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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

Germany's Kremlin-friendly AfD eyes historic election win

by Martin Fornusek
Germany could get its first far-right state government since World War II — and Ukraine has reasons to follow it closely. The Alternative for Germany's (AfD) potential victory in Saxony-Anhalt's election on Sept. 6 will not only send a chilling signal to the federal state's 39,000 Ukrainians but also shake the mainstream parties' efforts to keep the Moscow-friendly party out of power. Polling at 41%, the AfD's local branch — classified by the German security service as "confirmed far-right ext
Explaining Ukraine

Ivan Mazepa — Ukraine's hero, Russia's devil

by Martin Fornusek
'From Bohdan Khmelnytsky to Ivan Mazepa, there were no hetmans.' This old, hyperbolic Ukrainian saying shows just how large Mazepa looms in the region's history. A man of many worlds, the Orthodox nobleman born near Kyiv climbed from the Polish royal court and studies in Western Europe to become hetman — a military and political leader of the Ukrainian Cossack Hetmanate, a state that once spanned much of central and eastern Ukraine — and a trusted ally of Russian Tsar Peter I. When he ultimat
KI Disinfo Check

Russian disinformation tests its Ukraine election playbook

by Martin Fornusek
President Volodymyr Zelensky's firing of popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov triggered a wave of street protests and, weeks later, a call from Fedorov himself for wartime elections. It also offered a preview of Russia's playbook for exploiting Ukraine's internal divisions. Fake articles, fabricated claims, and manipulations over the past few weeks have fed into the Kremlin's portrayal of Ukraine as a country hopelessly divided, and its government — illegitimate. And while Ukraine cautiou
F-16 fighter jets from the Turkish Air Force fly over Canakkale, Turkiye, on May 11, 2026.
Europe

As Russian drone incursions escalate, NATO weighs costs of shooting back

by Martin Fornusek
For years, NATO countries have watched Russian drones breach their airspace, reluctant to shoot them down for fear of escalation. That restraint is now beginning to erode. After Russian drones injured civilians in Romania, while Russian electronic jamming continued diverting Ukrainian drones toward critical infrastructure in the Baltic region, NATO fighter jets finally began shooting intruders down. But using expensive air-to-air missiles to destroy cheap, one-way Geran and Gerbera drones is h
Politics

Fedorov broke Ukraine's wartime election taboo. What happens next?

by Tim Zadorozhnyy, Martin Fornusek, Yevgeniya Doluda
Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has broken one of Ukraine's most politically sensitive wartime taboos by publicly calling for elections, bringing into the mainstream a debate that Kyiv had largely rejected when raised by Russia and the United States. Fedorov said Ukraine needs a "safe and realistic mechanism" to hold elections during wartime that protects the voting rights of soldiers, Ukrainians abroad, and people in front-line regions. "We must not let Putin decide when Ukrainians c

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