We continued to report on the unprecedented energy crisis in Kyiv: Here's what you helped us accomplish in the last week (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Thank you for your continued support.

The energy crisis in Kyiv is at an unprecedented level now — with over 70% of the capital left without power earlier this week after a mass missile and drone attack — and a state of emergency has been declared. 

Over the past week, Russia's relentless attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure have left people across the country without electricity, heating, and water — amid subzero temperatures.

“This is a humanitarian disaster,” said Oleksiy Sorokin, our deputy chief editor. 

“Each fall, when Russia begins hitting critical infrastructure, there are ominous predictions that it will only get worse. Four years into the all-out war we reached the point when we can say: This is the ‘worse’ we’ve been talking about.”

It’s the hardest winter for Ukraine yet — and, according to our team members, blackouts are lasting even longer than the winter of 2022. Many members of staff reported that their apartments go 24 hours or more without any electricity at all, all while, the daytime highs in Ukraine this week are below -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit).

Our team is still based in Kyiv, reporting on the situation from the ground. And we'd like to say thank you for being part of our community and continuing to support our journalism at this critical time.

We'd like to give a warm welcome to the 171 new members who joined this week.

Thank you for your support of independent journalism in Ukraine, helping us bring the truth of the situation on the ground to the world.

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

We reported on the ongoing, unprecedented energy crisis in Kyiv — and how people are staying warm in freezing conditions. Russia's repeated strikes on Ukraine's critical infrastructure have left the capital with widespread power outages, as well as disruptions in water and heating. Tania Myronyshena and Elena Kalinichenko's story looks at the brutal conditions Kyiv residents face and how they manage to survive. Pictured above is thermometer shown inside a Kyiv apartment on Jan. 13, taken by Elena Kalinichenko.

We also reported on Ukraine's AWOL and desertion crisis. Asami Terajima's article takes a look at the spike in desertion cases and why soldiers choose to go absent without leave — and what this means for the front line, as Ukraine faces a deepening infantry shortage, allowing Russian troops to advance in thinly manned sectors.

We interviewed an officer in Ukraine's Special Operations Forces who helps organize resistance movements in places under Russian occupation. Yuliia Taradiuk sits down with the officer — who remains anonymous for security reasons — to discuss how civilians are trained and supported under occupation and why resistance continues despite the risks.

One widely read story this week was about Project Nightfall. Chris York and Tania Myronyshena's article explains everything we know about the UK's ballistic missile program for Ukraine — the project aims to have three industry contractors producing missiles for test firing within one year.

We also interviewed former U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations Kurt Volker, who explains why any U.S. attempt to take Greenland by force would effectively end NATO and how President Donald Trump’s growing willingness to use military force is reshaping global politics.

We wrote about Ukraine's war cemetery the Field of Mars — and how it continues to grow. Kate Tsurkan's article explains how Lviv lays its fallen soldiers to rest and tells the stories of the people who have buried their loved ones in the war cemetery.

We also wrote about how Ukraine's pets endure the war. Tania Myronyshena spoke with different pet owners in Kyiv and near the front line about how their animals have been affected by war. "They don't understand that these are the sounds of war," said one worker at an animal rescue organization. "They just know they're scared."

Finally, to end on a positive note, our War Crimes Investigations Unit has started a new project: a documentary about the history of Russia's attempts to control Crimea. The first part of "Crimea: The War Before the War" was released last week, with the second part to follow in the coming weeks. You can also read the op-ed by Yevheniia Motorevska, the head of the unit, which explains when Russia really began its aggression against Ukraine, here. It's thanks to the support of our readers that we can work on long-term, investigative projects like this.

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