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Monday, December 22, 2025
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Kateryna Hodunova photo

Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

k.hodunova@kyivindependent.com

Articles

A generator is installed on a street in Odesa, Ukraine, on Dec. 15, 2025, after Russian shelling
War

A dark Christmas looms in Odesa Oblast as Russia hammers energy facilities, bridges, ports

by Kateryna Hodunova, Chris York, Yuliia Taradiuk, Luca Léry Moffat
Russian attacks have plunged Odesa Oblast into darkness and cold just days before Christmas, cutting power to more than 120,000 residents after strikes on three energy facilities on Dec. 22. Russia has stepped up attacks in Odesa Oblast this December, targeting ports, roads, energy infrastructure, and homes. Frequent strikes have caused widespread power outages and delayed repairs, leaving some residents without electricity and entire areas cut off due to disrupted transportation networks. "I
War

Ukraine war latest: National Guard soldier killed, 4 injured in Kyiv explosions classified as terrorist attack

by Kateryna Hodunova
Hello, this is Kateryna Hodunova reporting from Kyiv on day 1,387 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: The Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office said it has classified two explosions that killed one person and injured four others in Kyiv on Dec. 11 as a terrorist attack, the office said in a statement. The blasts occurred in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district, killing a National Guard soldier. Another National Guard soldier and a security guard were injured. The first explosion wen
Video

One front-line position, two soldiers, 165 days

by Kateryna Hodunova, Jason Blevins
As Ukraine negotiates a peace agreement with the U.S., soldiers on the ground face a different reality: holding the line with shrinking infantry numbers and almost no rotation. For nearly six months, two Ukrainian soldiers, Oleksandr Tishaiev and Oleksandr Aliksieienko, were trapped in the same battered position on the Zaporizhzhia front, unable to rotate as Russian drones monitored every path in and out.
War

Hunted relentlessly by Russian drones, 2 Ukrainian soldiers survive 165 days on the front line

by Kateryna Hodunova
Just last year, the battlefield in Ukraine was most dangerous when the shooting started. Now it is often the moments before and after, when soldiers change positions under the eyes of prowling drones. For two Ukrainian soldiers — Oleksandr Tishaiev and Oleksandr Aliksieienko — this modern battlefield reality turned what should have been a relatively routine month-long deployment, into a gruelling 165-day battle against not only Russian forces but also starvation, dehydration, and insanity. "We
War

Ukraine war latest: Russia attacks Kryvyi Rih, injuring at least 5 people, including 3-year-old girl

by Kateryna Hodunova
Hello, this is Kateryna Hodunova reporting from Kyiv on day 1,379 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story so far: Russian missile struck the city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on Dec. 3, injuring at least five people, including a child, Ukraine's Emergency Service reported. The 3-year-old girl and a 28-year-old victim will receive outpatient treatment, while an 87-year-old woman was hospitalized in a condition of moderate severity, according to Governor Vladysla

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