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]
Navigating the darkness: Ukraine’s power blackouts return after Russia targets civilian infrastructure
During daytime, entire districts of Ukraine’s capital are disconnected from the power grid to save energy. Traffic lights stop, choking traffic, accompanied by the constant rumble of generators installed outside cafes and shops. Ukraine, including Kyiv, is...
Ukrainian-Americans responds to Russia’s invasion with book of poetry that shares both grief and hope
Milwaukee’s Boswell Book Company hosted an evening with Olena Jennings, editor of “Ukrainian-American Poets Respond” on December 14. She talked about the anthology of poetic responses to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as Russia continued to indiscriminately target the civilian population with missile attacks.
Lola Vaganova: Poems written in Ukrainian bomb shelter offer a powerful witness of war to Milwaukee
During a poetry reading by Olena Jennings and Krystia Nora, from their book “Ukrainian-American Poets Respond,” there was a Q&A session with the audience at the Boswell Book Company on December 14. Instead of presenting a question, however, one young...
Zemliachky: Volunteers fill unanticipated gaps in supply operations to equip Ukraine’s women soldiers
When 25-year-old Anastasia Mokhina donned fatigues and rushed off with her husband to help Ukraine defend itself as Russia invaded on February 24, she quickly realized the military wasn’t well prepared for an influx of women volunteers. So her elder half-brother...
Zelenskyy to meet Biden and address Congress today in first trip to Washington since Russia’s invasion began
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was making his way to Washington on December 21 for a summit with President Joe Biden and to address Congress in his first known trip outside the country since Russia’s invasion began in February. Zelenskyy said on his...
Nearly two million people have fled Kyiv as Russian military forces commit war crimes against civilians
Kyiv’s Mayor has said that nearly two million people have fled the Ukrainian capital as Russian forces advance on the city. “From our information, one in two Kyiv residents has left the city,” Vitali Klitschko told Ukraine television on March 10. The greater Kyiv area...
Response to refugee crisis aims to sustain displaced Ukrainians in host communities for next few years
By Jose J. Padilla, Research Associate Professor, Old Dominion University; and Erika Frydenlund, Research Assistant Professor, Old Dominion University More than 2 million Ukrainians, almost all women and children, have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24,...
Fears of global food crisis: Putin’s assault on Ukraine has disrupted the output of a major “breadbasket”
As Russia intensifies its war on Ukraine, agricultural output from one of the world’s most productive growing regions has ground to a halt, causing the price of key food staples and fertilizer to approach record levels and sparking fears of worsening global...
I Testify: An open letter to the global media by Olena Zelenska condemning the mass murder of civilians
Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska issued an impassioned open letter to the global media on March 8 about the Russian invasion, condemning the “mass murder” of the country’s civilians. I Testify: An Open Letter to the Global Media by Olena...
Wisconsin’s congressional leaders vote for Ukraine aid and propose investigation of Putin as war criminal
Congressional leaders reached a bipartisan deal on March 9 to provide $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine and European allies needed to counter a Russian blitzkrieg that has devastated parts of Ukraine. U.S. Representative Mark Pocan, a senior member of the House...
From Selma to Ukraine: Ordinary people continue fighting to protect their freedom and democracy
It was a beautiful sunny day on March 6 in Selma, Alabama, where thousands of people, including Vice President Kamala Harris and five other senior White House officials, met to honor the 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when law enforcement officers tried to beat...
Sevgil Musaieva: The challenges of reporting from the frontlines of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
Twice a day, Sevgil Musaieva, chief editor at Kyiv-based independent news site Ukrayinska Pravda, checks in with her staff, now scattered around the country for security reasons as they report amid Russian missile and rocket attacks. Musaieva knows the high stakes...
Ukraine can finally target Russian-occupied areas with long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S.
Ukraine for the first time began using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea and Russian forces in April. Long sought by Ukrainian leaders, the new missiles give Ukraine nearly double the...
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.
