We reported on the front-line situation near Pokrovsk, as threats of encirclement increase: Here's what you helped us accomplish this week (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Thank you for your continued support — especially at this critical time.

Over the past weeks, Russia has kept slowly advancing, once-liberated cities are under the threat of re-occupation, the skies near the front lines are increasingly saturated with drones, and it’s more dangerous than ever to report from there.

We navigate this situation the best we can to bring you the truth — the good, the bad, and everything else — because we want to make sure you understand the reality of situation on the ground.

We want to say thank you for making a decision to back our work and help keep the Kyiv Independent funded. Last year, 70% of our entire revenue was from reader contributions — simply put, you're helping us report the truth from Ukraine to the world.

We'd also like to give a warm welcome to the 170 new members who joined this week. Thank you for being a part of our community.

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

Our most widely read story was about the front-line situation near Pokrovsk. Francis Farrell's article explains how the defense of the city rests on a knife's edge, as threats of encirclement increase. Most of the town's urban area is a contested "gray zone," with one expert saying that "in reality, Pokrovsk is simply being absorbed." Pictured above is a destroyed building in Pokrovsk, taken by Francis in June of this year.

We wrote about the people who have escaped Russian-occupied Ukraine. Yuliia Taradiuk tells the stories of those who have fled occupied territories, reporting straight from the only working checkpoint between Ukraine and Belarus — and explains why, after escaping, some people return.

We also wrote about the Ukrainian photographer and soldier killed in an air strike in eastern Ukraine. Kostiantyn Huzenko, a 28-year-old Kyiv photographer who documented the war and enlisted the 35th Marine Brigade in April 2024, was killed Nov. 1. Kateryna Hodunova and Yuliia Taradiuk's article remembers Kostiantyn, featuring interviews with his friends and his photography.

Our defense industry reporter Kollen Post analyzed Kharkiv's air defense and underground architecture, reflecting on five key takeaways from the city as it preps for another winter of Russian air attacks, from the expanding network of last-mile drone workshops to Kharkiv's rebuilding efforts in places you wouldn't expect.

We reported on Zelensky's winter support package for Ukrainians. Dominic Culverwell and Kateryna Denisova's article explains the support package — a series of programs designed to ease economic burdens this winter, including a one time payment of $24 to all Ukrainians and 3,000 kilometers of free travel across Ukraine on the state-owned railway — as well as the criticisms, which call the package a populist scheme to boost the government’s dwindling popularity.

We interviewed a leading expert on the Russian economy. Business reporter Dominic Culverwell sat down with Elina Ribakova to unpack the latest U.S. sanctions targeting Rosneft and Lukoil — the oil giants fueling Moscow’s war. We also wrote about how these sanctions are an unexpected headache for the Hungarian leader Orban, who made a rare criticism of Trump, saying this step went too far.

We published an explainer on how Europe plans to phase out Russian oil and gas. The EU will soon decide whether to phase out its remaining Russian fossil fuel imports by 2027 or give itself another year. Toby Woodall's article gives a detailed look at the progress of the Repower EU plan and potential pitfalls, including reliances on energy imports and the market for liquified natural gas.

In case you missed it, the tickets to our event in NYC are still available. 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. The Kyiv Independent team will be present, including our editor-in-chief Olga Rudenko, CEO Daryna Shevchenko, COO Zakhar Protsiuk, front-line reporters Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko, and War Crimes reporter Olesia Bida, among others. You can find out more about the event, and get your tickets here.

Finally, to end on a positive note, we've re-introduced the comment section underneath articles — but only for our members. We heard from you that you valued the ability to leave comments and be part of a discussion, but didn't like the spam. As a solution, we've added this feature as a membership benefit — and now only our members will be able to leave comments. Thank you to everyone who responded to our community survey and emailed us with feedback! We always take your suggestions seriously.

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