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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

Europe

Field report: With NATO forces training at Russia's doorstep

by Martin Fornusek
VORU COUNTY, Estonia — In southeast Estonia lies a lake-studded, woodland region locals call Missomaa, which makes up the country's three-way borderland with Latvia and Russia. Its innocuous-looking woods are overlaid by cameras and sensors feeding data to a British unit stationed nearby, informing their first-person-view (FPV) drone operators about an "enemy" vehicle closing in. Corey, an operator of the British 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 Scots), simulates a strike by doing
Europe

'I'm not counting on the US' — In Estonia, faith in Trump's defense of Baltics fades

by Martin Fornusek
TALLINN, Estonia — Among Estonians, there is little confidence that U.S. President Donald Trump would rush to defend their country in the event of a Russian invasion. As a 1.3-million-strong NATO member sharing a border with Russia, Estonia would likely be at the forefront of a potential conflict between the alliance and Moscow — a prospect seen as increasingly realistic since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Publicly, Estonian officials have cast a confident note. While Russia rem
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Strasbourg, France, on March 11, 2026
Europe

Armenia’s westward tilt tests Russia's grip in the South Caucasus

by Martin Fornusek
Once one of Moscow's closest allies in the South Caucasus, Armenia has recently handed the Kremlin a series of diplomatic humiliations. Not only did Yerevan host the first Armenia-EU summit on May 4-5, but one of the guests was President Volodymyr Zelensky, marking his first official trip to the country. The state visit by the Ukrainian leader, whose country has been resisting Russia's full-scale invasion for over four years, sparked fury in the Kremlin. Moscow demands an explanation for plat

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