We reported on Ukrainian soldiers who survived 165 days on the front line, without rotation: Here's what you helped us accomplish this week (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Thank you for your continued support.

As the year draws to a close, we want to say that we know that 2025 has been another hell of a year, and that's why we're especially grateful that you've chosen to stay with us. We'd like to say thank you again to everyone for being part of our community and helping us reach our goal of 25,000 members before the end of 2025.

We'd also like to say thank you to those who attended our event in New York earlier this week and helped support the work of our War Crimes Investigations Unit. We had an amazing time meeting everyone on Tuesday and being able to see some of the many faces who support independent journalism in Ukraine. Thank you for your solidarity and we hope to continue to meet our members and supporters in the future.

We'd also like to give a warm welcome to the 296 new members who joined this week. Welcome to the community! We truly wouldn't be here without readers like you.

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

Our most widely read story this week was about two Ukrainian soldiers who survived 165 days on the front line, without rotation. Oleksandr Tishaiev and Oleksandr Aliksieienko took up positions in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in May, expecting to stay for no more than a month — but instead remained until the end of October, under the constant threat of Russian drones and artillery. You can also watch the interview here, where the two discuss surviving Russian attacks and going for days at a time without food and water. Pictured above are Tishaiev and Aliksieienko during the interview with the Kyiv Independent.

Another popular story was about how Trump's son-in-law has taken a more active role in peace talks. Tim Zadorozhnyy's article breaks down who Jared Kushner is and why Kyiv sees his involvement in negotiations as a potential opportunity, as Kushner "does not appear to be under Putin's spell." You can find the latest updates on peace plan negotiations here, as Ukraine and its European partners have handed Washington their revisions to the U.S.-proposed peace framework

How do Ukraine and Russia still communicate? We reported on the secret backchannels. Tim Zadorozhnyy's article explains the unofficial communication tracks that have emerged since the start of the full-scale invasion — when Ukraine severed diplomatic ties with Moscow — and why these channels are important.

We also wrote about the new U.S. security doctrine and how European security is being reshaped. This week, the new U.S. National Security Strategy stunned allies — as it gives Putin exactly what he wants, i.e. the doctrine questions some of the main principles of NATO and de-prioritizes European security. We also wrote about the dilemma European governments now face here, as states do see the danger of Washington's shift, but remain divided on the solution.

Looking for the 10 best Ukrainian books of 2025? Kate Tsurkan curates a list with the top books related to Ukraine including "Looking at Women Looking at War" by Victoria Amelina and "Ordinary People Don’t Carry Machine Guns" by Artem Chapeye. Read the full list here.

We are currently accepting questions for the tenth edition of our written Q&A about war. If you have any unanswered questions from the current state of peace negotiations to how shifting Western support might influence events, we are here to answer them. Just email us at community@kyivindependent.com for a chance to have your question answered and featured on our website. You can read the ninth edition of the Q&A here.

Finally, to end on a positive note, we recently published the latest edition of our newsletter "How to help Ukraine," featuring Dzyga’s Paw Charity Foundation and their Secret Santa program for Ukrainian soldiers. According to Dzyga's Paw, they had over 150 people sign up for Secret Santa — and they estimate that the Kyiv Independent community made up about one-third of their Santas this year! Thank you to everyone who made a contribution or bought a gift for one of the soldiers — it's so incredible to see what our community accomplishes. There are still about 20 letters from soldiers left, but all are for more expensive items — in case you want to help out, you can make a donation of any amount here, and the Dzyga's Paw team will use it to buy what they can for the soldiers who might not otherwise receive a gift. Thank you again to everyone who reads the "How to help Ukraine" newsletter and to those who get involved!

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