Update: Browse @jakubparusinski.bsky.social & Francis's briefing presentation here: insights.kyivindependent.com?shared=6853d... KI Insights subscribers can also access the recording.

Join KI Insights for an exclusive online briefing on Tue, May 20, where Director @jakubparusinski.bsky.social will delve into #Ukraine's evolving business environment. 🖋️ Register here: zoom.us/webinar/regi... Full event details: kyivindependent.com/reforms-tran...

“Despite the doom and gloom of the funding cuts, I left Perugia more optimistic than I arrived – mainly because of some of the less obvious ways in which the industry has changed”, @jakubparusinski.bsky.social writes. Here are his 10 thoughts coming out of the @journalismfestival.com.

New from The Fix – Redkollegia is an independent media award dedicated to recognizing high-quality Russian journalism. But how does it operate in wartime?

The real question is how many top secret government Signal chats have randos who are *not* chief editors of major news publications 👊🇺🇸🔥

The National Security Council is looking into how Goldberg was added for a second day now 😳 Let me solve the mystery: Waltz typed 'J' and Jeffrey was right next to JD You're welcome

Worth noting - much of Trump 2s political capital, meant to be used on reshaping global order, has been squandered in Ukraine He's lost a lot of cards

The big question - just how much space is between US and Russian negotiators and to what extent is a facade still meaningful

US and UA delegations are meeting in Saudi today. While a breakthrough seems unlikely (though not impossible), the outcome will provide meaningful insights on the real priorities of the Trump administration. 🧵 #UkraineRussiaWar

The answer - immediately thehill.com/newsletters/...

How soon till this gets blamed at "an adversary" of the current administration (e.g. Ukraine)?

It's telling how Trump's chaotic comms is now all over the place on US aid to Ukraine and deals with Russia because they dimly sense that they're ending up in a place where not getting concessions from either Russia or Ukraine makes the US look like idiots

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders sat down with the Kyiv Independent on Feb. 27 to share his concerns about Trump’s growing alignment with Russia and why defending Ukraine is crucial for the future of global democracy. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYY0...

A key theme of Trump-2 will be growing frustration and surprise that - while they try to usher in multipolarity "on their terms" and downsize US state capacity - international actors become less responsive to US demands

In my latest for @kyivindependent.com, I spoke with Senator Bernie Sanders about his concerns over Trump's turn toward authoritarianism, why a US-Russia alliance would be bad for the American people, and why defending Ukraine is defending democracy globally. kyivindependent.com/us-senator-b...

Trump posts this the day his envoy Kellogg arrives in Kyiv 🤯 (in truth KK has already been sidelined by Russia and internally). Relatively speaking, one of the more pro-Ukraine voices in the Trump administration

Trump is aiming to oust Zelensky. He said as much publicly, backchannel noises are even worse Its unlikely to play out the way he wants in Ukraine 🧵

⚡️Numerous modifications have been observed in the Shahed-136 drones that Russia mass produces, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) reported on Feb. 18. The upgraded Shahed-136 now carries a 90-kilogram warhead, nearly double the explosive capacity of the previous 50-kilogram version.

Make no mistake - Trump wants regime change in Kyiv because Zelensky didn't sign an extortionate deal (NB - this will make Zelensky more popular, Ukrainians hate being told who to vote for by external bullies. Theres been 2 revolutions in the past 2 decades)

Europe can send Ukraine 2.5x what North Korea sent Russia (to fight, mind you, not keep the peace)

If Europe can't muster 50K troops then: - the US is kind of right and they're not useful allies - it's a signal for Russia to invade It doesn't get much clearer There's a high chance Europe will be at war (direct not hybrid) in the next few years. It still has the luxury of picking where and when

Always great to see European support for Ukraine. But for context - this is probably a week's worth of supplies

A major factor the Trump team is overlooking is that withdrawing from Ukraine and Europe means they also lose their leverage/ control over the situation Once that is gone, sanctions-tariffs and security pressure are the only options. And China starts looking like a more promising partner

📅 The Week Ahead: Key Global Security & Ukraine Developments 🧵 ❗The 61st @munsecconf.bsky.social (Feb. 14-16) is this week’s key event. Global leaders to discuss military aid, sanctions policy & Kyiv’s position in any potential ceasefire talks #MSC2025 Photo: Zelensky at MSC2024(Getty Images)

The Kyiv Independent spent a night shift with a Vampire (heavy bomber drone) team fighting between Kurakhove and Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, the hottest part of the front line, on a mine-laying mission.

How informal can it be if there's a sign in front

This time tomorrow! Join @ki-insights.bsky.social & @jakubparusinski.bsky.social to delve into #Ukraine's domestic political trends and discuss them in a closed-door setting. You still have time to register under the link: zoom.us/webinar/regi... Read more at kyivindependent.com/ukraines-nex...