Winter support fundraiser for the Kyiv Independent: Here’s how you can help us during the unprecedented energy crisis (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Thank you for your continued support. 

We are sending you this letter to give you an update about the energy crisis in Ukraine — and the situation in our office in Kyiv. In short, Russia has created a humanitarian crisis after weeks of attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, which have left millions of people across the country without electricity, heating, and water — amid subzero temperatures. 

We’ve also opened a winter support fundraiser with the goal of $25,000 to help our team stay online and warm during the unprecedented blackouts. If you want to help the Kyiv Independent office, the money will be used to purchase items ranging from power stations to blankets. Pictured above, the Kyiv Independent team works in the office during a power blackout earlier in January.

The energy crisis started on Jan. 9, when Russia launched hundreds of drones, ballistic and cruise missiles, at Ukraine, leaving hundreds of thousands without power — as well as disrupting Kyiv’s water supply and cutting off heat to 6,000 apartment buildings (about half those in Kyiv). At the time, Kyiv’s mayor even urged residents to temporarily leave the city if they were able to stay elsewhere. 

After another mass attack overnight on Jan. 13, around 70% of Kyiv was left without electricity, with Russia apparently “going all in” to destroy Ukraine’s energy system. 

For context, this month temperatures in Kyiv frequently were between -20 degrees Celsius and -10 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit to 14 degrees Fahrenheit), making prolonged power outages a direct threat to people’s ability to stay warm, safe, and continue their work.

According to Kyiv’s mayor, 600,000 people have already left Kyiv in January.

It’s the hardest winter for Ukraine in the four years of Russia’s all-out war — and according to Kyiv Independent team members, blackouts last 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. 

In addition to prolonged outages of electricity, the majority of the team also has problems with heating and water in their homes. Because of subzero temperatures, radiators and heating pipes can freeze and burst. Most of Kyiv’s central heating is no longer working, and while people use electric radiators — they only work when there are no blackouts. 

People are coming to work in the office where the temperature ranges from 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit) to 13 degrees Celsius (55 degrees Fahrenheit), which is still better than what they have at home. And despite these brutal conditions, most of our team remains in Kyiv, reporting without reliable heat, electricity, or water, working from freezing homes and offices to ensure the world knows what is happening here.

We’ve been buying power banks, power stations, desk lamps, portable heaters, chemical heating pads and blankets to help keep people online and warm as possible here in the office — turning it into a hub for our team to have access to basics like electricity, water and internet. 

The Kyiv Independent is here to stay — which also means making sure our staff is able to recharge and giving them a stable environment to continue their critical work. This is why we’ve opened the $25,000 winter support fundraiser, and here is what we plan to spend the funds on: 

Maintenance of the generator 

Power banks and power stations 

Space heaters, chemical heating packs, and blankets 

Battery-powered desk lamps 

Relocation of Kyiv Independent team members to safer places within Ukraine and outside the country for 2-3 weeks, covering travel and accommodation

Renting hotel rooms with proper heating or access to utilities in Kyiv for team members 

If you would like to make a donation, you can do so either via our fundraiser here on Myriad (a tax-deductible donation for U.S. residents) or directly on the Kyiv Independent website. 

If you donate through the Kyiv Independent website, please select “Add comment” and then write “winter support” in the space below so our team can track the donations.

We’d like to personally thank our member Patrick Olson who has already donated $10,000 to our fundraiser — thanks to Patrick we are almost already half way to our goal. Thank you so much for standing with us during not only the energy crisis, but throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We truly wouldn’t be here without our members. 

If you have any questions regarding the fundraiser, please feel free to reach out to our donations manager Lisha, at l.shmidt@kyivindependent.com.

Thank you again for your support.