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Dominic Culverwell

Business Reporter

Dominic is the business reporter for the Kyiv Independent, reporting on Ukrainian companies, investment, energy, corruption, and reforms. Based in Kyiv, Dominic joined the Kyiv Independent team in 2023, having previously worked as a freelancer. He has written articles for a number of publications, including the Financial Times, bne IntelliNews, Radio Free Europe/Liberty, Euronews and New Eastern Europe. Previously, Dominic worked with StopFake as a disinformation expert, debunking Russian fake news in Europe.

For media & speaking inquiries:
press@kyivindependent.com

Articles

'Extremely unpleasant experience' — Why Kyiv faces growing risk of sewage crisis this winter

by Dominic Culverwell
As regular Russian strikes on energy facilities leave parts of Kyiv without running water, fears are mounting that further power outages could spark a serious humanitarian and public health crisis in a city whose water and sewage system depends entirely on electricity. Kyiv’s water system is one of the city’s biggest power consumers, requiring huge amounts of electricity to draw water from the Dnipro river and pump around 700 million liters of clean water daily to households and businesses. It

Russia turns to new tactics to destroy Ukraine’s energy grid this winter for good

by Dominic Culverwell
Subscribe to the Newsletter Ukraine Business Roundup Subscribe Volleys of explosions deafened Kyiv in the early hours of Oct. 14, as Russia targeted multiple energy facilities powering the embattled capital amid a new campaign to isolate and disconnect the city following a brutal summer of relentless strikes on businesses and critical infrastructure. While Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy system have been ongoing throughout the year at a low level, Moscow has recently ramped u
Employee shows processed iron ore at a plant in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on April 14, 2026.

Ukraine's steel industry is nearing collapse — and calling for help from abroad

by Dominic Culverwell
Ukraine’s largest steel company, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, said on Sept. 25 that it cannot restart steel production amid a surge in Russian strikes on factories, as the embattled sector calls for more domestic and international support to prevent its total collapse. Since the summer, Moscow has launched a widespread campaign of attacks on Ukraine’s economy to shut down key industrial centers. The metallurgy sector, which contributed 7% of Ukraine’s  gross domestic product (GDP) last year and em

Ukraine’s defense tech partnerships surge, but many deals stall, new report finds

by Dominic Culverwell
International joint ventures in Ukraine's defense tech sector are on the rise, with at least 180 partnerships in manufacturing, R&D, and maintenance confirmed by a new report from the Kyiv School of Economics Institute. But export restrictions and fragmented procedures are slowing some deals. A third of those partnerships were signed in the past 12 months as Ukraine's defense tech sector has matured and consolidated. German companies lead the group with 36 partnerships, followed by Denmark with
burning auto parts warehouse following an air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 2, 2026.

As Russia targets Ukraine’s economy, keeping businesses alive takes priority

by Dominic Culverwell
As Russian attacks on Ukraine's businesses escalate, the government's push to attract investment to Ukraine's wartime economy is coming up against a more immediate challenge: keeping businesses alive at all. "When the attacks started, we realized that the challenge was about more than raising investment. It's also about keeping supply chains and businesses going, like pharmacies, food and retail goods that are needed to survive," Deputy Economy Minister Yegor Perelygin told the Kyiv Independent

US makes major wartime bet on Ukraine’s largest private energy company with 85 million euro investment

by Dominic Culverwell
Ukraine’s biggest private energy firm, DTEK, has secured an 85 million euro ($97 million) loan from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation for a critical battery storage project, marking the DFC’s largest wartime transaction, DTEK announced on Sept. 16. With Russia continuing to target Ukraine’s energy facilities, particularly power plants, ensuring a reliable energy supply has become a major concern in Ukraine. During the war, Ukraine has increasingly searched for investors to