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Tim Zadorozhnyy

Reporter

Tim Zadorozhnyy is the reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in foreign policy, U.S.-Ukraine relations, and political developments across Europe and Russia. He studied International Relations and European Studies at Lazarski University and Coventry University and is now based in Warsaw. Tim began his journalism career in Odesa in 2022, working as a reporter at a local television channel. After relocating to Warsaw, he spent a year and a half with the Belarusian independent media outlet NEXTA, initially as a news anchor and later as managing editor. Tim is fluent in English, Ukrainian, and Russian.

t.zadorozhnyy@kyivindependent.com
For media & speaking inquiries:
press@kyivindependent.com

Articles

Politics

Exclusive: How US envoy's preplanned trip caused a diplomatic scandal in Kyiv and Brussels

by Tim Zadorozhnyy, Chris Powers
The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said on May 28 that the U.S. embassy was the only foreign mission to evacuate Kyiv following Russian threats of a major strike. "What we heard from Ukraine yesterday was that all the embassies stayed, except one, so that also takes courage from those embassies, but yes, all the Europeans stayed, America left," Kallas told reporters. The claim was false, soon denied by Washington, and retracted by Brussels, fueling confusion over what actually happened. As t
Politics

Are foreign embassies evacuating from Kyiv after Russian threats?

by Tim Zadorozhnyy
No foreign embassies in Kyiv have decided to evacuate staff following Russian threats of new attacks on the Ukrainian capital, the Kyiv Independent has learned. The development comes after the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a public warning about a new wave of long-range attacks on Kyiv, including strikes targeting what Moscow called Ukraine's "decision-making centers." Russia urged foreign citizens, including diplomats, to leave the city. At a United Nations meeting in New York on May 26, n
Trump (R) and President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. on Dec. 28, 2025.
Politics

Exclusive: Zelensky sends Trump urgent letter warning of Ukraine's critical missile defense shortages

by Tim Zadorozhnyy
President Volodymyr Zelensky sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump warning about Ukraine's worsening shortage of air defense systems, particularly anti-ballistic missile capabilities, the Kyiv Independent has learned. The appeal comes as Russia intensifies mass aerial attacks on Ukraine and publicly threatens a new wave of long-range strikes on Kyiv, including attacks on what Moscow described as Ukraine's "decision-making centers." "When it comes to air defense against missiles, we rely
Ukrainian soldiers prepare an "Evanger" UAV for launch in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on Sept. 24, 2025.
Europe

How Ukraine's strikes inside Russia became a headache for its NATO allies

by Tim Zadorozhnyy, Martin Fornusek, Chris Powers
As Ukraine expands its long-range drone campaign deep inside Russia, Moscow appears to have found a way to turn some of those attacks into a problem for Kyiv. Russia has begun jamming Ukrainian drones and redirecting them toward neighboring NATO countries, particularly the Baltic states and Finland, creating a growing security and political challenge for some of Ukraine's closest allies. Several Baltic officials and public figures who spoke to the Kyiv Independent warned that if the incidents
President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Nov. 30, 2019.
Politics

In photos: 7 years of Volodymyr Zelensky's presidency

by Irynka Hromotska, Tim Zadorozhnyy
Volodymyr Zelensky was sworn in as Ukraine's president on May 20, 2019. He entered office as a political outsider — a relatively young comedian and television producer — promising anti-corruption reforms and peace with Russia. Within years, he would become the face of Ukraine's wartime resistance and one of the world's most recognizable leaders during Europe's deadliest war since World War II. 7 years ago today, Zelensky took office. His legacy is now tied to warRiding a wave of political mom
Business

UK apologizes for Russian oil sanction shambles

by Abbey Fenbert, Jimmy Rushton, Tim Zadorozhnyy, Chris Powers
Editor's note: This article has been updated with a statement from the U.K. government. The United Kingdom on May 20 apologized for the way it "clumsily" handled the roll-out of new sanctions on Moscow after a day earlier it issued what appeared to be an easing of sanctions on Russian energy imports. A license posted on the U.K. government web portal on May 19 permits imports of diesel and jet fuel made from Russian oil if "the products have been processed in a third country." The move was wi
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, on April 21, 2026.
Russia

Russia's foreign minister Lavrov cut out of Ukraine peace talks, officials say

by Tim Zadorozhnyy
Russia's top diplomat Sergey Lavrov has been almost completely sidelined from Moscow's most important foreign policy track — negotiations on ending Russia's war against Ukraine, two Ukrainian officials and one U.S. official told the Kyiv Independent. For decades, Lavrov served as the public face of Russian diplomacy and one of the Kremlin's most recognizable hardliners. Since the start of Russia's all-out war, he has remained one of the loudest voices defending Moscow's maximalist demands, reg

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