Reporting on this morning's missile strike, and other things that kept us busy this week (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Early this morning, Russia launched 158 missiles and drones at Ukraine, making it the largest air attack since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. In Kyiv, the strike damaged residential buildings, warehouses, an office center, and a metro station. The death toll stands at 30 people now and continues to grow, with casualties being reported in five regions

Pictured above are damages from the strike in Kyiv, photographed by our videographer Olena Zashko. Additional photos from this morning in Kyiv can be seen on our Instagram here.

Though this is a grim note on which to end the year, we aren't hopeless. We’re bracing ourselves for a year of uncertainty – but also, a year of fighting. Thank you for continuing to stand with us.

We'd like to welcome the 71 new members this week. 

Thank you to all of you, our supporters, for the light you've given us in 2023 and for being a part of our story. 

Here are some highlights from the Kyiv Independent over the past week:

We took some time to review the year that is ending. Daria Shulzhenko's article looked at what made Ukrainians feel hopeful in 2023 – including Biden's surprise visit to Kyiv and EU accession talks for Ukraine – and we also showed Ukraine's 2023 in photos. Look out for the review of the main battles of the year, to be published on Dec. 30.

We reported on how Christmas celebrations are changing in Ukraine, including the decision of more Ukrainians to celebrate on Dec. 25 to create more cultural distance with Russians, who typically celebrate on Jan. 7. We also shared a photo story of soldiers celebrating Christmas on the front line.

One of our most popular articles last week was Francis Farrell's story from an embed with 42nd Mechanized Brigade, 20 kilometers away from the front line, which gives an in-depth look at everything from the heroic to the mundane during 12 hours of positional war near Bakhmut and the day-to-day trench fighting that defined 2023.

We interviewed Ukraine'sForeign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who said "Europe doesn't know how to fight wars," referring to Europe's inability to ramp up their production of weapons and ammunition, while Russia has been able to successfully transform into a war economy. The video version of the interview can be found here.

We reported on Kyrgyzstan's booming trade which serves as a sign that Russia uses the country to circumvent sanctions. The tactic, called "parallel importing," has caused stratospheric increases in certain industries; for instance, German exports of cars and parts to Kyrgyzstan had risen by 5,500% since March 2022.

This week's Belarus Weekly also takes a look back at 2023, highlighting the transfer of Russian tactical nuclear warheads to Belarus reportedly completed in October, the country's participation in the abductions of Ukrainian children, and Lukashenko's crackdown on political prisoners and exiled opponents.

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

We'll see you in 2024!