TORTURE CULTURE: Investigating Russia’s use of torture throughout history

Watch documentary now
KI logo
Thursday, February 19, 2026
Back

Team

Martin Fornusek photo

Martin Fornusek

Reporter

Martin Fornusek is a reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in international and regional politics, history, and disinformation. Based in Lviv, Martin often reports on international politics, with a focus on analyzing developments related to Ukraine and Russia. His career in journalism began in 2021 after graduating from Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, earning a Master's degree in Conflict and Democracy Studies. Martin has been invited to speak on Times Radio, France 24, Czech Television, and Radio Free Europe. He speaks English, Czech, and Ukrainian.

m.fornusek@kyivindependent.com
For media & speaking inquiries:
press@kyivindependent.com

Articles

Keir Starmer, Friedrich Merz and Emmanuel Macron attend in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 13, 2026.
Europe

As the dust settles over Munich, Ukraine and Europe face collapse of post-Cold War order

by Martin Fornusek
The U.S.-Europe dynamic was more cordial at the Feb. 13-15 Munich Security Conference than last year, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivering a conciliatory speech. But the substance of the relationship remained unchanged, despite the softer rhetoric. U.S. President Donald Trump's foreign policy upheavals, from Ukraine to Greenland, were fresh on everyone's mind – as well as the confrontational address by U.S. Vice President JD Vance during last year's conference. European leaders
Politics

Can Ukraine survive without the US — and can Europe fill the gap?

by Martin Fornusek
Since Donald Trump's return to office, Kyiv and its European allies have shared one overriding fear: a full U.S. withdrawal from the war effort. Washington remains a supplier of hard-to-replace military hardware — paid for by European allies or allocated by the previous administration — and vital intelligence assistance, helping Ukraine to defend its skies and strike deep behind Russian lines. But as Trump's attention might soon pivot to the midterm elections at home, or be swayed by Russia's
Russia

European officials warn Russian veterans could play a role in Moscow’s shadow war

by Martin Fornusek
Europe must ban entry to all Russian veterans of the war against Ukraine or face a surge in crime rates and hybrid attacks, Estonian officials have warned. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna warned that battle-hardened "ex-prisoners and rapists" could flood Europe after the war and carry out nefarious activities on behalf of Russian intelligence. To boost common security, Tallinn proposed a blanket Schengen entry ban for Russian veterans during a meeting of European foreign ministers on
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

Editors' Picks