Team
Olena Zashko
VideographerOlena Zashko is a videographer at the Kyiv Independent. She has previously worked as a videographer at the Suspilne Kultura documentary unit. The Kyiv Independent received a grant from the Charles Douglas-Home Memorial Trust to support Olena's front-line videography reporting for the year 2025-2026. She also has experience working as a journalist at Hromadske news outlet and has worked as a freelance journalist with different Ukrainian media. Olena has a master’s in journalism from the Ukrainian Catholic University.
Articles
Ukraine can make Russia seek peace, commander says
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sits down with Kyrylo Veres, commander of the K-2 regiment, a Ukrainian unit of the Unmanned Systems Forces that has evolved from an infantry battalion into a drone-led, multi-role force on the front line.
Ai Weiwei on his exploration trip to wartime Ukraine
The Kyiv Independent’s Kate Tsurkan sits down with internationally renowned artist and activist Ai Weiwei during his first exhibition in Ukraine dedicated to Russia's full-scale war.
Ukraine won't give up its land, Azov commander says
Oleksii "Leo," a Ukrainian battalion commander with the legendary Azov Brigade, discusses Russia's rapid advances in the east, Ukraine's manpower shortage, and potential scenarios for the future of the war.
The ground drone revolution in Ukraine
The Kyiv Independent spent a day with the 20th Separate UAV Regiment, also known as K-2, which specializes in ground robots, in northern Donetsk Oblast. We also spoke with the regiment's commander, Kyrylo Veres, about how these machines could shape the next phase of warfare in Ukraine, helping to reduce the risk to soldiers amid a growing manpower shortage.
Not their war: Who are Ukraine's foreign fighters?
At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, foreigners flocked to Ukraine to join its defense against Russian forces. More than three years later, the foreign fighters who remain are a different breed — driven by a deep commitment to Ukraine.
Pokrovsk is the city of my childhood. Now I watch it die
A few weeks ago, my colleague Francis Farrell and I were in Pokrovsk.
As a war reporter, I’m used to seeing war-torn towns. Last year, we saw glide bombs raining down on Vovchansk, filmed interviews with soldiers in the ruins of Lyman, and joined a volunteer evacuation mission taking civilians out of Selydove, which was on the verge of occupation.
But this time was different: Pokrovsk isn't just another city for me.
My native city is just a half-hour drive away from Pokrovsk, and it’s a much
Inside the Battle of Kostiantynivka under drone-infested sky
The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko spent a day with two drone teams of the 20th Brigade of Ukraine's National Guard, known as Liubart, that are holding a sector south of Kostiantynivka.
24 hours inside Pokrovsk as Russia closes in on key Ukrainian city
In what could be one of the last visits by journalists to Pokrovsk, the Kyiv Independent spent 24 hours in the front-line city, embedded with a drone team of Ukraine’s 68th Jaeger Brigade.
How Ukrainian teens are training for war
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, war has become a daily reality for thousands of Ukrainian children. Some Ukrainian military units, such as the Azov Brigade, offer boot camps for teenagers to teach them the basics of self-defense, first aid, dry firing, and other survival skills — helping them prepare for both the realities of today and the uncertainties of the future.
Ukraine's artillery braces for shell shortage as US halts aid
The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko spent a day with an artillery crew from the 28th Mechanized Brigade in the front-line city of Kostiantynivka. Following the recent decision by the Pentagon to halt shipments of certain weapons to Ukraine, a looming shell shortage is once again on the horizon for Ukrainian forces.
Warfare in Ukraine has changed… again
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell explains a new modification of the standard first-person view (FPV) drone that already once transformed the way war is fought. Fiber optic cable now used to connect drone operators to FPVs ensures a perfect image and control experience all the way to the target — and cannot be spotted by enemy drone detectors.
Inside the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine
Forged from the remnants of the Soviet Spetsnaz, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces have become a vital pillar of the country’s current defense, playing their role in some of the war’s most decisive engagements – from Kyiv to Donbas, and to Kursk Oblast in Russia.
Inside Ukraine’s 1,000 for 1,000 POW swap with Russia
On May 23, Ukraine and Russia began the largest prisoner exchange since 2014. Over three days, 1,000 prisoners of war (POWs) from both sides will return home in a deal agreed upon during direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul earlier this month — the first such talks between Moscow and Kyiv since 2022. The Kyiv Independent went to the site of exchange.
Ultimate guide on how drones changed warfare in Ukraine
The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrel provides an ultimate guide on how drones have changed the warfare in Ukraine — starting with an embed with a drone unit of the National Guard’s 14th Chervona Kalyna Brigade and providing even more insights with a step-by-step simulation on how fighting for an average village in Ukraine looks like now, three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion.
With Ukraine’s Peaky Blinders chasing Russian soldiers near Pokrovsk
The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko spent a day with one of Ukraine's most effective drone units, "Peaky Blinders." As Russian forces continue to push across the front line, Peaky Blinders are tasked with stopping Russian assaults near the embattled city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast.
