NEWFLASH: Kyiv ablaze on U.S. Independence Day
Editor’s note: Every week, Russia launches massive attacks on Kyiv, forcing our team to sleep in hallways. We’re collecting sleeping bags, foldable cots, ear plugs, and eye masks to make their lives a little easier.
The Counteroffensive also covers the cost of therapy sessions, as just living in Ukraine is emotionally exhausting — let alone reporting on the war.
Help us support the continued work of our team.
Kyiv on July 4, 2025. Source: @KaterynaLis on Twitter.
You know it’s bad when you wake up and can immediately taste the ash in the air.
People are being advised to stay inside with the windows closed, but the remnants of last night’s attacks – and subsequent mass fires – find their way in through cracks and crevices, an irritant that reminds of the desperate situation and American betrayal.
After all, Russia 'greeted' the U.S. with fireworks for Independence Day.
Though not in Washington, but in Kyiv.
The vibrations, the buildings shaking, the crack of air defense teams firing at incoming, the sneering buzz of Russian kamikaze drones in the dark – all remind you that there is a threat to your life.
The sudden flashes of light, followed seconds later by a lung-rattling sound wave – all send adrenaline and cortisol skyrocketing.
After the paywall:
Details of the Putin-Trump call, and what came next
How it felt on the ground on the receiving end of the attacks
The damage, for a generation, to America’s reputation in the world