We broke news on a landmark investment and reported on an impasse in peace negotiations — Here's what you helped us cover this week (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Thank you for your continued support.

This week, we released the second part of our documentary “Crimea: The War Before the War” from our War Crimes Investigations Unit. The film shows how Russia laid the groundwork for its takeover of Crimea for years before launching its illegal annexation of the peninsula in 2014. 

We hosted a special event in Kyiv last Friday, screening both Parts One and Two of the documentary to over 400 people. You can find all of the documentaries produced by our War Crimes Investigations Unit on our website here. Thanks to the support of members like you, we can continue to investigate Russia’s crimes in Ukraine. 

We'd also like to give a warm welcome to the 202 new members who joined this week. Thank you for joining us and providing the stability we need to keep going.

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

We broke the story on the first investment from the long-awaited U.S.-Ukraine minerals fund. Liliane Bivings and Dominic Culverwell revealed that the fund, which was born from the contentious "minerals deal" and jointly managed by Kyiv and Washington, will make its debut investment in Sine Engineering, a Ukrainian dual-use military technology company.

We interviewed the founder of one of Ukraine’s largest drone manufacturers. Kollen Post sat down with Oleksandr Yakovenko, founder of TAF Industries, to discuss the success of Ukraine's drone industry and how his company grew from wartime volunteer logistics. Watch the video here.

We continued to report on the impact of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Polina Moroziuk spoke with those caught between two wars — Iranians living in Kyiv who are watching a new war unfold in their homeland, unable to contact their families due to internet blackouts in Iran, while already living through Russia's invasion. 

We also reported on the knock-on effects of the Iran war for Ukrainian agriculture. Dominic Culverwell wrote about how Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has created a fertilizer shortage that will cost Ukraine’s agricultural sector billions in export revenue at a time when farmers are already stretched thin by Russian attacks on infrastructure and a delayed sowing season.

We covered what Russia's push to ban Telegram could mean for its war effort and economy. Olena Goncharova and Karol Luczka examined how Moscow's plan to block the app, which is used by roughly 100 million Russians, threatens to disrupt small businesses, complicate military communications, and cut off contact between Ukrainian-controlled territory and Russian-occupied regions. 

We also reported on the deepening impasse in peace negotiations. U.S.-mediated talks have stalled over Russia's demand that Ukraine withdraw from Donbas, a condition that Kyiv cannot accept. We spoke to our own sources, experts, and Ukrainian soldiers to explain what this means for the future of talks. 

We also reported on Ukraine's stalled judicial reforms. Oleg Sukhov wrote about how entrenched interests within the judiciary are undermining Ukraine's latest overhaul efforts — and its EU accession prospects.

We also followed up on our investigation of the Brazilian recruit who died at a Kyiv military base. Bruno Gabriel Leal da Silva died in December after fellow soldiers say he was beaten by superiors in a Brazilian-led foreign fighter unit. His family is pleading for justice and the return of his body to Brazil, as the unit's commander continues to deny wrongdoing.

We interviewed the person spearheading U.S. efforts to engage with Belarus. Tim Zadorozhnyy spoke with U.S. Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale about Washington’s warming relationship with Minsk, after Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko again released political prisoners earlier in March in exchange for the U.S. easing some sanctions.

We showed how artificial intelligence is supercharging Russian propaganda. In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, Anna Belokur shows how AI is changing the way we trust video and how this technology fits into Russia’s propaganda machine. Watch the episode here.

As a final note, we have a small request. We are working hard to bring you news from Ukraine, but as a digital publication, we often rely on algorithms to make our stories visible.

Google now allows users in English-speaking countries to pick their preferred news sources, meaning you can prioritize news in your Google search results from organizations you know and trust. You can add the Kyiv Independent as one of your preferred sources by simply clicking here and then ticking the box next to the Kyiv Independent website — it's that easy! 

Google will then suggest our content when you search for topics related to Ukraine, helping our stories reach you more easily.

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