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]

How unwitting Americans are assisting Russia’s toxic program to spread election disinformation
The Kremlin was using unwitting Americans and commercial public relations firms in Russia to spread disinformation about the U.S. presidential race, top intelligence officials said in August, detailing the latest efforts by America’s adversaries to shape public...

Our Fire is Stronger Than Your Bombs: Ukrainian artists send defiant message to Russia at exhibit
As Ukrainian artists Jenya Polosina and Anna Ivanenko watched missiles descend on their country, the two decided to use their creativity to push back against Russia’s invasion. Working in the early days of the war from bunkers or sometimes without electricity...

The cyber gulag: How Russia restricts its citizens by using a state system of total digital surveillance
When Yekaterina Maksimova cannot afford to be late, the journalist and activist avoids taking the Moscow subway, even though it is probably the most efficient route. That is because she has been detained five times in the past year, thanks to the system’s...

Possible anti-Putin uprising behind incursions in rural Russian border region with Ukraine
Russia alleges that dozens of Ukrainian militants crossed into one of its border towns in its Belgorod region, striking targets and forcing an evacuation, before over 70 of the attackers were killed or pushed back by what the authorities termed a counterterrorism...

European human rights summit approves increased aid for Ukraine to counter Russia’s brutal invasion
At the conclusion of their previous Council of Europe summit in 2005, the 46 member states solemnly declared they would “bear witness to unprecedented pan-European unity.” Fast-forward 18 years, to May 16, 2023 and Europe’s pre-eminent human rights...

Ukraine War Stories: Developer releases online game using real life events from Hostomel, Bucha, Mariupol
Kyiv-based game developer Starni Games has launched a special charity project, “Ukraine War Stories.” A demo version of the online game is available now for the PC, with a full release date planned for October 2022. Ukraine War Stories is a set of visual...

Running short on soldiers: Why Putin continues to ignore Russia’s staggering losses on the battlefield
By Alexander Hill, Professor of Military History, University of Calgary Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine recaptured thousands of square miles of territory from Russian forces in a matter of days in a counteroffensive near Kharkiv. Kyiv has since...

National Security: What the U.S. Military can learn from Putin’s disastrous invasion of Ukraine
In Washington, wide agreement exists that the Russian army’s performance in the Kremlin’s ongoing Ukraine “special military operation” ranks somewhere between lousy and truly abysmal. The question is: Why? The answer in American policy circles,...

Crisis Fatigue: How overexposure to traumatic news pushes the public to becomes indifferent to tragedy
By Rebecca Rozelle-Stone, Professor of Philosophy, University of North Dakota When Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by land, air and sea on February 24, 2022, the images of war were conveyed to dismayed onlookers around the world. Far from the...

Ruin and Rejuvenation: Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Irpin during surprise visit to Ukraine
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced trip to Kyiv on September 8, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He also visited Milwaukee’s Sister City of Irpin to survey its war-damage and recovery progress. President...

200th Day of War: Putin’s military forces suffer worst strategic defeat since the failed attack on Kyiv
Moscow has abandoned its main bastion in northeastern Ukraine, in a sudden collapse of one of the war’s principal front lines after Ukrainian forces made a rapid advance. The swift fall of Izyum in Kharkiv province on Saturday was Moscow’s worst defeat since its...

Battle Tactics: The unexpected Ukrainian resistance continues to prevent Putin’s plans for quick victory
By Liam Collins, Founding Director, Modern War Institute, United States Military Academy West Point As Ukrainian forces fight a late-summer counterattack to wrest the southern province of Kherson from Russian control, Russian President Vladimir Putin is learning a...

The Olympic spotlight has allowed Ukraine to capture global attention and fight war fatigue
Ukraine’s Olympic house stands out for its somber atmosphere, with fewer celebrations and parties than the other fan clubhouses that countries set up to tout their athletes and culture. It has moments of silence for war victims and screens documentaries about...


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.