Team
Anna Yakutenko
Video Production ManagerAnna Yakutenko is the production manager at the Kyiv Independent. She started out as a print journalist at the Kyiv Post in 2015, and later switched to video format, launching a video department at the Kyiv Post in 2018. Later, she worked as a Head of Video at the Kyiv Independent in 2022-2023, before switching to production management in 2024. Anna has spent six months working with the newsrooms in the U.S. as a Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow in 2018. She holds a BA in journalism from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
Articles
Putin no-show at peace talks and new Russian offensive | Ukraine This Week
In this week’s episode, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur breaks down the back-and-forth developments surrounding peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey. As negotiations stall, the battle rages on in multiple sectors of the front.
Zelensky thanks America for four minutes straight
During his visit to Washington on Feb. 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky had a heated exchange with U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance over ways to end Russia's war against Ukraine. Trump and Vance have repeatedly claimed that Zelensky has not been sufficiently grateful for U.S. support throughout the war. The Kyiv Independent has compiled instances where Zelensky has publicly expressed gratitude to the U.S., its people, and its leadership for being Ukraine’s largest supporter.
How Ukrainians fund their own fight against Russia
While Ukraine heavily relies on foreign aid, the country’s war effort is also funded by its own people. In 2024 alone, individual volunteers and fundraisers have raised nearly $1 billion to buy critical weapons and equipment for the Ukrainian military. But why do ordinary Ukrainians continue donating when international aid exists? And how has Ukraine’s unique culture of giving become a lifeline for the country’s survival?
Three years of Russia's full-scale war: a conversation with Rob Lee
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sits down with Rob Lee, former U.S. marine infantry officer and senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia Program. They discuss the evolving battlefield realities as Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its 4th year and why peace negotiations are unlikely to bring results any time soon.
Street culture unites displaced people in Lviv
As Russia's war in Ukraine rages on, millions have been forced to flee their towns, leaving behind their homes and communities. In Lviv, one center for internally displaced persons brings people together and rebuilds bonds through street culture.
4 reasons why Russian elections are fake
Russia is holding a so-called presidential election on March 15-17. However, it is not entirely fair to call this an "election." The Kyiv Independent's Oleg Sukhov explains why.
How Russia's war changed everyday life in Ukraine's capital
What is it like living in Kyiv during the war? We at the Kyiv Independent often hear this question from our friends and readers abroad. In this video, our reporter, Daria Shulzhenko, will guide you through everyday life in the Ukrainian capital amidst the full-scale invasion.
Understanding Russia's offensive on Avdiivka
The Russian offensive in Avdiivka has been an undisputed failure so far. Russian gains have amounted to little more than a handful of treelines on the flanks. The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell explains how it happened and what to expect in the future.
Ukraine uses ATACMS. Will it change the war?
Oleksiy Sorokin, deputy chief editor of the Kyiv Independent, explains how the ATACMS provided to Ukraine work, how they differ from other long-range missiles, and what will now change on the battlefield.
How Moscow replaces Ukrainians with Russians in occupied territories
After Russia’s relentless attacks in 2022, the port city of Mariupol in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast was left in ruins. Yet this has not stopped Russians from buying up houses and flats in Mariupol, or even trying to exchange them for their property in Russia.
Vox populi: How does war affect mental health of Ukrainians?
The Kyiv Independent asks people on the streets of Kyiv how Russia’s full-scale war affects their mental health and how they cope with it.
How old is Ukraine?
On Aug. 24, 2023, Ukraine marked its 32nd Independence Day. But is Ukraine really just 32 years old? The Kyiv Independent addressed this question to historians.
Everything you didn’t know about Ukraine’s flagAt a small exhibit at the National History Museum in Kyiv on Ukraine’s flag, one notices something particular about the flags from the Soviet times and early days of independence: they’re homemade — sewn by hand with different fabrics of slightly different blues and yellows, the result of a
What is Russia’s Wagner Group and why does Moscow use it?
The Wagner Group — a Russian private military company owned by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin — has been at the forefront of Russia’s efforts to capture the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast. What is it, and why does Moscow use it?
How Russia has been trying to conquer Ukraine for centuries
When did Russia's war against Ukraine start? Spoiler: not in 2022. Moscow has been trying (often successfully) to subjugate the territories that make up modern Ukraine for nearly 400 years.
What is happening in Bakhmut and what does it mean for Russian-Ukrainian war?
Kyiv Independent reporter Francis Farrell speaks to John Spencer, U.S. veteran and chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point.
