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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

KI Disinfo Check

Here's what Candace Owens gets wrong on Russia

by Martin Fornusek, Jimmy Rushton
Candace Owens billed her trip to Russia last week as a family vacation. It turned into something far more useful for the Kremlin. The U.S. far-right conspiracy theorist — boasting 35 million followers across all social media platforms — ended up appearing at Russia's flagship economic forum, talking to Russian propaganda outlets, and praising the country's "traditional values" while dismissing Western coverage of it as lies. Her visit also exposed a fresh fault line within the MAGA movement, d
Politics

Why Zelensky's letter wasn't about Putin as Kremlin rejects meeting

by Tim Zadorozhnyy, Martin Fornusek, Chris Powers
President Volodymyr Zelensky's letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin was never meant only for the man whose name was written at the top. According to a senior Ukrainian official familiar with the planning, the message was aimed at a much wider audience, including Putin's inner circle, Russian elites increasingly weary of the war, and even ordinary Russian citizens. The letter, sent on June 4, marked the first direct outreach from Zelensky to Putin since 2022. In it, the Ukrainian presiden
A builder works at an underground school construction site in Shyroke, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine, on Aug. 15, 2024.
KI Disinfo Check

Russia is flooding Ukraine with fake migrant stories — and it's working

by Tim Zadorozhnyy, Martin Fornusek
Claims of an alleged migrant "influx" have become increasingly common in Ukraine in recent months, in what experts describe as a coordinated disinformation operation. The central theme in these claims is that foreign labor migrants are allegedly arriving in Ukraine to replace the country's population while Ukrainian men continue fighting at the front. The claims have spread quickly across social media and Telegram channels, and even appeared in mainstream reporting. Although Ukrainian media o
Europe

Exclusive: EU aiming to advance Ukraine's membership slightly faster than planned

by Chris Powers, Martin Fornusek
The next step on Ukraine and Moldova's EU accession path could happen slightly earlier than expected, with EU and national diplomats confirming to the Kyiv Independent that everybody is working towards June 15 as the day to open the first of six so-called "enlargement clusters." Ukraine and Moldova's EU applications are proceeding in tandem, and further formal progress has been blocked for a year by Hungary, chiefly over 11 demands from the government in Budapest to grant additional rights to t
Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar during an interview in Vienna, Austria, on May 21, 2026.
Politics

Ukraine's path to EU runs through this small Hungarian community in Carpathians

by Martin Fornusek, Chris Powers
Soon after taking office, Hungary's Prime Minister Peter Magyar appeared ready to normalize bilateral relations with Ukraine. Soon, however, the newly elected prime minister played his predecessor's tune, declaring that the Hungarian minority in Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast "lacks basic rights," and complaining that its linguistic and cultural freedoms are being curtailed. Magyar signaled he would obstruct the launch of Ukraine's formal EU accession talks until the issue is resolved — potentia
Ukrainian soldiers prepare an "Evanger" UAV for launch in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on Sept. 24, 2025.
Europe

How Ukraine's strikes inside Russia became a headache for its NATO allies

by Tim Zadorozhnyy, Martin Fornusek, Chris Powers
As Ukraine expands its long-range drone campaign deep inside Russia, Moscow appears to have found a way to turn some of those attacks into a problem for Kyiv. Russia has begun jamming Ukrainian drones and redirecting them toward neighboring NATO countries, particularly the Baltic states and Finland, creating a growing security and political challenge for some of Ukraine's closest allies. Several Baltic officials and public figures who spoke to the Kyiv Independent warned that if the incidents

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