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Olena Zashko

Video Creator

Olena 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.

o.zashko@kyivindependent.com
For media & speaking inquiries:
press@kyivindependent.com

Articles

Video

Inside the Battle of the Dnipro River

by Olena Zashko, Francis Farrell
Along the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine, the front line has remained largely static, but fighting continues every day. The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko embedded with Ukraine’s forces in Kherson Oblast, following FPV drone and night bomber teams tasked with defending river islands.
Video

Between life and death under Russian drones in Kherson

by Olena Zashko, Francis Farrell
Liberated in 2022, Kherson is still under daily attack from Russian forces across the Dnipro River. The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko report from a city living under anti-drone nets and constant surveillance, showing how everyday life, from hospitals and schools to aid deliveries and cultural events, continues under threat, and why residents refuse to leave.
Video

The ground drone revolution in Ukraine

by Olena Zashko, Francis Farrell
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.
Opinion

Pokrovsk is the city of my childhood. Now I watch it die

by Olena Zashko
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

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