We reported from near Kurakhove, the hottest part of the front line: Here's what you helped us do this week

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Last week, we launched a fundraiser to help local Ukrainian newsrooms hit by the U.S. freeze on foreign aid.

We launched with an initial goal of $50,000 — which would help three newsrooms continue operations for about two additional months — and we surpassed it within days, raising over $66,200 with your help.

We've closed the fundraiser and will evenly distribute the funds between three media outlets: Tsukr in Sumy, Gwara Media in Kharkiv, MykVisti in Mykolaiv.

Thank you to everyone who made a donation or who helped spread the word. Especially as we look towards an uncertain future, it means a lot to see so many people willing to act and to make a difference. We're proud that you're part of our community!

We'd also like to give a warm welcome to the 154 new members who joined our community this week. We wouldn't be here without you.

Here's what you helped us accomplish at the Kyiv Independent last week:

• We reported from near Kurakhove and Pokrovsk, the hottest part of the front line. Reporter Francis Farrell spent a night with Ukraine’s Vampire drone team, on a mine-laying mission. Pictured above is a still from Francis' video report.

• We also reported from Druzhkivka in Donetsk Oblast on the local businesses still operating near the front line. One shop owner said it's mostly soldiers who visit her shop: "We work for them. We see them off to their positions, and meet them when they come back."

• We published a video explainer on "rare earths." Earlier this week, Trump said he would be willing to provide military aid to Ukraine in return for the country's "rare earths." Business reporter Dominic Culverwell sat down with economist Volodymyr Landa to explain what these minerals are and why the U.S. would want rare earths.

• We reported on Ukraine’s steel sector after the loss of a critical coal mine in Donbas. Dominic Culverwell's article explains the importance of the recently lost Pokrovsk mine, which was the last remaining coking coal site in Ukrainian-controlled territory. Without coke, it is impossible to make steel — meaning that Ukrainian steel makers will have to look abroad for this key ingredient.

• We wrote about the reforms to Ukraine's school curriculum and the "Defense of Ukraine" lessons. Kateryna Hodunova's story explains the how the changes are designed to protect the next generation from the threat of Russia, including courses from civics to drone simulators.

• We also wrote about Russia's oil tanker crash in the Black Sea. Karol Luczka's story looks at the collision of two dilapidated Russian oil tankers, which then sank near occupied Crimea. After the accident in December, fuel oil is still spilling into the sea, devolving into one of Russia's worst ecological catastrophes in the 21st century.

Thank you for standing by our side as we bring independent, locally sourced news about Ukraine to the world.