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Martin Fornusek

Assistant Editor

Martin Fornusek is an assistant editor at the Kyiv Independent. Until recently, Martin held the role of foreign affairs reporter specializing in international and regional politics, history, and disinformation. Based in Lviv, Martin often reports on international politics, focusing on 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

Europe

Russia's war reaches Bulgaria's shores, putting Radev's Moscow-friendly stance to the test

by Martin Fornusek
The balancing act of Bulgaria's Moscow-friendly leader stands on shaky ground. Since taking office in May, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has taken a harsh line on Ukraine while adopting steps his critics say are accommodating to Moscow. Radev's course has now come under scrutiny as Bulgaria, a southeastern NATO member state, feels first-hand the spillover of Russia's war against Ukraine. Four merchant vessels were hit by drones near Bulgaria's Black Sea coast in October. Two of the ves
Rassemblement National (RN) candidate Marine Le Pen in Paris, France, on Sept. 28, 2026.
Europe

Europe's far right has a Putin problem

by Martin Fornusek
Europe's far-right parties grow increasingly divided on something that once united them — sympathies for Vladimir Putin's Russia. As nationalists and right-wing populists across Western Europe move closer to power, many are seeking to distance themselves from their past admiration for a country waging Europe's largest war since 1945 while conducting hybrid attacks against much of the continent. Despite finding common ground on dislike of liberalism, NATO, and the EU, Europe's far right is bein
Russia

No, Ukraine's strikes on Yandex data centers didn't cripple Russian influence ops

by Martin Fornusek
Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian data centers sparked viral claims about a sudden drop in Russian influence operations on social media — even as experts see no evidence to support this. Kyiv struck data centers run by Yandex — Russia's "answer to Google" — in three different regions between Oct. 9 and 11, a response to Russian strikes against similar facilities in Ukraine. Yandex acknowledged the attacks, noting that its data center in Vladimir Oblast had to be shut down due to damage a

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