the Kyiv Independent team
The Kyiv Independent was born out of a fight for freedom of speech. It was co-founded by a group of journalists who were fired from the Kyiv Post, then a prominent newspaper, as the owner attempted to take the newsroom under control and end its critical coverage of Ukrainian authorities.
Instead of giving up, the fired team founded a new media outlet to carry on the torch — and be a truly independent voice of Ukraine. Jnomics, an international media consultancy with Ukrainian roots, co-founded the publication, bringing their expertise in media management.
Just three months after the Kyiv Independent was launched, Russia invaded Ukraine. Our team stayed in Ukraine and kept on reporting on what was now a war against their country.
The team’s resilience and uncompromising reporting quickly made the Kyiv Independent a key source of news from Ukraine for millions of people around the world.
We vowed to serve the principles of honest journalism even during an ongoing war. We have published investigations, including into misconduct within the Ukrainian military. It has solidified our readers’ trust in us as an independent news source. The Kyiv Independent has won multiple awards for its work.
We had to grow fast. Today, the Kyiv Independent is a dynamic organization producing stories, video reports, podcasts, newsletters, documentaries, and more. In March 2023, one year after the start of the full-scale invasion, we formed a separate unit within the team to investigate Russian war crimes.
We are continuing to grow and learn. In a world where disinformation and propaganda are weapons of war, we aim to continue to be able to put up a good fight for truth.
The 2023 George Weidenfeld Prize is recognition of Asami Terajima’s coverage of Russia’s brutal all-out war against Ukraine.
Our team is made up of about 50 people, with most of them based in Kyiv. Some of our team members work in North America on the news desk, while others work remotely or hybrid in Europe.
Our team believes that in order to preserve our independence we have to maintain financial sustainability and earn money for our work. The majority of our revenue comes from our reader’s support. Membership and one-time donations keep us sustainable as a news organization and allow us to keep our journalism free and accessible to everyone.
Kyiv Independent also makes money from advertising, syndication deals, book publishing, and other commercial activities. We also work with donor organizations and receive grants to support some of our editorial projects.
Besides our regular reporting — including field reports and front-line coverage, and our sections for business, investigations, opinions, and explaining Ukraine — we also keep a continuously updated news feed on our website.
We currently have six newsletters: Ukraine Daily, Belarus Weekly, War Notes, Investigative Stories from Ukraine, Ukraine Business Roundup, and Ukraine’s True History.
Our War Crimes Investigations Unit produces documentaries about the atrocities committed during Russia’s war, shedding light on the human stories behind the over 80,000 war crimes Russia has committed in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.
We have a weekly video podcast, “This Week in Ukraine,” which you can find on our YouTube channel.
Besides YouTube, we also maintain a presence on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Twitter (X), Telegram, and LinkedIn.
You can email anyone on the team personally (more information can be found here). If you would like to pitch a story or share some important information, you can send us a letter at [email protected].
If you are interested in more internal communication and continuous communication with our team, such opportunities are available to our paying members. There are lots of opportunities for a member to get in touch with the Kyiv Independent team.
We recently launched a community chat on Discord, offering an exclusive space for our members to connect directly with the team. You can ask us questions, reach out to specific team members, participate in polls, and share memes. We also have channels set up for how to help Ukraine and tips for learning Ukrainian.
Partners and Insiders also have one-on-one calls with our leadership. You can find more information on becoming a member here.
If you’re interested in working with the Kyiv Independent, we’re always looking to grow our team, and you can check out our current vacancies here.
If you’re interested in volunteering, you can fill out this form with details about your experience and what you’d like to volunteer for, and if we need your skillset, we’ll be in touch.
If you would like to report a type or a factual mistake in our reporting, please send us an email at [email protected].