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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.

d.culverwell@kyivindependent.com
For media & speaking inquiries:
press@kyivindependent.com

Articles

Europe

Polish president strips Zelensky of honorary title over military unit controversy, as Kyiv calls decision 'strategic mistake'

by Dmytro Basmat, Dominic Culverwell
Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional details and comments from officials. Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped President Volodymyr Zelensky of the country's honorary Order of the White Eagle title on June 19 following public outcry over Zelensky's decision to name a serving Ukrainian military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). A World War II-era organization that fought for Ukraine's independence, the UPA is remembered in Poland primarily for its role in
Business

Why Ukraine’s nuclear corruption cleanup is taking so long

by Dominic Culverwell
Kyiv vowed to clean up corruption at Ukraine’s troubled state-run nuclear company, but seven months after the country’s most significant wartime corruption scandal, the old system remains largely intact. Energoatom, which operates three working nuclear plants that generate more than 60% of Ukraine’s electricity, became the poster child for Kyiv’s wartime corruption after anti-graft authorities uncovered a $100 million kickback scheme last November. Among the perpetrators were close associates
Politics

Why Ukraine's financial intelligence chief is facing an anti-corruption probe

by Dominic Culverwell
Detectives from Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau searched the country’s State Financial Monitoring Service as part of an investigation into the agency’s head, Filip Pronin, who is a suspect in a multimillion-dollar embezzlement scheme, an official close to the matter confirmed to the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity on June 12. Ukrainian media first reported that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) had searched the offices on June 10. Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a lawmaker and deputy
Electricians from DTEK inspect damaged equipment on an electricity pylon in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine, on Jan. 14, 2026. (
Business

Ukraine has a billion-dollar winter survival plan. It just can't pay for it yet

by Dominic Culverwell, Chris Powers
As Russian drones and missiles continue to pound Ukraine's war-damaged energy infrastructure, Kyiv is struggling to find funding for a 5.4 billion euro ($6.2 billion) "energy resilience plan" first announced in spring. The next few months are a race against time to prepare for what energy experts warn will be another difficult winter under constant Russian bombardment. Ukraine not only needs to repair equipment after Russia wiped out nine gigawatts of power generation last winter, but also deve
Business

Ukraine is already running out of time to prepare Kyiv for winter, officials warn

by Dominic Culverwell
As the springtime sun coaxes Kyiv’s residents outdoors, memories of a winter without reliable heat or electricity caused by Russian strikes are beginning to fade — creating a dangerous distraction from the government's failure to prepare for the upcoming season. Kyiv expects Moscow to launch another brutal campaign against its energy infrastructure this winter. But efforts to diversify Kyiv’s power generation and heating sources either started too late or not at all, several people in the energ

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