Five years of The Kyiv Independent: how do you practice journalism in a country at war?
While negotiations about the course of the war are taking place again in Abu Dhabi, the editorial team of The Kyiv Independent today looks back on almost five years of war reporting. When Russia began its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the English-language news site was only three months old. Meanwhile, the site has become an important source of information about the war for over 2 million monthly readers, mainly outside Ukraine.
"We are not Ukrainian propaganda," says deputy editor-in-chief Toma Istomina of The Kyiv Independent. "But you do keep asking yourself: am I harming my country with this or am I actually helping?"
The news site was founded in 2021 by a group of dismissed journalists from the Kyiv Post, then the best-known English-language newspaper in Ukraine. The owner found the editorial team too critical of the government and interfered with the content. Editors who did not comply were dismissed.
The group, including Istomina, decided to continue together under a new name: The Kyiv Independent. To bring independent news, without government or oligarch oversight, they raise at least 70 percent of their funding from readers, through subscriptions and donations.
In February 2022, the playing field changed completely. Russia entered Ukraine with tanks and criticism of the government became more uncomfortable. "A large part of our audience really discovered Ukraine around 2022. And for many of them, Ukraine has the almost perfect image of a resilient country fighting as an underdog for the rest of the world," says Istomina.
Ukraine held accountable
Can you remain critical of your own government when there is a greater enemy? Istomina thinks so. "We do not pretend to look at the Russian invasion completely objectively, but we believe that even during the war, we must hold Ukraine accountable when it comes to malpractice within the army and government."
Istomina emphasizes that President Zelensky is doing extraordinary work during the war. Whether others could have done better? She does not venture an opinion. "But he does not have the right to ignore or sweep certain issues under the carpet. He does not have the right to ignore corruption or incompetence."
Misconduct named
The Kyiv Independent ensures that this does not happen. The online newspaper, for example, wrote a long series of stories about misconduct within the army, after which the Ukrainian security service SBU monitored the editorial team. Although names, places, and other sensitive information were deliberately left out of the story, a secret agent visited the house of the newspaper's CEO. According to the SBU, this was for another investigation.
Corruption within the Zelensky government is also not left unmentioned, and the news site is critical of Zelensky when he signs a law that abolishes anti-corruption institutions. Shortly thereafter, the site went offline due to a large DDoS attack.
Such criticism of those in power is sensitive to some, now that Ukraine is fighting for its survival. The Kyiv Independent believes that this kind of reporting actually gives Ukraine a better chance of victory. Moreover, Ukraine wants to become a member of the EU and NATO.
"That privilege comes with responsibility, standards, and expectations," says Istomina. "But it is a special experience when foreign readers tell you that you are not allowed to hold your own president accountable. Sometimes it even goes so far that someone calls you a Russian agent. That really hits you deeply. That is the last thing you want to be considered."
The Russians have been stopping the lives of millions of Ukrainians for four and a half years. Especially in the past year, Russia has carried out heavy attacks on the country, increasingly targeting civilian goals. The Kyiv Independent has plans ready in case the online newspaper has to temporarily leave the Ukrainian capital.
For the people behind the news site, life is hard. "I think we are all at our lowest point now, in terms of energy, inspiration, and the ability to see light at the end of this tunnel. A harsh winter is coming again," sighs Istomina.