Behind the Scenes: The Kyiv Independent's June Digest

We're introducing a new format to our company news: a monthly digest of what normally stays behind the scenes. As an independent, reader-funded outlet, we want to be transparent about how the Kyiv Independent is built and grown — the wins, the people, and the work that goes into keeping our journalism free and independent. Each month, we'll share internal news, events we hosted or attended, awards we were shortlisted for, media outlets we appeared in, and team updates.

What’s new at the Kyiv Independent

The big highlight of June was the completion of our biggest membership drive to date: we set out to engage 4,000 new supporters and hit that goal within just over a month. Our community now stands at almost 34,000 members across more than 100 countries, growth that directly expands our journalism's reach and helps us build a stable, independent outlet in wartime.

Members get complimentary Ukrainian language classes, exclusive newsletters, and regular chances to connect with our staff through Q&As, Discord discussions, and offline meetups. More information is available here. For membership questions, reach us at community@kyivindependent.com.

June also brought a new addition to our store that's close to our hearts: our first vyshyvanka, Ukraine's traditional embroidered shirt, created in collaboration with fashion embroidery brand Gaptuvalnya. The design reimagines traditional floral motifs from Kyiv in our own historic blue, carrying centuries-old symbols of identity, continuity, and heritage into a modern, unisex silhouette, produced right here in Ukraine. We set out to create this product as a way for us to share Ukrainian culture with our global community. The limited run of 100 pieces sold out in less than a month.

We also want to help other Ukrainian newsrooms build the same kind of financial resilience. We launched a consulting program with Estonian media group Delfi Meedia and Estonian nonprofit MTÜ Mondo to help five regional Ukrainian outlets diversify their revenue and reduce reliance on grant funding. Selected newsrooms get one-on-one consulting with Kyiv Independent and Delfi Meedia media managers, followed by a €10,000 grant to launch or scale a new revenue stream.

And to keep reaching audiences on their preferred platforms, Ukraine This Week, our weekly video show hosted by Anna Belokur, is now also available as an audio podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, in addition to our YouTube channel.

In other media

June was one of the busiest months yet for our press office, whose job is to build bridges between our journalists and colleagues in media around the world. American political commentary outlet The Bulwark published Francis Farrell's column on Ukrainian drone units and war developments in eastern Ukraine. Francis also joined War on the Rocks, a U.S. national security and foreign policy publication, on its member-exclusive podcast The Russia Contingency with Michael Kofman, discussing the battle for Donetsk Oblast from his on-the-ground reporting.

Investigative reporter Danylo Mokryk spoke with Germany's leading daily FAZ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) about the culture of torture Russia has built in occupied Ukraine, while Spain's public broadcaster RTVE spoke to Toma Istomina, the Kyiv Independent deputy chief editor, about our reporting on the Energoatom corruption scandal for its Diario de Ucrania segment. German nonprofit outlet Krautreporter translated and republished Alisa Yurchenko’s investigation into how EU machinery keeps feeding Russian missile makers, and U.S. public radio network Pacifica Network shared the Kyiv Independent's story as told by Zakhar Protsiuk, our COO, with its listeners.

If you're a member of the press looking to connect with us, or a reader who knows journalists we should connect with, email us at press@kyivindependent.com.

The Kyiv Independent at events

June kicked off vacation season, but that didn't slow our event calendar. Elsa Court, our audience growth manager, attended the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany, speaking on a panel about innovative newsroom business models from around the globe; you can watch the recording on DW Global Media Forum's YouTube channel. Zakhar Protsiuk spoke at Almedalsveckan, a democratic forum in Sweden, about how the Kyiv Independent got started and how the company has grown.

Our business desk also traveled: Lili Bivings, business editor, moderated a panel on private investment in Ukraine at the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference in Gdansk, Poland, and business reporter Dominic Culverwell presented at Ukraine Tech Day at the URC, organized by Diia.City United, which gathered investors and tech industry leaders.

We also have news to share: after a sold-out debut in New York in December last year, the Kyiv Independent is bringing its live event series to the UK for the first time, with a London evening set for Oct. 2 at Kings Place. Editor-in-Chief Olga Rudenko will host live storytelling from CEO Daryna Shevchenko and reporters Francis Farrell, Dominic Culverwell, and Olena Zashko, alongside a curated photo exhibition, an audience Q&A, and a meet-the-team reception. Tickets are available now.

There's a lot happening behind the scenes at the Kyiv Independent these days, and we wanted a way to bring you along for more of it. As we grow and expand, we'd like to share the wins, the new faces, and the moments that don't always make it into our published stories. We'll keep sharing these updates every month, and we'd love to hear what you'd like to see more of.