Behind the scenes: Kyiv Independent's September digest

Welcome to the Kyiv Independent's monthly digest, where we share company updates, milestones, and the stories behind our work.

In September, we gave our travel series a home of its own, launched a new way to reach readers, saw our community's support translate into practical help for journalists on the front line, and met our community at events in Brazil and the Netherlands.

What's new at the Kyiv Independent

On Sep. 11, the Kyiv Independent War Crimes Investigation Unit presented its latest investigative documentary, Last Seen in Crimea, which investigates a system of secret prisons in Russian-occupied Crimea where Ukrainian civilians have been held without contact with the outside world, often without formal charges, and subjected to torture and other forms of abuse.

Olesia Bida, the film author, shared that the main goal of the investigation was to identify those, who are directly responsible for these unlawful detentions. “Systems like this do not operate on their own — they depend on those who run them and those who carry out their orders,” she says.

The documentary is available to watch on the Kyiv Independent Youtube channel.

Our travel series, Dare to Ukraine, now has its own YouTube channel. The series explores Ukraine beyond the headlines, from its culture and history to its landscapes and, above all, its people. All 11 episodes from both seasons are now available in one place. As our deputy chief editor, Toma Istomina, put it, the series "captures the heart and soul of Ukraine." We hope the new channel will help even more people discover it.

We've also launched a WhatsApp channel, giving readers another way to follow our work. It brings our field reports, investigations, analysis, and long-form stories straight to your phone, alongside a weekly recap of the most important developments in Ukraine.

We also have an update on a project made possible by our community. In May, ahead of World Press Freedom Day, we launched our No News is Bad News collection to help protect journalists reporting near the front line. Through sales of the collection, plus additional donations, our community raised more than $24,000.

The funds enabled the Institute of Mass Information to purchase 26 Vydun 7.5 FPV drone detectors for independent regional journalists working near the front line, exceeding our original goal of funding 20 detectors. The Institute had been seeking funding for the equipment for months, as many potential donors were unable to support purchases of equipment suitable for military use. The detectors provide early warnings of approaching drones, giving journalists crucial time to seek cover.

Thank you to everyone who contributed.

Events

Our editor-in-chief, Olga Rudenko, spent part of September meeting audiences and fellow journalists abroad.

First, she traveled to São Paulo for the Festival piauí de Jornalismo, held under the theme "In the eye of the hurricane: editors-in-chief in times of turmoil." Joining newsroom leaders from eight countries, Olga spoke about what it takes to lead an independent newsroom in a country under attack.

Later in the month, she traveled to Deventer to speak at the Nederlands Journalistiek Festival. In a session titled "The Kyiv Independent: building independent journalism in wartime," she joined Wendelmoet Boersema, the editor-in-chief of Dutch newspaper Trouw and a former correspondent in the post-Soviet countries.

Their conversation explored the challenges of journalism under fire, the importance of holding those in power to account, and why independent reporting is particularly vital when a country is fighting for its future.

In the meantime, Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko travelled to Bucharest, Romania for a screening of Can You Hear Me? The Invisible Battles of Ukrainian Military Medics, the Kyiv Independent documentary co-authored by them. The film follows a group of Ukrainian military medics as they travel from the front-line in Ukraine to the quiet forests of Sweden, for a short mental health retreat.

In other media

September also brought opportunities to share our journalists' experiences and perspectives with international audiences.

Our deputy chief editor, Toma Istomina, spoke to Canadian Affairs about daily life in Kyiv under the threat of Russian aerial attacks. The city is now under round-the-clock air-raid alerts, forcing residents to weigh the risks of carrying on with their lives against the need to seek shelter. Toma also shared her mother's experience of receiving a cancer diagnosis and undergoing treatment during the war, explaining how interrupted sleep and the constant stress of attacks make recovery even harder.

Olga's visit to Brazil also drew interest from local media. In an interview with Marie Claire Brasil, she discussed leading an independent newsroom in wartime. She also spoke to Poder360 about the debate over holding elections in Ukraine during wartime.

For a deeper look at the issue, you can also watch Olga Rudenko and our deputy chief editor, Oleksiy Sorokin, discuss wartime elections on the Kyiv Independent's YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, Helsingin Sanomat, Finland's largest daily newspaper, featured Kyiv in a story exploring how younger Ukrainians view President Volodymyr Zelensky. Its reporters traveled to the Ukrainian capital to hear their perspectives firsthand.

Special recognition

September also brought us two awards that recognized not only our journalism, but also the work that makes it possible to keep that journalism free to read.

Our chief operating officer, Zakhar Protsiuk, was named among INMA's 2026 30 Under 30 honorees. The International News Media Association's awards recognize young professionals making an impact on the news industry. INMA highlighted Zakhar's role in growing the Kyiv Independent's membership from 6,000 to more than 35,000 members, with reader revenue now covering more than 70% of our budget.

We also received the 2026 Online Journalism Award for Innovation in Revenue Strategy from the Online News Association, in the Medium Newsroom category. This marks our second consecutive win in the category. The judges praised our "authentic and transparent membership model" and its central principle: keeping independent journalism freely accessible during wartime.

Neither milestone would have been possible without the people who choose to support us. Consider joining our community of members today.