KI logo
Sunday, February 8, 2026
Back

Team

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
For media & speaking inquiries:
press@kyivindependent.com

Articles

Politics

As Russians and Belarusians compete at Olympics, Ukraine pushed to the margins

by Kateryna Hodunova
One of the most talked-about moments at the Olympics came from Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych. After his race in Beijing in 2022, just days before Russia launched its full-scale invasion, he held up a sign reading "No war in Ukraine." But his appeal went largely unheard. Four years later, Heraskevych is preparing to represent Ukraine at the Olympic Games again — at a time when the war continues to escalate, while restrictions on athletes from Russia and Belarus are gradually be
War

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv carried out 3 offensive operations in 2025, including 2 inside Russia, Syrskyi says

by Kateryna Hodunova
This is Kateryna Hodunova reporting from Kyiv on day 1,444 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: Ukraine launched three offensive operations in 2025, including one in the Dobropillia sector of Donetsk Oblast and two inside Russia's Kursk and Belgorod oblasts, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Feb. 6, according to RBC Ukraine. Syrskyi said the operations disrupted Russian plans to seize Donetsk Oblast and establish so-called "buffer zones" in border areas.
U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. on Feb. 3, 2026.
Politics

Kyiv groans a collective ‘WTF?’ to Trump’s latest Putin comments

by Chris York, Martin Fornusek, Tim Zadorozhnyy, Asami Terajima, Kateryna Hodunova, Oleg Sukhov, Yuliia Taradiuk
U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that his Russian counterpart "kept his word" by not launching mass missile and drone strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure for a week has been met with bewilderment and dismay in Kyiv. "I believe this is either a mockery of our misfortune, a lack of understanding of the situation, or wishful thinking," Volodymyr Ariev, a lawmaker from the opposition European Solidarity party, told the Kyiv Independent. The confusing saga of a supposed truce on stri
Kyiv Zoo chief Kyrylo Trantin feeds 20-year-old elephant Horace at the Kyiv Zoo in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 27, 2026.
Photos

How to keep an elephant and a gorilla warm during Kyiv's coldest winter of the full-scale war

by Kateryna Hodunova
Life in Kyiv right now is difficult for any 51-year-old, but when you are also a western lowland gorilla more suited to the warmth of central Africa, the ongoing energy crisis is particularly tough. This is the current plight of Tony, one of the oldest residents of Kyiv Zoo, a popular attraction in the capital that is somehow managing to stay functioning even as Russia continues its relentless campaign to freeze Ukraine into submission. Zoo technician Anastasiia Larionova is one of the team of
War

Ukraine war latest: 'The enemy is likely preparing an offensive' — Ukrainian forces report more aerial strikes in Pokrovsk sector

by Kateryna Hodunova
This is Kateryna Hodunova reporting from Kyiv on day 1,436 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: Russian troops have stepped up aerial bomb attacks in the Pokrovsk sector of Donetsk Oblast, which could signal preparations for an offensive, Yuliia Stepaniuk, head of communications for the 117th Separate Mechanized Brigade, told Suspilne on Jan. 29. While there were two to three such attacks in the area earlier this week, Russian forces carried out 30 strikes over the p
An alleged launch of a Zirkon missile in a video published by Russia’s Defense Ministry on Dec. 3, 2024.
War

We asked an expert about Russia's 'updated' mass missile, drone tactics

by Kateryna Hodunova
Russia launched another massive strike on Ukraine on Jan. 20, with President Volodymyr Zelensky noting the use of "updated tactics." The recent attack hit multiple regions, with Kyiv and the country's energy infrastructure taking the brunt of the damage. Russian forces also targeted substations supplying nuclear power plants, one of Ukraine's main sources of power generation in the midst of a harsh winter. Russia launched 18 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 339 drones during the mas
War

Ukraine war latest: Officer in Sumy Oblast unit suspected of torturing subordinates, abusing power, investigation says

by Kateryna Hodunova
This is Kateryna Hodunova reporting from Kyiv on day 1,428 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have detained an officer from a military unit in Sumy Oblast on suspicion of abusing and torturing subordinates, the State Investigation Bureau (DBR) said on Jan. 21. Investigators did not disclose the names of the detainee or the victims, or identify the military unit involved. The suspect is the deputy commander of a battalion stationed

Editors' Picks