The Kyiv Independent Won't Sugarcoat the War, Even for Its Supporters

Olga Rudenko, editor of the Kyiv Independent, says many of her readers want to see Russia suffer, but her newsroom cannot become propagandists to satisfy them.

She spoke to The Guardian in an interview published on Oct. 1, 2026, ahead of a London event. The interview was headlined "Kyiv Independent editor: 'Our readers want Russia to suffer but we can't be propagandists'"

Rudenko said the outlet's most-read stories are often about Ukrainian deep-strike attacks, meaning long-range strikes carried out far inside Russia. Stories about Russian attacks on Ukraine get far less attention, she said, even though giving them less weight would misrepresent the full picture of the war.

Rudenko said the paper cannot play down Russian military successes or cut back on reporting about corruption in Ukraine just to please its audience. Propaganda here means news shaped to support a side rather than report facts. The core idea, as she put it, is that the paper is not Ukrainian propaganda, is not tied to the government, and is not Ukraine's PR service.

Rudenko, one of the paper's co-founders, said she does not expect the war to end any time soon. On conditions at home, she said media freedom in Ukraine has not worsened under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but she would struggle to say it has gotten better. Zelenskyy has not held a press conference for independent Ukrainian media since February 2025, she said.

The London appearance is a live storytelling event featuring frontline correspondent Francis Farrell, which Rudenko is scheduled to host. She said London is probably the city with the most Kyiv Independent members. The outlet relies on monthly contributions from readers for its revenue.

The broader context here is the bind of war reporting paid for by readers. When income comes from monthly donations, reader clicks carry financial weight, like votes with money attached. A newsroom can see, story by story, which kind of violence its supporters reward. Resisting that pull takes deliberate judgment, especially on losses and misconduct by one's own side.

Looking at what this means going forward, Rudenko describes independence as a reporting practice, not a patriotic slogan. Covering Ukrainian strikes without hiding Russian strikes, and covering the fighting without dropping corruption stories, keeps credibility with the international readers who sustain the paper. With no quick end expected, that credibility is what allows an audience-funded outlet to keep reporting on its own terms.