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Kateryna Denisova photo

Kateryna Denisova

Politics Reporter

Kateryna Denisova is the reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in Ukrainian politics. Based in Kyiv, she focuses on domestic affairs, parliament, and social issues. Kateryna began her career in journalism in 2020 and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. She also studied at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.

For media & speaking inquiries:
press@kyivindependent.com

Articles

President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels, Belgium on Dec. 18, 2025.

The corruption scandal Volodymyr Zelensky won't confront

by Kateryna Denisova
When it comes to Ukraine's largest corruption scandal, President Volodymyr Zelensky prefers to remain tight-lipped. Recent leaks, published by journalists and lawmakers over the past week, indicate that the largest corruption scandal affecting Zelensky's inner circle has expanded beyond the energy sector. It now reportedly implicates the banking and defense industries, with attention also centered on the construction of four luxury homes near Kyiv. A man named "Vova," a short form of Volodymyr

From defense deals to luxury homes — Zelensky's associates conversations leaked

by Kateryna Denisova
Timur Mindich, the alleged ringleader of a major corruption case, reportedly lobbied for the interests of Ukraine's missile and drone maker — Fire Point — in a conversation with then-Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Ukrainska Pravda reported. Ukrainska Pravda obtained a transcript of the talks allegedly held between Mindich and a number of current and former officials, publishing the records on April 28. The first part of what Ukrainska Pravda said would be a series, including three conversatio
Police officers stand at the scene where a gunman killed at least six people in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 18, 2026.

'The state did not protect us' — Deadly mass shooting reignites Ukraine's gun control debate

by Kateryna Denisova
Warning: The story contains graphic images. Yevheniia and her family were at home when they heard firecracker-like sounds outside their window. She initially dismissed them. But within minutes, messages in the building chat warned that a man with a gun was moving through their residential area toward a nearby store. Fifty-eight-year-old Dmytro Vasylchenkov, a Moscow native and military retiree, opened fire on pedestrians on April 18 in the Holosiiv residential district in Kyiv before taking ho

Trump and Putin have 'zero instruments' to enforce backroom deal on Ukraine, ex-FM Kuleba tells Kyiv Independent

by Kateryna Denisova
Caught between Russia's war at home and mounting geopolitical turbulence abroad, Ukraine is unlikely to see a major turnaround anytime soon, says former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. "2026 will be another year Ukraine will have to survive," Kuleba told the Kyiv Independent in an exclusive interview last week. After emerging from its harshest winters in years, marked by relentless Russian strikes on the energy grid, the country is now facing a hostile situation. The war in Iran has further di

Russia's war won't end soon, Dmytro Kuleba says

by Kateryna Denisova
The Kyiv Independent’s Kateryna Denisova sits down with Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's former foreign minister, to discuss U.S.-led peace talks, Donald Trump’s approach to Ukraine, Europe’s role in ending the war, and why he believes neither Washington nor Moscow can impose a settlement on Kyiv.

Climate policy becomes new front in Ukraine-EU economic tensions

The latest source of friction between Ukraine and the EU is climate rules and unhappy steel producers, as the country’s membership goals collide with its wartime realities. Ukrainian officials are in Brussels this week to discuss the EU's carbon border policy that Kyiv argues is hitting its war-battered steel industry and economy. At the center of those discussions is the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism — known as CBAM — which is designed to prevent "carbon leakage" — or pushing pollut