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 fight for survival: It is no longer just a personal battle for Ukraine’s athletes at the Paris Olympics
For Ukrainian hurdler Anna Ryzhykova, each stride on the Paris Olympic track will have meaning far beyond the time she clocks. Her competitions are no longer strictly an individual battle, but war on a different front. Her goal is not just gold, but also to rivet...
Russia rejects compliance of its last remaining nuclear arms treaty with the United States
By Nina Srinivasan Rathbun, Professor of International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences After decades of progress on limiting the buildup of nuclear weapons, Russia’s war on Ukraine has prompted renewed nuclear tensions between Russia and...
Cambodian mine clearing experts train Ukrainian soldiers how to safely remove Russian mines at home
Cambodian experts, whose country has the dubious distinction of being one of the world’s most contaminated by landmines, walked a group of Ukrainian soldiers through a minefield being actively cleared recently, hoping their decades of experience would help the...
More than a thousand words: Photojournalists capture a year of Russia’s brutality in searing images
A man runs after recovering items from a burning shop following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, March 25, 2022. 📸 Felipe Dana Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago brought death, destruction and hardship to the country, and awakened fears of a new Cold War....
Kyiv Stands: President Joe Biden makes surprise visit to Ukraine in defiant display of Western solidarity
President Joe Biden swept unannounced into Ukraine on February 20 to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a defiant display of Western solidarity with a country still fighting what he called “a brutal and unjust war” days before the first anniversary...
County Supervisor Peter Burgelis introduces resolution supporting the people of Ukraine
After being sworn in on April 18, newly-elected County Supervisor Peter Burgelis introduced his first piece of legislation. The resolution supports the Ukrainian people and condemns the unprovoked aggression and war crimes committed by Russian Federation soldiers in...
Wisconsin Army Guard unit returns from Eastern Europe after invasion of Ukraine extended deployment
The Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 107th Maintenance Company returned home to Volk Field on April 16. They were met with an unseasonably cold weather, but the 150 soldiers received a warm welcome back to the state following a nine-month deployment in Poland, Romania...
Ukrainian Pysanky: Milwaukee residents craft Easter folk art and raise money for war-torn Ukraine
Local residents had the chance to participate in an ancient Ukrainian tradition that taught how to write beautiful designs on eggs. Known as Pysanka in Ukrainian, Pisanki in Polish, Kraslice in Czech, the Easter egg folk art is an expression of culture and faith that dates back several thousand years.
Saving lives in Irpin: Three volunteers share their stories of rescuing people and pets while under attack
Three volunteers in Ukraine talk about putting their lives at risk to rescue abandoned dogs, cats, and pet birds in the early days of the Russian invasion when Milwaukee’s sister city Irpin was under attack. “What matters is that you’re alive,” my...
Negotiating an End to War: Understanding why a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine could remain elusive
By Andrew Blum, Executive Director and Professor of Practice at Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Kroc School, University of San Diego Ukraine and Russia have held intermittent peace talks since the end of February 2022, just days after Russia first...
The Red Ball Express: Lessons on logistics from a forgotten story of Black soldiers in World War II
By Matthew Delmont, Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History, Dartmouth College General Dwight D. Eisenhower had a problem. In June 1944, Allied forces had landed on Normandy Beach in France and were moving east toward Nazi Germany at a clip of sometimes...
Milwaukee stands in solidarity at candlelight vigil to honor children killed in Ukraine by Russian invasion
Hundreds of Milwaukee residents representing more than 40 local organizations gathered at Historic City Hall for a candlelight vigil to support the children and families of Ukraine, Milwaukee’s sister city Irpin, and all the lives lost since the start of the unprovoked invasion of their independent nation.
European leaders say Russia is waging a shadow war on the West that needs a collective response
Perched on the open ramp at the rear of a British Chinook helicopter, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas flew home from the annual Spring Storm military exercises, pleased to see NATO allies cooperating. But she later said that other types of warfare were on her...
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.
