Covering another mass missile attack on Kyiv: Here's what you helped us do this week

Dear Kyiv Independent community members,

Thank you for continuing to stand with us. 

We'd like to give a warm welcome to the 93 new members this week. The majority of our funding is from reader contributions! We wouldn't be here without you.

Here are some highlights from the Kyiv Independent over the past week:

• We wrote about the latest large-scale air attack on Ukraine on Feb. 7. Daria Shulzhenko covered the human side of the story, with Kyiv residents, who had their homes destroyed, saying "My hatred for Russia only grows." Pictured above, a residential building in Kyiv which caught on fire as a result of the attack.

• One of our most popular stories last week was about Ukraine's latest acquisitions: the U.S.-made Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb. The GLSDB is the versatility of a ground launcher combined with the cost-efficiency and precision of a small guided bomb, and we explained what this means for Ukraine.

• We wrote an explainer on Ukraine's new commander-in-chief. This week, Zelensky replaced Zaluzhnyi with General Oleksandr Syrskyi, "the most experienced Ukrainian commander" according to Zelensky. Both the Battle of Kyiv in spring 2022 and the surprise counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast in September 2022 are achievements usually attributed to Syrskyi.

• We also reported on corruption in Ukraine. Oleg Sukhov's article looks at how Ukrainian officials get away with having Russian citizenship, even during war, while Vladyslav Kudryk's explains the latest corruption case involving the Defense Ministry, with officials allegedly tied to deadly ammunition shortages at the Battle of Bakhmut. 

• This week Belarus Weekly looks at the decision of Belarus and Russia to unify their lists of “extremist” individuals and organizations, allowing the regimes to coordinate their efforts to target opposition. 

• Episode 5 Season 2 of our podcast "This Week in Ukraine" is about upcoming Russian elections. Host Masha Lavrova and reporter Oleg Sukhov discuss Russia's elections and what they mean for Ukraine, with the community question at 14:55. Read Oleg Sukhov's explainer about the short-lived rise of Boris Nadezhdin, Putin's "anti-war" opponent here.

• The Kyiv Independent is coming to the U.S. –join us for screenings of our investigative documentary "Uprooted." The first event will take place on Feb. 14 in New York, with the screening at 7 p.m. at the Cooper Union. Reserve your spot here. We're looking forward to meeting at least some of you in person! 

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