Team

Kollen Post photo

Kollen Post

Defense Industry Reporter

Kollen Post is the defense industry reporter at the Kyiv Independent. Based in Kyiv, he covers weapons production and defense tech. Originally from western Michigan, he speaks Russian and Ukrainian. His work has appeared in Radio Free Europe, Fortune, Breaking Defense, the Cipher Brief, the Foreign Policy Research Institute, FT’s Sifted, and Science Magazine. He holds a BA from Vanderbilt University.

For media & speaking inquiries:
press@kyivindependent.com

Articles

'Don't believe in fairy tales' — Russia scrambles for front-line signal after Starlink cut-off

by Kollen Post
Russia's assault on Ukraine has gone dark thanks to a recent cut-off of satellite internet. "Their pilots are now forced to pass on information by radio, and I can intercept those messages," Tymur, a deputy battalion commander in the Lyman sector, told the Kyiv Independent. "They have their own versions and alternatives to Starlink. They just need time to expand their use." At the start of February, SpaceX and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry implemented a "white list" for Starlinks to operate
Employees repair sections of heat and power plant damaged by Russian air strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 4, 2026.

Winter has grounded Ukraine's interceptor drones, gutting Kyiv's air defense

by Kollen Post
From his base near the hotly contested town of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, Vladyslav has, by his own estimates, downed upwards of 60 Russian drones using Ukrainian interceptor drones over the past year. Winter has exposed many foundational frailties in Ukraine's air defenses. Relentless Russian attacks utilising Shahed-type attack drones have left millions of Ukrainians in the dark and cold. The role of interceptor pilots like Vladyslav is more important than ever. Interceptor drones are f

Analysis: More drones for Europe? What Ukraine's 'opening' of weapons exports really means

by Kollen Post
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Feb. 8 the opening of 10 offices for weapons export throughout the European Union by the end of 2026. "Today, we are opening exports," Zelensky wrote. But the reality is a little different. Ukraine's arms makers often lament that they can make far more weapons than the Ukrainian government has money to buy. Selling or building new weapons internationally can help, they say, but export restrictions keep them bottled up in-country. While the news that Zele

How the Kremlin drafted Russia's hackers to attack the West

by Kollen Post
Muleshoe, population 5,000, sits in the Texas Panhandle, next to the New Mexico state line, and about as far away from Ukraine as anywhere can be. A small, arid town linked to the outside world by a patchwork of county roads and a smattering of private airports for single-engine planes, it’s about an hour's drive away from the nearest metropolises of Lubbock or Amarillo, and two hours away from Roswell, New Mexico. One could say that Muleshoe is prime territory for cowboys looking to ranch, al

Ukraine war latest: Iranian missiles fail to take off on Ukrainian front

by Kollen Post
This is Kollen Post reporting from Kyiv on day 1,433 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: Russia has yet to use Iranian missiles in its war on Ukraine Iran gave hundreds of its missiles to Russia as a gift to help in its war on Ukraine. So far, they've been plagued by failure to launch. Ukrainian intelligence told the Kyiv Independent on Jan. 26 that of the over 350 Fath-360 missiles that Iran has given Russia, none has come down on Ukraine. Those dormant Fath missi