We reported on Zelensky's chief of staff Yermak resigning, amid Ukraine's biggest corruption scandal: Here's what you helped us do this week (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Thank you for your continued support.

To start off with some good news, earlier this month, the Kyiv Independent celebrated its fourth birthday — and also launched a goal to reach 25,000 members before the end of 2025.

We're happy to announce that right now, we have just over 24,400 members — meaning we have just under 500 members to go. Your support means that we will be able to do even more in 2026 — more front-line reports, more investigations, more reporting from Ukraine to the world. It's thanks to you we don't have to rely on a billionaire owner, advertisers, government funding, or anything that could jeopardize our editorial independence.

We'd like to give a warm welcome to the 850 new members who joined this week! It's truly incredible to see this level of support for our work — and especially at such a critical time.

Thank you all for helping us get one step closer to our goal. We're proud to be a reader-funded newsroom. We wouldn't be here without you.

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

Today, Zelensky's chief of staff Yermak resigned amid Ukraine's biggest corruption scandal. Andriy Yermak, head of the President's Office, submitted his resignation following searches by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) at his premises earlier today. You can also read our explainer "Who is Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s closest ally?" here, which breaks down how Yermak amassed a level of power rarely seen in modern Ukraine and why he finally faced a push to leave office.

We also wrote about how Trump's peace plan is taking the heat off of Zelensky, amid the major corruption scandal. Kateryna Denisova's article explains how the foreign policy crisis is actually helping Zelensky to mitigate the domestic controversy — with Zelensky even appointing two implicated officials to lead in peace negotiations.

We covered how the corruption scandal has affected Ukraine's nuclear power plants. Dominic Culverwell's article breaks down how Energoatom — the state company that operates Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, which produce around 50% of Ukraine’s energy generation — plays into the corruption scandal, and how Russia’s full-scale invasion opened the door to new opportunities for exploitation. We also wrote about why splitting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant between Russia and Ukraine — a condition of the 28-point peace deal — won't work in practice.

We reported on Ukraine's controversial weapons startup Fire Point, which has recently gone on a press tour to quell skepticism over its history, ownership and effectiveness. Kollen Post's article takes a deep dive into the controversy surrounding Fire Point and the company's alleged links to Timur Mindich.

One widely read story was about how the U.S. Special Envoy Witkoff pushed Ukraine sympathizers out of the White House. Tim Zadorozhnyy's article explains how Steve Witkoff has side-lined pro-Ukraine officials, analyzing Witkoff's background, his meetings with Putin's emissary Dmitriev, and Washington's internal power dynamics. We also explained how the peace plan undermines Europe's security here and why Kremlin won't commit to Trump's peace push here.

We reported on the mass missile and drone attack on Monday night. Russia launched Shahed drones Kinzhal ballistic missiles, targeting Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine, hitting critical infrastructure as well as residential buildings. We spoke with people who survived the strike, giving their first-hand accounts of the attacks: "I heard a whistle for a split second and then a huge blast just three meters from our balcony." Pictured above, law enforcement officers inspect a crater next to the heavily damaged Novus supermarket logistics hub following the attack, taken by Oleksii Filippov for the AFP.

We also reported on how Russia's propaganda machine weaponizes mobilization in Ukraine. Tania Myronyshena's story shows how Russian disinformation is attempting to undermine Ukraine’s mobilization efforts, spreading claims like "Ukraine has legalized shooting draft officers" in order to spread chaos and fear among society and how it's escalated into real world violence.

Finally, to end on a positive note, if you have a few extra minutes, you can easily send a message of support to Ukrainian veterans! Come Back Alive — a foundation that provides support to the Ukrainian Army — is hosting an adaptive sports competition for veterans who became injured during their service next week. The event will be Ukraine's largest adaptive sports event of the year, and will take place in Kyiv, starting on Sunday. You can find the details here. If you'd like to write a few words of support to the veterans who are participating, you can send your message to us at community@kyivindependent.com and we will be happy to pass them all along to the Come Back Alive team.

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