Kyiv Independent launches its largest campaign to find 4,000 new members worldwide

The Kyiv Independent has launched its largest and most ambitious membership campaign to date, seeking 4,000 new members from across the world to support its independent journalism from Ukraine.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, the Kyiv Independent has become one of the world's leading sources of news from Ukraine. Owned by its journalists, and funded by its readers, it is now read by nearly 3 million people every month, in every corner of the world, free of charge and without a paywall.

That reach comes with responsibility. While many international news outlets are reducing their coverage of Russia's war as the global news cycle moves on, the reality on the ground in Ukraine has not changed. Shahed drones fall on Ukrainian cities almost every night. Travel is increasingly dangerous as Russia targets railway infrastructure. Ukrainians in Russian-occupied territories continue to face starvation, torture, and displacement.

The Kyiv Independent is choosing to go in the other direction: more coverage, not less.
Since its launch, the Kyiv Independent has published over 35,000 news stories, more than 150 reports from the front lines, and 12 documentaries uncovering Russian war crimes. In 2026, we plan to do more — more reporting from the front line, more in-depth investigations, and a bigger team.

But this will only be possible if the Kyiv Independent can grow its community. The Kyiv Independent operates free from government influence, billionaire ownership, or political agendas. In 2025, almost 70% of our revenue came directly from our readers — either through monthly memberships or one-time donations.

This campaign aims to find 4,000 new members and prove that independent journalism from Ukraine can thrive when readers choose to support it.

As part of this campaign, we aim to find 2,000 new members in the United States to add to the 8,000 readers there who already choose to support us, making up our largest community anywhere in the world.

At a time when U.S. policy toward Ukraine is becoming more unpredictable, the continued engagement of our American readers is truly meaningful. It is proof not just that they care, but that they act on it.

"Today, we are looking for 4,000 new members to join us — 4,000 people who stand for the truth. Getting there will give us more resources for our journalism, which means more stories reaching more people, and a stronger newsroom in the face of uncertainty." said Olga Rudenko, Chief Editor of the Kyiv Independent.

To support the Kyiv Independent's mission and help us get one step closer to our goal, consider becoming a member today.