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]
Why Trump’s anti-American attacks on the justice system over his felony convictions are a gift to Putin
After his historic guilty verdict in his hush money case, Donald Trump attacked the U.S. criminal justice system, making unfounded claims of a “rigged” trial that echoed remarks from the Kremlin. “If they can do this to me, they can do this to...
Fighting War Fatigue: Volunteer network continues saving lives in Ukraine as public donations dry up
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine shocked the world over ten months ago, Anya Verkhovskaya’s phone began to fill with messages from friends and former colleagues in Ukraine asking for help. In the space of just a few months, the informal network transformed into an...
Lola Vaganova: A journey from Izium to Milwaukee in the footsteps of an ancestor who also fled a war
Lola Vaganova’s Ukrainian great grandmother was 20 years-old when WWII started. She became an “Ostarbeiter,” a Nazi German designation for foreign slave workers in Germany. Vaganova’s first stop as a displaced refugee from Izium was Oppeln, Germany, now known as Opole, Poland. A terrible history had again repeated itself.
World leaders thanked for their support of Ukraine in billboard series by the “Brave Society” of Irpin
In the first 10 months of the war, about about 100 world-famous dignitaries visited Milwaukee’s Sister City of Irpin. For those foreign guests, Irpin became a symbol of hope, and the cost of freedom was represented by the city’s destruction. The Ukrainian...
A missile cemetery: Where spent Russian ordinance used to terrorize eastern Ukraine is stored as evidence
The eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has a peculiar “cemetery,” one that recalls some of the worst damage done since the Russian invasion: the debris of rockets used against this town and its people. The graveyard has more than a thousand missiles, or...
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...
Last Days in Irpin: Vulnerable residents given help to reach safety after a month of misery
Breaking News: Milwaukee’s sister city of Irpin was just declared liberated from Russian forces on March 28. According to Irpin’s Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn, civilians were not yet allowed to return to the city, which is located just northwest of Kyiv....
Invalid Opinions: Rejection of aid to Ukraine shows there are not two legitimate sides in every situation
Recently a stranger on social media was defending Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s disturbing and steadfast support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with the continual flood of atrocities being committed in Ukraine. When I pressed the self-identified Christian...
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...
Breaking Point: Ukraine reaches critical crossroads against Kremlin’s strategy of assault at any price
Russia’s all-out war in Ukraine has subverted a lot of prophecies, doomsday omens and bright hopes alike. It has now been a month of this new reality since Russia’s attacks began early in the morning on February 24, 2022. Yes, the Kremlin really did launch a World War...
From Soviet chaos to Russian ruin: Local industries transformed Ukraine into a vital global economy
By Yuriy Gorodnichenko, Quantedge Presidential Professor of Economics, University of California, Berkeley Ukraine’s economy continues to operate despite the battering the country is getting from the Russian military. Many factories and businesses still function. Other...
Mercenaries and Massacres: Post-Soviet wars demonstrate Russia’s brutality in Ukraine invasion
By Nicole Jackson, Associate Professor of International Studies, Simon Fraser University In the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is worth examining the evolution of Russia’s official rhetoric and military actions in former Soviet states since the breakup...
Vigilante justice: Why enemy collaboration in occupied Ukraine evokes painful memories in Europe
By Ronald Niezen, Professor of Practice in Sociology and Political Science/International Relations, University of San Diego Collaboration with the enemy is a common and often painful part of armed conflict. It is also an issue in which I have both a professional and...
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.
