We reported on last night's mass air attack, which left thousands of buildings in Kyiv without heat: Here's what you helped us report on in the last week (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Thank you for your continued support.

Last night, Russia launched a mass air attack at Ukraine, killing at least four people and injuring 24 others in Kyiv and leaving hundreds of thousands without power. Due to interruptions in power, heating, and water, Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to "temporarily leave the city" if they have the opportunity.

Besides hundreds of drones and cruise missiles, Russia also launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile at Lviv, the second instance of an IRBM being used in a combat setting.

Pictured above is a view from a damaged residential building in Kyiv, following last night's attack, taken by our videographer Olena Zashko.

We'd like to give a warm welcome to the 153 new members who joined this week. We know that 2026 is already off to a rough start, but we’re glad that you’re standing with us. Thank you for your support.

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

Our most read story last week was about Venezuela's Russian-supplied air defense systems. After U.S. helicopters were seen flying unchallenged over Caracas earlier this month, a popular interpretation was that Russian air defense systems were junk. However, we interviewed three defense experts on why exactly the air defenses failed, who cited failures in command-and-control and leadership and U.S. forces potentially suppressing them with cyber and electronic warfare capabilities.

We also interviewed a foreign policy analyst about Venezuela’s political crisis after the U.S. attack and kidnapped Maduro. Jared Goyette sat down with Ivan Fechko, a Latin America senior analyst at the Foreign Policy Council, to discuss Moscow’s long-standing support for Maduro and why Russia was unable to defend its ally — as well as what it could mean for Ukraine and for international law.

Another popular story was our analysis on how manpower will define who is winning the war this year. Francis Farrell's analysis breaks down exactly what is at stake in 2026, the weak points on the front line, the broader discourse around mobilization, and why a consolidated Ukrainian military waging a stable, rock-solid defensive campaign is so critical.

We reported on the restructuring of Ukraine's Ground Forces — and how it's leaving International Legion soldiers in limbo. In Asami Terajima's article, Ukraine’s International Legion volunteers explain the overhaul, which folds its combat battalions into assault regiments, and how it has left them with little official guidance on where they will go or what jobs they will have.

We wrote about Zelensky's new inner circle. Kateryna Denisova's article takes a look at Zelensky's major government reshuffle earlier this month, explaining who is now calling the shots and what the changes mean for special services, law enforcement, peace negotiations, and the war.

We also wrote about how Trump’s Greenland ambitions put Ukraine in a diplomatic bind. Martin Fornusek's article analyzes how the European-U.S. alliance, already buckling under the Trump administration's aggressive foreign policy, is facing its most daunting challenge yet — Greenland — forcing European leaders to balance standing up to Washington's expansionism and their reliance on U.S. backing in the face of Russian aggression.

We published op-eds by Slavoj Žižek and John Bolton. Žižek, a public intellectual, writes about Europe finding its place in this world and Bolton, the former U.S. national security adviser, gives his views on Putin's strategy.

Finally, to end on a positive note, we answered your questions about the war. In case you missed it, earlier this week we published the tenth edition of our written Q&A about the war, answering your questions on everything from Ukrainians' concerns about peace negotiations to recommended readings about EuroMaidan. We always look forward to putting together this Q&A, especially our deputy chief editor, Oleksiy Sorokin, who edits and publishes the final version of this feature, and we’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who wrote in with a question!

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