Here's what you helped us achieve in the last week

Dear KI community members, 

We're excited to announce – with our members being the first to know – that we have a goal to reach 10,000 patrons by the end of 2022. The Kyiv Independent will celebrate its one-year anniversary next month, and as we look toward the future, we believe that having sustainable revenue and a strong base of support is crucial.

Next week, we will announce this goal publicly, but we wanted to share it with you first and say thank you. Being reader-funded means that we will never have to rely on a rich owner or put our journalism behind a paywall. So thank you for being with us! We wouldn't be here without you.

We'd also like to welcome the 133 members who joined us this week! Thank you for your support.

Here are some highlights from the Kyiv Independent in the last week:

• Russia continues to occupy the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and the International Atomic Energy Agency said that an accident at the plant is "very possible." Alexander Query's "Life near Russian-occupied nuclear plant: ‘I don’t know if tomorrow will come’" looks at how those who remain in Enerhodar, the city where the plant is located, manage to survive and how workers at the plant put their life on the line to keep it running safely, in order to avoid nuclear catastrophe. Pictured above is an illustration by Karolina Gulshani, depicting the nuclear plant workers.

• One of our most popular stories this week was Igor Kossov's article about  Russian forces in Kherson Oblast unable to withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro River, since withdrawal would undermine Russia's recent illegal annexation effort. 

• Ukraine continues to make steady gains in the south and east, and Asami Terajima's daily wrap-up "Ukraine War Latest" chronicled the main developments, including Russia's defeat in Lyman and Ukrainian advancements in Kherson and Luhansk oblasts.  

• Last week, a Russian missile strike on Zaporizhzhia killed at least 31 people and injured an additional 88. Francis Farrell traveled to the city and talked to locals about the attack and its devastating aftermath. Find out what he learned in his recent piece "Zaporizhzhia engulfed by terror as recent Russian strike takes 31 lives."

• As winter approaches and Russia attacks energy infrastructure, those left without access to gas are at increasing risk of becoming internally displaced. Asami Terajima's "UN migration agency says ‘terrible impact’ awaiting Ukrainians as Russia ramps up attacks on energy infrastructure" looks at this looming issue and the conditions internally displaced people face.

• The second episode of "Power Lines: From Ukraine to the World" aired. In Ep. 2: History and Context co-hosts Anastasiia Lapatina and Jakub Parusinski speak to Ukrainian historian and writer Olesya Khromeychuk about what Ukraine's complicated history before the fall of the Soviet Union can tell us about the reasons for the start of the war. They also speak to Ukrainian tattoo artist and illustrator Alyona Zhuk about passing down history to the next generation.

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