Scenes from the frontlines: Sergi Mykhalchuk details the wreckage of Irpin in the wake of its liberation
Since the invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, Milwaukee’s sister city Irpin has been a strategic roadblock thwarting the Russian advance to capture the capital of Kyiv. After weeks of bloody fighting to dislodge the enemy from its foothold in the area, Ukrainian...
Irpin Liberated: Ukrainian forces drive Russians out of Milwaukee’s besieged Sister City and retake control
The mayor of Irpin, Milwaukee’s sister city, said on March 28 that the area had been “liberated” from Russian troops. After weeks of fierce fighting, Ukraine declared that its forces had retaken the strategic town in the northwestern suburb of Kyiv, as...
The Rape of Irpin: Survivors of the Russian siege share disturbing accounts of escaping the inhuman cruelty
The Instagram page War. Stories from Ukraine has been collecting stories of Ukrainian people who detail how they live during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. Milwaukee’s sister city Irpin faced the brunt of Russia’s fierce invasion, because its location...
From Litigation to COVID-19 Mitigation: Milwaukee County Courts after two years of the pandemic
Two years ago on March 22, 2020, COVID-19 closed access to public buildings, but not to the courts within them. When the Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered the suspension of nearly all in-person hearings, the Milwaukee County Circuit Court already had geared up for the...
Irpin Billboard: Ukrainian Creatives use Milwaukee advertising space to inspire global info campaign
Documenting the destruction of Milwaukee’s sister city of Irpin, Ukraine, a new billboard has gone up along I-94 near 84th Street with a simple plea to local residents: “Milwaukee, your sister city is waiting for your support.” But the story of the billboard’s...
Images from the frontlines: Sergi Mykhalchuk photographs the people of Kyiv living daily with war
Kyiv-based photojournalist and cinematographer Sergi Mykhalchuk, has been on the ground and capturing images of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine since February 24. Milwaukee Independent previously published his evacuation images from Irpin, Milwaukee’s sister...
Irpin under siege: Alderman Rainey asks public to help Milwaukee’s sister city as it faces humanitarian crisis
Milwaukee’s sister city in Ukraine has been under siege for weeks by invading Russian forces, and agencies have been enlisted to facilitate aid to those affected by the crisis. As chair of Milwaukee’s Sister Cities Committee, Alderman Khalif J. Rainey said that the...
Suffering for art: What Mikhail Baryshnikov gets wrong about being punished for a nation’s sins
The Creative Arts have always been a bridge in times of trauma. They can inspire a population struggling with the daily impact of trauma, and teach lessons to later generations who were not alive during such times. Music and dance have also helped bridge cultural...
The guilt of safety: Ukrainian woman finds temporary peace away from war with her Milwaukee family
In the early days of Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, I spoke with many members of Milwaukee’s Ukrainian American community. I learned about their personal connections to the war, so that their voices could be shared with the public. During one of the...
Photos from the frontlines: Sergi Mykhalchuk documents images of war as civilians evacuate Irpin
Milwaukee’s sister city remains a strategic area as Russian invasion forces push to the capital city of Kyiv. Irpin has been under siege since March 4 and, like many smaller towns, has been targeted with indiscriminate and heavy bombardments. Lacking the ability...
Happy Days: Milwaukee’s RiverWalk welcomes the return of a newly refreshed Bronze Fonz
After spending several weeks away from its RiverWalk location in downtown Milwaukee for restoration, the Bronze Fonz returned on March 11 with an official unveiling ceremony. The Bronze Fonz is typically refreshed on the RiverWalk to preserve its condition. However,...
Milwaukee hosts inaugural Wisconsin E-Sports Summit as video game industry drives interest in pro gaming
More than one hundred E-Sports influencers and leaders gathered in Milwaukee’s Deer District on March 10 for the first ever Wisconsin Esports Summit. What started in the 1980s, when kids rushed to arcades after school to drop quarters in games like Pac-Man and Space...