Russian invasion of Ukraine
Special Coverage
![](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/030522_UkraineMural_MyDogSighs.jpg)
Vladimir Putin began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, in an escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War that he started in 2014. The invasion received widespread international condemnation, including massive economic sanctions. Milwaukee’s Ukrainian American community began with immigrants in the early twentieth century, and continued to grow in the years after World War II and the fall of the Soviet Union.
These news stories cover the local connections in Milwaukee to an international crisis, and all the complexities woven into America’s political climate.
- Links to complete news coverage of Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine: mkeind.com/ukraine
- Reports from Ukraine – Series of news reports from May 2022 in Ukraine: mkeind.com/reportsfromukraine
- Return to Ukraine – Series of news reports from June-July 2023 in Ukraine: mkeind.com/returntoukraine
- Selected features that focus on news from Milwaukee’s Sister City of Irpin: mkeind.com/irpin
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Featured: Jennifer Vosters: A visit to Kyiv that offered insight, awareness, and an inspiration for solidarity [Feb 24, 2022]
![Russia concludes secretive political trial with conviction of U.S. reporter on espionage charges](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/00_071924_RussiaConvictsReporter_01-1080x675.jpg)
Russia concludes secretive political trial with conviction of U.S. reporter on espionage charges
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was falsely convicted on July 19 of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security prison on charges that his employer and the U.S. government have rejected as fabricated. The swift conclusion of the secretive...
![Halyna Zdyrko Salapata: The sacrifices that come with supporting Ukraine while raising a family in Milwaukee](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/00b_022623_OneYearVigilUkraine_2970x_3019-1080x675.jpg)
Halyna Zdyrko Salapata: The sacrifices that come with supporting Ukraine while raising a family in Milwaukee
Parents in Milwaukee, like those everywhere, understand the universal struggle of balancing work with home life. It is a common challenge to juggle job responsibilities with family demands. What is more uncommon is when the job in Milwaukee involves raising funds to...
![Betraying Ukraine: Trump reveals prior knowledge of Putin’s Mariupol Plan while bragging of hostage deal](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/00_062924_TrumpPutinPledge_01-1080x675.jpg)
Betraying Ukraine: Trump reveals prior knowledge of Putin’s Mariupol Plan while bragging of hostage deal
Trump has been focused on 32-year-old “Wall Street Journal” reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested by Russian officers in March 2023 and is currently on trial for the trumped-up charge of espionage. The State Department considers him “wrongfully...
![A dream come true: Ukraine begins EU membership talks a decade after Putin illegally seized Crimea](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/00_062524_UkraineEUBid_01_AndreeaAlexandru-1080x675.jpg)
A dream come true: Ukraine begins EU membership talks a decade after Putin illegally seized Crimea
The European Union on June 25 launched membership talks with Ukraine, a decade after Russian troops seized the Crimean Peninsula to deter the country from moving closer to the West, part of a chain of events that set the two neighbors on the path to war....
![Damaged by war: Vibrant church in Ukraine rises as a symbol of the nation’s faith and culture](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/00_050424_UkraineChurchSymbol_01_FranciscoSeco-1080x675.jpg)
Damaged by war: Vibrant church in Ukraine rises as a symbol of the nation’s faith and culture
During the Orthodox Easter season, an extraordinary new church brought spiritual comfort to war-weary residents of the Ukrainian village of Lypivka. Two years ago, it also provided physical refuge from the horrors outside. Almost 100 residents sheltered in a basement...
![Navigating the darkness: Ukraine’s power blackouts return after Russia targets civilian infrastructure](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/00_062224_UkraineBlackouts_01_AlexBabenko-1080x675.jpg)
Navigating the darkness: Ukraine’s power blackouts return after Russia targets civilian infrastructure
During daytime, entire districts of Ukraine’s capital are disconnected from the power grid to save energy. Traffic lights stop, choking traffic, accompanied by the constant rumble of generators installed outside cafes and shops. Ukraine, including Kyiv, is...
![South Korea considers sending weapons to Ukraine after dictators Putin and Kim sign military pact](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/00_062224_SKoreaUkraineArms_01_GavriilGrigorov-1080x675.jpg)
South Korea considers sending weapons to Ukraine after dictators Putin and Kim sign military pact
South Korea said on June 20 that it would consider sending arms to Ukraine, a major policy change that was suggested after Russia and North Korea rattled the region and beyond by signing a pact to come to each other’s defense in the event of war. The comments...
![European leaders say Russia is waging a shadow war on the West that needs a collective response](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/00_052324_RussiaShadowWar_01_HendrikOsula-1080x675.jpg)
European leaders say Russia is waging a shadow war on the West that needs a collective response
Perched on the open ramp at the rear of a British Chinook helicopter, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas flew home from the annual Spring Storm military exercises, pleased to see NATO allies cooperating. But she later said that other types of warfare were on her...
![Congressional Battlefield: Why Republican lawmakers assist Putin’s infiltration of American politics](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/041824_RussiaPoliticalThreat_01_DavidGoldman-1080x675.jpg)
Congressional Battlefield: Why Republican lawmakers assist Putin’s infiltration of American politics
On the social media site X, formerly Twitter, Miles Taylor wrote: “After 2016, I helped lead the US gov[ernmen]t response to Russia’s election interference. In 2024, foreign interference will be *worse.* Tech[nology is] more powerful. Adversaries more brazen. American...
![A deal between dictators: How the renewed Russia and North Korea partnership will impact Ukraine’s future](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/00_062024_NorthKoreaRussiaDeal_01_KristinaKormilitsyna-1080x675.jpg)
A deal between dictators: How the renewed Russia and North Korea partnership will impact Ukraine’s future
Russia’s brutal dictator Vladimir Putin and North Korean oppressive ruler Kim Jong Un signed an agreement on June 19 that pledges mutual aid if either country faces “aggression,” a strategic pact that comes as both face escalating standoffs with the...
![Doing more with less: How U.S. special operations are being influenced by lessons from the war in Ukraine](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/051624_UkraineGroundForces_01_KarlBDeBlaker-1080x675.jpg)
Doing more with less: How U.S. special operations are being influenced by lessons from the war in Ukraine
Forced to do more with less and learning from the war in Ukraine, U.S. special operations commanders are juggling how to add more high-tech experts to their teams while still cutting their overall forces by about 5,000 troops over the next five years. The conflicting...
![Boots on the ground: What international law says about British troops operating in Ukraine](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/051524_BritishOpsUkraine-1080x675.jpg)
Boots on the ground: What international law says about British troops operating in Ukraine
By Christoph Bluth, Professor of International Relations and Security, University of Bradford Leaked communications involving high-level German government and military figures appear to confirm that British army personnel are engaged on the ground in Ukraine. An...
![South Korea considers sending weapons to Ukraine after dictators Putin and Kim sign military pact](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/00_062224_SKoreaUkraineArms_01_GavriilGrigorov-1080x675.jpg)
South Korea considers sending weapons to Ukraine after dictators Putin and Kim sign military pact
South Korea said on June 20 that it would consider sending arms to Ukraine, a major policy change that was suggested after Russia and North Korea rattled the region and beyond by signing a pact to come to each other’s defense in the event of war. The comments...
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Featured: Photos from the frontlines: Sergi Mykhalchuk documents images of war as civilians evacuate Irpin [Mar 16, 2022]
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Featured: Milwaukee formalizes Sister City status with Ukraine’s Irpin [Mar 23, 2018]
Milwaukee has a small but thriving Ukrainian American community, and Irpin is a sister city. Follow our special coverage at mkeind.com/ukraine for updates on Putin’s invasion, and about how the fight by Ukrainian people to preserve their democracy is having an impact on the families and businesses here in Milwaukee. 🇺🇦 Слава Україні! Героям слава!
Help maintain a reliable news source in Ukraine by supporting the Kyiv Independent, an English-language media outlet created by journalists who were fired from the Kyiv Post for defending editorial independence. Donations can be made via patreon or gofundme.