The Kyiv Independent marks its 4-year anniversary and launches its biggest membership drive
The Kyiv Independent celebrates its 4-year anniversary and launches its largest membership campaign to reach 25,000 paying members by the end of 2025.
The Kyiv Independent was born out of a fight for freedom of speech. It was founded on November 11 by the team that got fired from another Ukrainian publication for defending editorial independence.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Kyiv Independent has been a key source of news from Ukraine for millions of people around the world. Hundreds of publications around the world started relying on it to keep their readers informed.
The last year has been filled with challenges, both within Ukraine and on the international stage. Russia stepped up its attacks across the front line and on civilians, and support for Ukraine from abroad became less secure.
This was also the year when Kyiv Independent journalism was needed the most.
Over the last year, the Kyiv Independent reached new milestones. We published thousands of articles, including dozens of field reports from the front lines and multiple investigations into the inner workings of Russia’s war effort. We released our 10th documentary on Russian war crimes in Ukraine, and launched our first print edition, The Power Within. Our journalism and strategy won multiple awards.
The team stepped in to support Ukraine's regional media after the USAID freeze, as well as held multiple successful fundraisers to support Ukrainian charities, grew the team to over 80 people, and connected supporters of Ukraine around the world.
All of this happened without a paywall. The team firmly believed that independent reporting should be available to everyone, and the Kyiv Independent chose to rely on a powerful community instead. Brick by brick, the team has built a strong global community of members. Now, our readers account for around 70% of our revenue. As of Nov. 11, 2025, the Kyiv Independent is proud to have a community of 22,870 members.
To prepare for 2026, the Kyiv Independent launches its largest campaign to reach 25,000 members by the end of 2025. We are looking for more people who support our mission because we want to do even more. More stories, more reports, more investigations, in an even louder voice.
“As attention to Ukraine is unstable, we want to tell its story even better and louder. As the front line is getting more infested with drones and deadly for journalists, we will find a way to keep bringing you the truth of this war. As Russian disinformation gets faster and cheaper, aided by algorithms and AI, we will keep exposing its lies,” writes Olga Rudenko, chief editor of the Kyiv Independent, in her letter to readers.
If you want to support our mission, consider becoming a member and helping us prepare for 2026.
