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]

Boots on the ground: North Korea sends thousands of combat troops to aid Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine
South Korea’s spy agency said that North Korea has deployed troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. The move directly brings a third country into the war and intensify a standoff between North Korea and the West. The South Korean announcement came...

Quietly staying put: Why some Western companies are finding it not so simple to quit Russia
When Russia invaded Ukraine, global companies were quick to respond, some announcing they would get out of Russia immediately, others curtailing imports or new investment. Billions of dollars’ worth of factories, energy holdings and power plants were written off...

A very big bullet: Why the 155 mm round is so critical for Ukraine’s effort to end Russian occupation
The 155 mm howitzer round is one of the most requested artillery munitions of the war in Ukraine. Already the U.S. has shipped more than 1.5 million rounds to Ukraine, but Kyiv is still seeking more. A look at why this particular munition is so commonly used, and why...

Against a renewed Russian onslaught Ukrainian air defense teams gain experience with Western weapons
By the time Kyiv residents hear the air-raid sirens signaling an imminent Russian attack, Ukraine’s air-defense units are already on the move. From camouflaged positions, they dart out by truck to farm fields around the capital, ready to take down enemy drones...

Food Crisis: Scarcity fears over flooding in southern Ukraine causes global wheat prices to soar
Global prices for wheat and corn soared on June 6 after a major dam in Ukraine collapsed, renewing market fears about the fragility of the country’s ability to ship food to Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia as it fights a war with Russia. Wheat prices...

Negotiating with a tyrant: Trump shows his loyalty to Putin with deceptive offer of brokering a peace deal
Disgraced ex-president Donald Trump floated his offer to broker peace for Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion on September 28, and the insincere prank against Ukraine’s sovereignty was met with glee from his former benefactor, the Russia’s...

A holiday for heroes: Ukrainian people honored on Defenders Day for courage against Russia’s invasion
A combination of Memorial Day and Veterans Day in the United States, “Defender of Ukraine Day,” also known as Defenders Day, is a public holiday celebrated by Ukrainians on October 14. It was officially established by President Petro Poroshenko in 2014....

Humiliating Setbacks: Russia launches wave of terror attacks on Ukraine’s civilians to placate hardliners
The day after Russian president Vladimir Putin’s birthday on October 7, a large explosion badly damaged the Kerch Strait Bridge linking Russia to Crimea. Completed in 2018, the Kerch Bridge is a symbol of Putin’s attempt to restore imperial Russia by attaching Ukraine...

Congress accuses Saudi Arabia of helping underwrite Putin’s war in Ukraine with oil profits from supply cut
The Democratic chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee pledged on October 10 to block all future U.S. weapons sales to Saudi Arabia as backlash over OPEC’s decision to cut oil production and push up gas prices continues to grow on Capitol Hill. Senator...

Irpin begins to dismantle and rebuild residential complex destroyed at start of Russia’s invasion
Oleksandr Markushin, Mayor of Milwaukee’s Sister City of Irpin, announced on September 29 the start of the process to restore residential buildings damaged in the early days of Russia’s unprovoked wide-scale invasion. The first civilian structure to be...

Ukraine responds to Russia’s declaration of war against Western democracies with NATO application
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally applied for NATO membership on September 20, along with a public statement. The application came after the Russian dictator signed an illegal decrees to annex four Ukrainian territories, a move widely believed to...

Economic Shock: Putin’s global Energy War continues to falter after sabotage of Nord Stream pipelines
By Amy Myers Jaffe, Research professor, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University Russia’s effort to conscript 300,000 reservists to counter Ukraine’s military advances in Kharkiv has drawn a lot of attention from military and political analysts. But...

A changed battlefield: Ukraine’s bold gamble on an incursion moves deeper into Russian territory
Ukraine’s stunning incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region was a bold gamble for the country’s military commanders, who committed their limited resources to a risky assault on a nuclear-armed enemy with no assurance of success. After the first...


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.