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]
![A fight for survival: It is no longer just a personal battle for Ukraine’s athletes at the Paris Olympics](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/00_070824_UkraineOlympicsParis_01_EvgeniyMaloletka-1080x675.jpg)
A fight for survival: It is no longer just a personal battle for Ukraine’s athletes at the Paris Olympics
For Ukrainian hurdler Anna Ryzhykova, each stride on the Paris Olympic track will have meaning far beyond the time she clocks. Her competitions are no longer strictly an individual battle, but war on a different front. Her goal is not just gold, but also to rivet...
![Frontline “soldier artists” from Ukraine perform a cultural concert of gratitude for Milwaukee](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/00_061524_UkraineConcertAFU_2642-1080x675.jpg)
Frontline “soldier artists” from Ukraine perform a cultural concert of gratitude for Milwaukee
Wisconsin Ukrainians hosted a special concert for the Milwaukee community on June 15, performed by frontline Ukrainian soldiers as part of the “Music Tour of Gratitude to America,” an initiative to thank the people of the United States for their unwavering...
![Ukraine’s LGBTQ soldiers rally for legal rights in hope that their military service is changing public attitudes](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/00_061724_LGBTUkraine_01_EfremLukatsky-1080x675.jpg)
Ukraine’s LGBTQ soldiers rally for legal rights in hope that their military service is changing public attitudes
Several hundred LGBTQ Ukrainian servicemen and their supporters marched in central Kyiv on June 16 to demand more rights and highlight their service to their country in its war with Russia. The service members — many wearing rainbow and unicorn patches on their...
![World leaders agree with territorial integrity for Ukraine as basis of any peace deal at Swiss conference](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/00_061724_UkrainePeaceBasis_01_MichaelBuholzer-1080x675.jpg)
World leaders agree with territorial integrity for Ukraine as basis of any peace deal at Swiss conference
Eighty countries called for the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine on June 16 to be the basis for any peace agreement to end Russia’s two-year war, though some key developing nations at a Swiss conference did not join in. The way forward for...
![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...
![Cost of not investing: Why rebuilding Ukraine becomes more expensive each day of Russia’s occupation](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/051624_RebuildingUkraineCost_01_VolodymyrVorobiov-1080x675.jpg)
Cost of not investing: Why rebuilding Ukraine becomes more expensive each day of Russia’s occupation
By Jeffrey Kucik, Associate Professor at the University of Arizona, University of Arizona U.S. military assistance is finally on its way to Ukraine after months of being held up in Congress. Reactions to the US$61 billion spending package, signed into law by President...
![President Biden calls for solidarity with Ukraine near the beaches of Normandy during D-Day ceremony](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/00_060724_BidenUkraineSolidarity_01_DanielCole-1080x675.jpg)
President Biden calls for solidarity with Ukraine near the beaches of Normandy during D-Day ceremony
President Joe Biden marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6 by pledging “we will not walk away” from Ukraine, drawing a direct line from the fight to liberate Europe from Nazi domination to today’s war against Russian aggression. “To...
![99-year-old U.S. D-Day veteran hugs President Zelenskyy and calls him a savior of the Ukrainian people](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/00_060724_ZelenskyyDDay_01_VirginiaMayo-1080x675.jpg)
99-year-old U.S. D-Day veteran hugs President Zelenskyy and calls him a savior of the Ukrainian people
An American veteran and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared an emotional moment at a ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion to liberate France in World War II, each praising the other as a hero. Retired Staff Sgt. Melvin Hurwitz,...
![President Zelenskyy accuses China of aiding Russia by pressuring countries to avoid Ukraine peace talks](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/00_060224_ChinaBlocksPeace_01_VincentThian-1080x675.jpg)
President Zelenskyy accuses China of aiding Russia by pressuring countries to avoid Ukraine peace talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused China on June 2 of helping Russia to disrupt an upcoming Swiss-organized peace conference on the war in Ukraine. Speaking at Asia’s premier security conference, Zelenskyy said that China is pressuring other...
![Why Trump’s anti-American attacks on the justice system over his felony convictions are a gift to Putin](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/00_060224_AttackHelpsPutin_01_JuliaNikhinson-1080x675.jpg)
Why Trump’s anti-American attacks on the justice system over his felony convictions are a gift to Putin
After his historic guilty verdict in his hush money case, Donald Trump attacked the U.S. criminal justice system, making unfounded claims of a “rigged” trial that echoed remarks from the Kremlin. “If they can do this to me, they can do this to...
![Ukraine can finally target Russian-occupied areas with long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S.](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/00_042424_LongRangeAttack_01_JohnHamilton-1080x675.jpg)
Ukraine can finally target Russian-occupied areas with long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S.
Ukraine for the first time began using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea and Russian forces in April. Long sought by Ukrainian leaders, the new missiles give Ukraine nearly double the...
![Russia’s brutal advances strain Ukrainian front-line troops just as mobilization law comes into force](http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/00_051824_UkraineMobilizationLaw_01_EfremLukatsky-1080x675.jpg)
Russia’s brutal advances strain Ukrainian front-line troops just as mobilization law comes into force
A divisive mobilization law in Ukraine came into force on May 11, as Kyiv struggles to boost troop numbers after Russia launched a new offensive that some fear could close in on Ukraine’s second-largest city. The legislation, which was watered down from its...
![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...
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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.