Letter from editor-in-chief Olga Rudenko and CEO Daryna Shevchenko (Patreon)

Dear members,

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Kyiv Independent. It’s been a long year, and despite challenges, like starting a publication from the ground up and watching the war break out, the Kyiv Independent is still here – and it’s thanks to support from our readers. We wouldn’t be here without you.

Last November – just three months before Russia started the full-scale invasion – the Kyiv Independent was founded. On Nov. 8, the owner of the Kyiv Post, a 26-year-old English-language publication, closed the paper and fired the staff over a dispute about editorial independence. Three days later, the 30 journalists and editors that had been fired started the Kyiv Independent.

As we were making the first steps in building a new company, we already knew that the only way to be truly independent is to rely on the support of our readers. Last November, we reached out to our community, and we got a warm response, including donations and feedback. But with the new challenge ahead, it wasn’t nearly enough.

So we called on our readers again, and that’s then that we knew we were not alone. In the first months of the invasion, over 25,000 people donated to our campaign on GoFundMe, and over 8,000 people pledged monthly contributions on Patreon.

As we look back at the last year, we know that our supporters are an integral part of the Kyiv Independent, not just because this makes us financially independent, but also because this is how we know that we are not alone in all the fast-changing struggles and challenges that come our way. Knowing that you have our back is even more important now as most of our staff continues to work from Kyiv, facing power outages and energy shortages this winter.

Your continued support made it possible for us to grow and plan ahead, instead of fighting for survival. And that’s something that not many Ukrainian media have.

It’s thanks to you that we can bring independent, locally-sourced news about Ukraine to the world when it matters the most. It’s thanks to your support that we can shine the light on Russia’s brutal war and combat the Kremlin’s disinformation.

Thank you again for your support – we’re grateful for every one of you.

Daryna Shevchenko, CEO

Olga Rudenko, editor-in-chief