The incredible ways our community helps Ukraine

Since we launched in 2022, readers from all over the world have chosen to become members of the Kyiv Independent. But these readers — our community — don't only support us; they have at times gone to incredible lengths to help Ukraine.

Tens of thousands of readers now choose to support the Kyiv Independent by becoming members or making a one-time donation. Our members have repeatedly told us they want to do more to help Ukraine. In response to their requests, we now produce a monthly newsletter for the community, highlighting organizations supporting Ukraine and sharing opportunities to donate or, in some cases, volunteer.

But the truth is, many of our members go far beyond what we could expect, and we're continually amazed by the incredible things our members do to support Ukraine. From driving a motorbike to Kharkiv to donate it to a Ukrainian National Guard unit, to renaming a street, to coming to Kyiv to volunteer in a kitchen producing rations for the army, our members literally go the extra mile.

So, we decided to share some of the incredible ways our community shows up for Ukraine.

Donating a motorbike to the National Guard in person

In 2025, our community member, John Carroll, decided to donate a Yamaha XJ600 motorcycle to the National Guard in Kharkiv. But getting it there proved more complicated than anyone expected.

John, who lived in Australia, was in the UK when he bought a motorbike and decided he wanted to donate it to the military in Ukraine. He traveled across Europe and Africa on the motorbike, crossing 12 countries, and finally arrived in Ukraine from Romania.

John knew the military could use a motorcycle like his, but didn't know how to donate it or where to go. He thought about looking at local newspapers — but didn't speak Ukrainian. That's how he found the Kyiv Independent.

We connected John with Bill, another community member who travels to Ukraine three times a year with his colleague Vika, bringing school supplies for refugee children in Dnipro and medical equipment to front-line battalions.  

Bill knew a unit that needed a motorbike — but there was a problem. Because John had entered Ukraine on a tourist visa, not a Humanitarian Aid Worker Visa, he would need to leave Ukraine and re-enter with the correct visa and correct paperwork for the motorbike.

"We had no idea how we were going to do this," said Bill. "We couldn't ask an 80-year-old man to ride all the way to Moldova (the closest border) from Kyiv, and then back again, after already riding completely across Ukraine all day."

Luckily, Bill didn't have to. Once John heard what needed to be done, he set off to the border, leaving Kyiv at 10am and returning at 3 am, several police blocks and military checkpoints later.

After a quick stop in Kyiv, John headed to Kharkiv with Bill and Vika. The battalion needed the motorcycle so badly that a team was allowed to rotate off the front line to meet Bill, Vika, and John, then immediately put the motorcycle to use.

“It was 1,600 kilometers and 30 hours before I got to sleep that night,” said John. “But everyone I met in Ukraine was so helpful, I never felt endangered even with missiles at 3 am a few streets away.”

Kyiv, not Kiev — renaming a street in Oregon

For decades, if not more, English speakers the world over referred to Ukraine's capital as Kiev, pronouncing it kee-yev. Few people knew they were using the Russian name for the city. The city is pronounced keeiv in Ukrainian and is transliterated correctly into English as Kyiv.

In 2025, members of the Kyiv Independent’s global community initiated a campaign to rename a street in Springfield, Oregon, from "Kiev" to "Kyiv". The community installed a new blue-and-yellow street sign that reflects both the correct Ukrainian transliteration and Ukraine's national colors.

The use of the correct transliteration is not just symbolic. The use of Russian transliterations for Ukrainian city names reflects the ongoing legacy of the Soviet Union, and contributes to an ongoing and widespread stereotype that "everyone in Ukraine speaks Russian" and the factually incorrect "Ukraine is a former part of Russia." Using the correct Ukrainian transliteration is critical to show respect for the country and its sovereignty, which is more important than ever since Russia's invasion.

"We're very proud of our city for supporting our efforts to make this happen," one community member told the Kyiv Independent. So are we!

Volunteering for Murashky

Malcolm Barraclough has been a member of the Kyiv Independent since 2023. He frequently travels to Ukraine to volunteer at Murashky, a volunteer kitchen based in Kyiv that produces dry rations for the Ukrainian army.

Murashky (which means "ants" in Ukrainian) produces between $30,000 and $35,000 worth of packaged rations every month, which are sent to soldiers on the front lines completely free of charge. With just two employees and a steady stream of volunteers like Malcolm, it runs on donations, both financial and in raw ingredients.

Back home in London, Malcolm has found another way to keep the news from Ukraine visible. He prints out PDF editions of the Kyiv Independent and leaves them in cafes, parks, and public spaces around the city. He's built up a small regular readership — including a store security guard who waits for the weekly drop.

How can I help Ukraine?

Of course, not everyone can — or should — drive a motorcycle across borders at night, or come to Kyiv to volunteer. But there are plenty of ways people who care can help Ukraine.

Last year, in response to our members' most frequently asked question — "What more can I do to help Ukraine?" — we launched a monthly newsletter highlighting trusted Ukrainian charities. Since then, our community has helped raise over $100,000 for Ukrainian initiatives, including:

• providing medical equipment for front line medics
• rehabilitation and support for children affected by war
• training programs that help save lives on the battlefield

All of it came from a community of 29,000 people who decided to care.

The Kyiv Independent is not backed by billionaires or corporations. It's backed by readers — people who choose to contribute so that our journalism stays independent, fearless, and free for anyone to read. This month, we're on a quest to find 4,000 new members. If you're reading this and are not yet one of them, you can help us get one step closer to that goal.

Membership starts from $5 a month. You can find all the details on our membership page, or reach us at community@kyivindependent.com.

By becoming a member, you're not just supporting our journalism. You're joining a community that shows up for Ukraine — in ways big and small, from Kyiv to Oregon to Helsinki.