominic Culverwell and Luca Léry Moffat's article looks at how Ukraine’s metal sector has apparently been made a scapegoat for Poland's steel troubles, if these claims are founded, and the history of trade tensions between the two countries.

Finally, to end on a positive note, yesterday we shared the fifth edition of our "How to help Ukraine" newsletter featuring Superhumans Center and their targeted evacuation program, which works to quickly evacuate soldiers with injured limbs from the front lines to the Superhumans Center in Lviv, so that they can receive specialized treatment or more sophisticated surgeries increasing the likelihood of saving their limbs. So far, thanks to our community, we've already raised almost $7,900 for Superhumans' targeted evacuation program! Thank you to everyone who made a contribution — it's incredible to see what our members are able to accomplish working together! If you'd still like to make a contribution, you can do so here.

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