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]
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...
Ukrainian child enjoys normal life in Milwaukee after escaping war and finding treatment for spinal disease
Along with the hardships of the first year of war in Ukraine, Lesia Kutarenko began noticing that her baby was no longer trying to walk. He had also reverted to crawling. “Our son could walk while leaning on chairs, sofas, and walls. Like all children, he would...
Culture and heritage: Two war-ravaged historic sites in Ukraine on UNESCO’s endangered list
The U.N.’s World Heritage Committee in September placed two major historical sites in Ukraine on its list of such sites that it considers to be in danger. The iconic St. Sophia Cathedral in the capital, Kyiv, and the medieval center of the western city of Lviv,...
China restricts exports for some civilian drones over concerns of military use in Ukraine
China imposed restrictions on exports of long-range civilian drones beginning in August, citing Russia’s war in Ukraine and concern that drones might be converted to military use. Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government is friendly with Moscow but says it...
An Invisible Hand: Kremlin accused of supporting Hamas attack on Israel to divert aid for Ukraine
The Kremlin was criticized for launching propaganda operations on October 7 intended to exploit the Hamas attacks on Israel, in an effort to divert Western support and attention away from its brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Institute for the Study of War...
“Scorched Earth” tactics: Russia accused of destroying Kakhovka dam in Kherson to submerge frontlines
A major dam in southern Ukraine collapsed on June 6, flooding villages, endangering crops, and threatening drinking water supplies as both sides in the war scrambled to evacuate residents and blamed each other for the destruction. Ukraine accused Russian forces of...
A brutal invader: Ukraine aims to brand Russia as a “terrorist state” in hearings at top UN court
Lawyers for Ukraine told the United Nations’ top court on June 6 that Russia bankrolled a “campaign of intimidation and terror” by rebels in eastern Ukraine starting in 2014 and sought to replace Crimea’s multiethnic community with...
Not planting means death: Ukraine farmers continue to risk losing their lives or livelihoods during war
A grassy lane rutted with tire tracks leads to Volodymyr Zaiets’ farm in southern Ukraine. He is careful, driving only within those shallow grooves, and veering away might cost him his life in the field dotted with explosive mines. Weeds grow tall where rows of...
Deterring Russian aggression: The United States will provide Ukraine with $1.2B in long-term security aid
The U.S. will provide $1.2 billion more in long-term military aid to Ukraine to further bolster its air defenses as Russia continues to pound Ukraine with drones, rockets, and surface-to-air missiles, the Pentagon said. The aid package will be provided under the...
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...
Ukraine’s LGBTQ soldiers rally for legal rights in hope that their military service is changing public attitudes
Several hundred LGBTQ Ukrainian servicemen and their supporters marched in central Kyiv on June 16 to demand more rights and highlight their service to their country in its war with Russia. The service members — many wearing rainbow and unicorn patches on their...
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.
