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]
A sense of duty: Why more wounded Ukrainian soldiers are returning to battle after amputation
The Ukrainian intelligence soldier does not know how long his clinical death lasted after an explosive detonated beneath him. All Andrii Rubliuk remembers is overwhelming cold, darkness, and fear. When he regained consciousness in his shattered body — missing both...
Ukrainian farmers trying to export grain have few options after Russian missile attacks on Odesa
The summer winds carried the smell of burned grain across the southern Ukrainian steppe and away from the shards of three Russian cruise missiles that struck the unassuming metal hangars. The agricultural company Ivushka applied for accreditation to export grain this...
Occupying Taiwan: Opinions remain divided over what lessons China is learning from Russia’s failures
By Peter Rutland, Professor of Government, Wesleyan University U.S. defense strategists warn that China may use the distraction of the war in Ukraine to launch military action against Taiwan. They believe Chinese President Xi Jinping is determined to gain control over...
Navigating the world: Ukrainian soldiers blinded in combat face new kind of battle as civilians
Along a bustling street in a western Ukrainian city, Denys Abdulin takes his first independent strides since he was severely wounded and blinded while fighting invading Russian troops more than a year ago. The 34-year-old former soldier, wearing black glasses and...
A web of scars: Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers face an amputee trauma on a scale unseen since WWI
The small band of soldiers gather outside to share cigarettes and war stories, sometimes casually and sometimes with a degree of testiness over recollections made unreliable by their last day fighting, the day the war took away their limbs. Some clearly remember the...
An undivided Ukraine: How wartime unity is forging a national vision for rebuilding the future
By Erik S. Herron, Professor of Political Science, West Virginia University; and Ralph S. Clem, Professor Emeritus of Geography, Florida International University Once divided, Ukrainians are thinking about how to rebuild their nation and are prioritizing national...
FCK PTN: Ukraine symbolically body slams Putin with postage stamps based on Banksy mural
Again highlighting its tenacity, its resilience and its way with words, Ukraine marked its grim anniversary of Russia’s invasion with a new postage stamp, featuring an image from street artist Banksy’s recent visit there. A small boy deftly flipping to the...
The central European country of Slovakia sends old arms to Ukraine from the safety of NATO’s umbrella
Former Soviet satellite Slovakia has been a NATO member since 2004, but the reality of belonging to the world’s biggest military alliance really kicked in after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago. The small central European country now hosts thousands...
Putin’s sales pitch: Why GOP members of Congress are suddenly outspoken against aid to Ukraine
Make no mistake. There is a battle right now between autocracy and democracy around the world. Countries are lining up on either side. And that is really what is going on, at this stage, with Ukraine. This is literally a battle for the 21st century order. For the way...
Disaster Debate: Pro-Russian voices spread toxic propaganda on social media after Ohio train crash
Soon after a train derailed and spilled toxic chemicals in Ohio last month, anonymous pro-Russian accounts started spreading misleading claims and anti-American propaganda about it on Twitter, using Elon Musk’s new verification system to expand their reach while...
Putin charged with war crimes after international court issues warrant over child abductions in Ukraine
The International Criminal Court said on March 17 that it has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. It was the first time the global court has...
Child Victims: Why prosecuting Putin for abductions in Ukraine will not guarantee the kids can return home
By Stefan Schmitt, Project Lead for International Technical Forensic Services, Florida International University The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 17, 2023, over war crimes in Ukraine, alleging he...
Hope and pragmatism compete on Ukraine’s frontlines when considering a future with Trump as U.S. president
Soldiers in a Ukrainian artillery battery on the front lines of the country’s east were only vaguely aware of American election results pointing to Donald Trump’s victory on November 6, but firm in their hopes for the next president of the United States....
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.
