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the Kyiv Independent team
OUR STORY
The Kyiv Independent is Ukraine’s fastest-growing English-language media outlet, created in November 2021, just three months before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Kyiv Independent was born out of a fight for freedom of speech. It was co-founded by a group of journalists who were fired from the Kyiv Post, then a prominent newspaper, as the owner attempted to take the newsroom under control and end its critical coverage of Ukrainian authorities.

Instead of giving up, the fired team founded a new media outlet to carry on the torch — and be a truly independent voice of Ukraine. Jnomics, an international media consultancy with Ukrainian roots, co-founded the publication, bringing their expertise in media management.

Just three months after the Kyiv Independent was launched, Russia invaded Ukraine. Our team stayed in Ukraine and kept on reporting on what was now a war against their country.

The team’s resilience and uncompromising reporting quickly made the Kyiv Independent a key source of news from Ukraine for millions of people around the world.

We vowed to serve the principles of honest journalism even during an ongoing war. We have published investigations, including into misconduct within the Ukrainian military. It has solidified our readers’ trust in us as an independent news source. The Kyiv Independent has won multiple awards for its work.

We had to grow fast. Today, the Kyiv Independent is a dynamic organization producing stories, video reports, podcasts, newsletters, documentaries, and more. In March 2023, one year after the start of the full-scale invasion, we formed a separate unit within the team to investigate Russian war crimes.

We are continuing to grow and learn. In a world where disinformation and propaganda are weapons of war, we aim to continue to be able to put up a good fight for truth.

OUR VALUES
1
The Kyiv Independent serves its readers and community, and nobody else.
2
The Kyiv Independent won’t be dependent on a rich owner or an oligarch. Support from our readers, donors, and commercial activities fund the publication.
3
The newsroom decides and executes the publication’s editorial policy in the community’s best interests. Attempts to influence it from outside will not be tolerated.
4
The Kyiv Independent will always be at least partly owned by its journalists.
5
The Kyiv Independent strives to maintain financial sustainability to preserve its independence.
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OUR MISSION
Serve as the bridge between Ukraine and the world, delivering reliable news, context, and on-the-ground reporting.
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Join the team
OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
Almost 2 million monthly readers in 2024
Millions of people now read the Kyiv Independent every month. Our monthly website audience grew from 13,000 readers in January 2022 to close to 2 million monthly readers in 2024.
Over 11,000 articles
since launching the Kyiv Independent.
Over 20,000 news items
in our news feed, which is continuously updated seven days a week.
More than 100 field reports
Since the start of the war, we’ve published more than 100 field reports, including dozens of stories from the front lines, bringing you on-the-ground coverage from Avdiivka and Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar, and Vovchansk.
14 investigations
including an award-winning investigation into alleged misconduct in Ukraine’s International Legion and leaked documents showing Russia’s plan to take over Belarus by 2030.
7 newsletters
The Kyiv Independent currently has seven active newsletters with a total of over 125,000 subscribers. They cover the latest events in Ukraine, front-line dispatches, business news, and much more.
More than 12,000 members
We built a vibrant community of more than 12,000 members. Close to 50,000 people have supported the Kyiv Independent financially since its launch.
We have won 19 awards
for our journalism and one award for our audience growth.
We grew our team from 18 to 60+ people
A bigger team allows us to increase the impact and reach of our journalism.
5 documentaries
Our War Crimes Investigations Unit has produced 5 investigative documentaries about Russia’s systemic atrocities in Ukraine, including the deportation of children and torture of POWs.
KI’s YouTube channel
We produce video content including reports from the frontlines, a show about the latest news “Ukraine This Week”, exclusive interviews, and much more. So far in 2024, we have reached almost 5 million views.
OUR AWARDS
2024
Bucha Journalism Conference Prize
The Kyiv Independent’s War Crimes Investigations Unit won the Bucha Journalism Conference Prize in the Best Investigation of Russian War Crimes category for "Uprooted", a documentary about Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children.
2024
Global Media Awards
The International News Media Association commended the launch of our War Crimes Investigations Unit and chose it as the winner in the Best New Video Product or Feature category as a national brand.
2023
Bonnier Prize
The Kyiv Independent was awarded this prize along with the Estonian media outlet Delfi, for a joint investigation into the potential misuse of funds by Estonia's biggest charity supporting Ukraine.
2023
IRE Award
Olesia Bida, the author of "Uprooted", our first investigative documentary, won the 2023 Investigative Reporters and Editors award in the Video – Division I category.
2023
Proxy Prize
Olesia Bida, the War Crimes Investigations Unit reporter, won the National Investigative Journalism Competition for her investigative documentary "Uprooted" on Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children.
2023
Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Prize
Francis Farrell won in the Young Reporter category for his coverage of the Battle of Bakhmut.
2023
Kurt Schork Awards
Asami Terajima became one of the winners of the Kurt Schork Awards in the Local Reporter category for her reporting from Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.
2023
Future of Media Awards
Press Gazette gave the Kyiv Independent team this award in the Audience Growth category for growing our digital audience by 8148% in just over a year.
2023
Hanns-Joachim Friedrichs Special Prize
Olga Rudenko, editor-in-chief of the Kyiv Independent, received this award recognizing excellence in journalism for carrying out professional journalistic work in an extremely difficult, dangerous environment, and providing an indispensable basis for the efforts of foreign correspondents.
2023
European Press Prize Special Award
This award was presented to Anna Myroniuk and Alexander Khrebet for revealing leadership misconduct in the International Legion.
2023
George Weidenfeld Prize
Asami Terajima received this prize for her courageous reporting on Russia’s brutal all-out war against Ukraine and documenting the impact of the conflict on civilians and life in the contested areas.
2023
#AllForJan Award
Anna Myroniuk and Alexander Khrebet were granted this award for revealing leadership misconduct in the International Legion. We were the first Ukrainian media outlet to report on the alleged arms theft in the country's military despite strict regulations limiting media freedom in Ukraine amid the war.
2022
European Media Prize
Special Award 2022 for the independent and critical reporting during Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.
2022
Women of Europe Awards
European Movement gave this award to Olga Rudenko in the “Woman in Action” category for her outstanding commitment to impartial and independent journalism as the editor-in-chief of the Kyiv Independent that she has successfully kept running since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
2022
The Arthur Ross Award
The Kyiv Independent team received this award from the American Academy of Diplomacy for covering Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine and providing a full picture, acute analyses, a broad view, and doing it all with a focus on the human interest.
2022
Fleischaker/Greene Award
Western Kentucky University gave this award to the editor-in-chief Olga Rudenko and the entire KI team for courageous reporting on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
2022
Free Media Pioneer Award
The International Press Institute and International Media Support presented this award to the Kyiv Independent team for meeting the demands of the moment through innovative models of journalism, media, and press freedom defense.
2022
Charlemagne Prize Special Award
The Kyiv Independent team received this award for the independent and critical reporting during Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and the contribution to the opinion-forming process of a free democratic society.
2022
Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe List
Four of our colleagues, Toma Istomina, Oleksiy Sorokin, Anna Myroniuk, and Anastasiia Lapatina, were included in this list for their bravery, tenacity, sensitivity and impact while reporting on a war in their home country.
2022
Journalist of the Year Award
The Kyiv Independent was co-founded by a group of journalists who had been fired from the Kyiv Post when they refused to let the owner take the newsroom under control and end its critical coverage of Ukrainian authorities. Ukrainska Pravda honored them with this award for their uncompromising devotion to honest journalism.
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FAQs
How big is the team, and where are they located?

We are a team of over 60 people, with most of them based in Kyiv, Ukraine. Some of our team members work remotely from North America and Europe.

What editorial products does the Kyiv Independent have?

Besides our regular reporting — including field reports and front-line coverage, and our sections for business, investigations, opinions, culture, and Explaining Ukraine — we also keep a continuously updated news feed on our website.

We currently have seven active newsletters: Ukraine Daily, Ukraine Weekly, War Notes, WTF is Wrong With Russia?, Belarus Weekly, Ukraine Business Roundup, and The Witness.

Our War Crimes Investigations Unit has already produced five investigative documentaries, shedding light on the human stories behind the war crimes Russia has committed in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, which number over 80,000, according to Ukrainian authorities.

We have a weekly video series, “Ukraine This Week”, which you can find on our YouTube channel. We also share our reporting on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Twitter (X), Telegram, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.

How do we finance our work?

We believe that in order to preserve our independence we have to maintain financial sustainability and earn money for our work. The majority of our revenue comes from our readers. Membership and one-time donations keep us sustainable as a news organization and allow us to keep our journalism free and accessible to everyone. Kyiv Independent also makes money from advertising, syndication deals, book publishing, and other commercial activities. We also work with donor organizations and receive grants to support some of our editorial projects.

Why should I become a member or donate?

Your monthly support allows us to bring independent, locally-sourced news about Ukraine to the world. Membership and one-time donations keep us sustainable as a news organization and allow us to keep our journalism free and accessible to everyone. This model also allows us to connect and engage with our community of readers.

Our monthly or annual members get access to exclusive newsletters, events, direct communication with our staff, and many more benefits. You can learn more about exclusive benefits by reviewing our tiers or writing to us at [email protected].

What is the difference between a single donation and membership?

There are two options when choosing how to support the Kyiv Independent. A single payment is just a one-time contribution — you will only be charged once, but you won’t receive membership benefits.

Membership is a monthly payment, with recurring billing, meaning you will be charged on the same day each month. By choosing this option, you will receive membership benefits. For example, our special weekly email blast with behind-the-scenes updates and recommended readings. Different tiers of membership come with different benefits.

You also have the option to join as a member with an annual payment. In this case, you will also receive membership benefits, but you will only be charged once a year on the date you signed up. Members who pay annually receive a 15% discount.

How can I communicate with the Kyiv Independent team?

You can email anyone on the team personally (more information can be found here). If you would like to pitch a story or share important information, you can send us an email at [email protected]. We have a community server on Discord, offering an exclusive space for our members to connect directly with the team. You can ask us questions, reach out to specific team members, participate in polls, and share memes, tips, and information with other members. We also have channels set up for how to help Ukraine and regular Ukrainian classes. Certain tiers of membership such as Partners and Insiders also have one-on-one calls with our leadership. You can find more information on becoming a member here.

What should I do if I want to work or volunteer for the Kyiv Independent?

If you’re interested in working with the Kyiv Independent, we’re always looking to grow our team, and you can check out our current vacancies here.

If you’re interested in volunteering, you can fill out this form with details about your experience and what you’d like to volunteer for, and if we need your skillset, we’ll be in touch.

How can I report errors and typos in news coverage of the Kyiv Independent?

If you would like to report a type or a factual mistake in our reporting, please send us an email at [email protected].

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