crimea: the war before the war

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Tuesday, March 24, 2026
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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

Russian Izdeliye-30 cruise missile.
War

Russia's new Izdeliye-30 missile makes strikes harder to anticipate

by Kateryna Hodunova
Even as Russia sharply expands drone production, it continues to develop deadlier weapons, including missiles. Its latest, the Izdeliye-30 cruise missile, flattened a residential building in Kharkiv in early March within seconds, killing 11 people. "It is a mistake to assume that the future belongs exclusively to drones," Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president's commissioner for sanctions, said following the strike. Russia is seeking to build cheaper but equally destructive weapons. The Iz
Russia

Russia back at Paralympics under national flag, its war veterans eye 2028 games

by Kateryna Hodunova
For the first time in 12 years, Russia will compete under its national flag at the 2026 Paralympic Games — a return that comes despite its ongoing all-out war against Ukraine and a pattern of doping scandals that led to the initial ban. "There is simply no justification for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to allow Russia and Belarus back while the invasion of Ukraine continues," Global Athlete Director General Rob Koehler told the Kyiv Independent. "The IPC has blood on its hands

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