The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine is here. Get yours, fresh off the press.

order now

Team

Myroslava Chaiun  photo

Myroslava Chaiun

War Crimes Investigations Unit Reporter

Myroslava Chaiun is a reporter and researcher with the War Crimes Investigations Unit of the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a freelance writer, covering political issues, Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, and Russian propaganda. In 2023, she earned a master’s degree in Public Management and Administration from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Articles

Invisible prisoners — the struggle to free thousands of Ukrainians in Russian captivity

by Myroslava Chaiun
Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions. Vitalii Atamanchuk was the archetypal man of the Donbas, the industrial heartland that stretches across eastern Ukraine. He spent more than 20 years toiling in a coal mine. In 2000, he retired, but found the life of a pensioner dull. He went back to work in the mines and, later, found a job with a construction company in the city of Donetsk. Then, in 2014, the EuroMaidan Revolution swept Ukraine, toppling pro-Russian strongman Viktor Yanuko

Ukrainian women shared their accounts of rape by Russian forces. We found their assailants

Editor’s Note: This story was produced in collaboration with the Organized Crime and Corruption and Reporting Project (OCCRP) and is published by both organizations. The story is based on the Kyiv Independent’s latest investigative documentary, “He Came Back.” The day after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Maryna discovered she was expecting a boy. Fearing it might be the last time she would be able to get to a hospital, she queued for hours at checkpoints to attend the ultra