Team

Kollen Post
Defense Industry ReporterKollen 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.
Articles

Ukrainian army on 'search and destroy' missions to clear Russians from central Pokrovsk
by Kollen Post
According to the Airborne Assault Forces, Ukraine has killed 388 Russian soldiers in the city and wounded another 87 since the beginning of November.

How war is shaping Ukraine’s next generation of engineers
In Kharkiv, a city living under constant Russian fire, students are shaping Ukraine’s future from underground classrooms and makeshift labs.

Russia plans to import 12,000 North Koreans to work in its massive Shahed drone plant, HUR says
by Kollen Post
Russia has actively recruited, hoodwinked and kidnapped workers for its war machine from across the developing world.

US sanctions Ukrainian firms accused of helping supply parts for Iran’s Shahed drones used by Russia
by Kollen Post
The two Ukrainian companies targeted were Ekofera and Imperative Ukraine, which the U.S Treasury says are Ukrainian front corporations.

Corruption investigation reveals startling link between defense company Fire Point, Zelensky's associate Mindich
by Kollen Post
Ihor Fursenko, one of the key members of the group allegedly laundering money from the scheme, was formally employed at Fire Point to save him from mobilization and allow him to travel outside of Ukraine, according to a snippet of dialogue released in the trial.

One night with interceptor drone squad hunting Russian Shaheds
As winter approaches and Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system intensify, a small unit from the 3rd Army Corps spends sleepless nights hunting long-range Shahed drones on the front line in Kharkiv Oblast — before they reach Ukrainian cities.

Ukraine war latest: Special Forces drones hit oil depots, trains, logistic facilities in Russian-occupied Crimea
by Kollen Post
Hello, this is Kollen Post reporting from Kyiv on day 1,353 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story so far:
Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SSO) said on Nov. 7 that its long-range drones struck an oil depot and logistic facilities in the Russian-occupied peninsula of Crimea.
The oil depot near the village of Hvardiiske, just 20 kilometers north of Simferopol, was struck, and a full RVS-400 tank — designed for storing oil, petroleum products, and other liquids — was

'A powerful secondary detonation' — Ukraine confirms drone, missile strike on Russian Shahed base at Donetsk airport
by Kollen Post
Unmanned Systems Forces leader Madyar described the strike as the result of a "painstaking months-long reconnaissance operation" in a post on Telegram.

Under the hood, Russia’s 'Reaper' drone copy is shockingly American
by Kollen Post
The Orion was set to be Russia’s flagship unmanned vehicle until that position was usurped by Iranian-designed Shaheds.

Analysis: 5 lessons on air defense and underground architecture from Kharkiv
by Kollen Post
On a recent voyage through Kharkiv and Kharkiv Oblast, I found myself fixating on how the region was prepping for yet another winter of Russian air attacks — one in which Russia has more aerial weapons than ever, and is already eagerly cutting off the energy supply across Ukraine.
Pre-war Kharkiv was Ukraine’s second-largest city and, for a brief moment at the start of the Soviet Union, the capital of the Ukrainian SSR. It sits just 25 miles away from Russia’s border and has long maintained a R

Kharkiv Oblast governor on Russia's evolution of terror
by Kollen Post
In an exclusive interview with the Kyiv Independent, Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of Kharkiv Oblast, shares the harsh realities of life under constant attack.

One critical shortage keeps Ukraine’s interceptor drones from blocking out Russia’s Shaheds
by Kollen Post
October is coming to an end and as winter approaches, many Ukrainians find themselves more vulnerable than ever in the face of mounting Russian air attacks.
In Kyiv, Russian combined missile and drone attacks routinely result in mass casualty events. Smaller-scale drone attacks which occur on a near-nightly basis have until recently posed much less of a threat.
But overnight on Oct. 26, three people were killed and 32 others — including three children — were injured when two multi-story reside

AI drones in Ukraine — this is where we're at
by Kollen Post
Ukraine’s drones are setting new standards for self-piloting on the battlefield. Full autonomy, however, remains well out of reach — and is likely to stay there.
The broader vision of drones operating fully independently of pilots remains something of a holy grail for drone developers, even as it may seem a dystopian nightmare to many human rights activists and luminaries, including the pope himself.
Ukrainian developers hope that progressively delegating more tasks to drones and software can

Ukraine war latest: Russia is preparing 'an active winter campaign,' HUR says
by Kollen Post
Hi, this is Kollen Post, reporting from Kyiv on day 1,335 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Today's top story:
Ukrainian intelligence warns of a Russian winter campaign before any peace deal concludes.
"Russia is preparing for an active winter campaign" said Vadym Skibitskyi, second in command to Kyrylo Budanov at Ukraine's Main Director of Intelligence (HUR), in an interview with Novyny.Live on Oct. 20.
Skibitskyi was responding to a question about Budanov's hope, expressed in Feb

Russian missile strikes Ukrainian training ground, casualties reported, military says
by Kollen Post
Another Ukrainian military training ground was hit by a Russian missile strike on Oct. 16, wounding troops.



