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]
Zelenskyy meets with Trump and EU leaders under pressure for concessions to end Russia’s invasion
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump expressed hope that their critical meeting on August 18 with European leaders at the White House could soon lead to three-party talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring an end to his war on Ukraine....
Milwaukee Independent reflects on third anniversary of its first assignment to cover the war in Ukraine
Three years ago, almost to the day on May 20, a team of journalists from Wisconsin crossed into Ukraine during the early phase of Russia’s full-scale invasion. It was the first time any news outlet from the state had reported directly from within Ukraine after the war...
Оглядаючись на третю річницю своєї першої поїздки для висвітлення війни в Україні, Milwaukee Independent
Три роки тому, майже день у день — 20 травня — команда журналістів із Вісконсину перетнула кордон України в перші місяці повномасштабного вторгнення Росії. Це був перший випадок, коли медіа зі штату висвітлювали події безпосередньо з України після ескалації війни у...
From Abuja to Irpin: Milwaukee’s Sister Cities Day celebrates international ties built through people
City Hall came alive with music, dance, and heartfelt stories on May 16, as Milwaukee marked its 2025 Sister Cities Meet and Greet Day, honoring the relationships that continue to grow between Milwaukee and its seven international partners. From Abuja to Irpin,...
Parade of Denial: Russia exploits 80th anniversary of VE Day to honor a war it worked with Hitler to start
While most of the democratic world solemnly marks VE Day, as the Victory in Europe Day and end of World War II on May 8, the Kremlin will again stage its annual May 9 military parade across Red Square. It is a performance designed not to commemorate, but to control a...
A toast to resilience: Ukrainian wines bring a taste of the country’s independent spirit to the United States
In a wine shop an hour outside of Washington, owner Arthur Lampros sampled a wine from a part of the world that was totally new to him, racking his brain to pin down the tastes on his tongue. Was there a body of water near the vineyards, he wondered, that would...
How frontline evacuees in Ukraine felt Trump’s cruelty after he froze U.S. aid denying wartime help
In what used to be the concert hall in this town in eastern Ukraine, cots are arranged on stage. Instead of music, the room is filled with the muffled sobs of local people driven from their homes by fighting in the country’s almost three-year war with Russia....
Grassroots funding: Music concerts are part of the innovative ways groups seek to fund Ukraine’s military
The concert took place in an old movie studio in Kyiv, the location kept secret until the final moment in case it was the target of a Russian attack. More than 1,000 soldiers and young people gathered to listen to the artists who joined forces with a military brigade...
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...
Milwaukee stands with Ukraine: Rally marks 3rd year of full-scale invasion and condemns Trump’s betrayal
A wave of blue-and-yellow flags filled the air along East Wisconsin Avenue on February 23, as hundreds of Milwaukee residents gathered to mark the somber third anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine. With a firm stance supporting a free and sovereign Ukraine, participants urged unwavering U.S. support.
Ukrainians rally around their president after Trump’s ego is bruised for parroting Putin’s lies
Days before the third anniversary of Russia’s brutal full-scale invasion, Ukrainians were as somber and tense as they were right before Moscow launched the unprovoked war. Only now, they are not just worried about their longtime enemy. Ukraine’s stunning...
President Zelenskyy shares concerns about excluding Ukraine from US-Russia talks about the war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that excluding his country from talks between the U.S. and Russia about the war in Ukraine would be “very dangerous” and asked for more discussions between Kyiv and Washington to develop a plan for a ceasefire....
Autopsies indicate an intentional system of brutality as Ukrainian POWs die in Russian prisons
“Everything will be all right.” Ukrainian soldier Serhii Hryhoriev said this so often during brief phone calls from the front that his wife and two daughters took it to heart. His younger daughter, Oksana, tattooed the phrase on her wrist as a talisman....
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.
