Russian invasion of Ukraine
Special Coverage
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
Featured: Jennifer Vosters: A visit to Kyiv that offered insight, awareness, and an inspiration for solidarity [Feb 24, 2022]
Trump’s criticism of Ukraine’s Jewish president raises new concerns about his antisemitic undertones
Donald Trump has repeatedly made headlines for his unpredictable alliances and frequent criticism of those who oppose him. One figure who has found himself in Trump’s crosshairs was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Observers have pointed to a range of reasons...
Media reports claim Ukraine’s spy agency damaged key railroad conduit for trade between Russia and China
Ukraine’s spy agency staged two successive explosions on a railroad line in Siberia that serves as a key conduit for trade between Russia and China, Ukrainian media reported on December 1. The attacks underscored Moscow’s vulnerability amid the war in...
Russia targets Ukrainian civilians in largest drone attack since the start of its full-scale invasion
Russia on November 25 launched its most intense drone attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion in 2022, targeting the Ukrainian capital, military officials said. “Kyiv was the main target,” Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola...
Ukraine sheds Russian-imposed tradition by officially moving Christmas Day holiday to December 25
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 28 signed a law moving the official Christmas Day holiday to December 25 from January 7, the day when the Russian Orthodox Church observes it. The explanatory note attached to the law said its goal is to...
Revolution of Dignity: A war-weary Ukraine reflects on a decade of defending its freedom against Russia
It happens every November, when the cold descends on Kyiv. The change in weather always makes Dmytro Riznychenko think back, and he is overwhelmed by his emotions. “This is where it truly began,” Riznychenko said, walking through central Kyiv’s...
Global Ambitions: What peace for Ukraine means to authoritarian leaders in Moscow and Beijing
By Ronald Suny, Professor of History and Political Science, University of Michigan Just a few days after being branded a war criminal in an international arrest warrant, Russian President Vladimir Putin was talking peace with his most important ally, Chinese president...
Federal prosecutors launch criminal cases involving illegal flow of technology to Russia, China, and Iran
The Justice Department announced a series of criminal cases on May 16 tracing the illegal flow of sensitive technology, including Apple’s software code for self-driving cars, and materials used for missiles, to foreign adversaries like Russia, China, and Iran....
Charm offensive: President Zelenskyy’s diplomatic tour highlights stark international isolation of Putin
While the world awaits Ukraine’s spring battlefield offensive, its leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has launched a diplomatic one. In the span of a week, he has dashed to Italy, the Vatican, Germany, France, Britain, and Japan to shore up support for defending his...
Why Ukraine’s spring offensive has yet to begin even with summer rapidly approaching
For months, Western allies have shipped billions of dollars worth of weapons systems and ammunition to Ukraine with an urgency to get the supplies to Kyiv in time for an anticipated spring counteroffensive. Summer is now just around the corner. While Russia and...
Remains of U.S. Marine veteran killed a year ago defending Ukraine finally brought home
The remains of a U.S. Marine veteran who was missing in Ukraine for more than a year returned to the United States on May 19, and headed to his hometown in eastern North Carolina. A Turkish Airlines plane flying from Istanbul with the remains of retired Marine Captain...
From invasion to liberation: Sergi Mykhalchuk earns 2 Milwaukee Press Club awards for his images in Irpin
Somewhere in Ukraine, at an undisclosed location along the frontlines, Sergi Mykhalchuk received a Facebook message from Milwaukee that his work documenting Irpin’s evacuation and later liberation had won two journalism awards. On May 12, the Milwaukee Press...
Milwaukee Independent earns 3 of its 11 Gridiron Awards for first-hand reporting of Ukraine War
The Milwaukee Independent earned eleven top distinctions on May 12 from the Milwaukee Press Club for Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism, during the 2023 Gridiron Awards at the Pfister Hotel. The journalism honors follow multiple years of double-digit recognition for...
Cultivating grapes: Napa Valley teaches Ukrainian winemakers how to heal their war-ravaged vineyards
As the head of an association of winemakers in southern Ukraine, Georgiy Molchanov knows a lot about how to cultivate grapes but not so much how to grow them amid undetonated mines. But that was the situation he found himself in after a Russian rocket dropped the...
Featured: Photos from the frontlines: Sergi Mykhalchuk documents images of war as civilians evacuate Irpin [Mar 16, 2022]
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.
