We are the Kyiv Independent, Ukraine’s leading English-language media outlet, reporting 24/7 on Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. Ask Us Anything!

Realistically how close is Russia past the tipping point of losing? Every day I read reports like "they've used 80% of their cruise missile inventory" or "they lost 3 more ammo depots over the weekend"...every weekend. Or bringing out tanks from storage that were outdated even 20 years ago. These all sound like significant blows to their operational capability. How much gas left in the tank do they really have?

It's a really good question and an important one for people's understanding of what is going on. I'll take it as Illia doesn't have connection at home in Bucha tonight.

Some of the replies already here are really spot on. This kind of news is significant for the big picture, but can be misleading with regards to the situation on the front line.

Russia's military capacity is enormous, both in terms of manpower and equipment reserves, not to mention their domestic military industry, which is mostly intact since the Soviet era.

The early phase of the war was frantic, and Russia's decisions were unbelievably misguided (read: stupid). Now, the front line is a lot more static and defensive, and making big breakthroughs is a lot harder for either side. For Ukraine to conduct more counteroffensives, they need to break through fortified lines defended by infantry, artillery, and armour, of which Russia still has a lot, to say the least. Speaking with Ukrainian soldiers and commanders near the front in Donbas really gets this point home to you, against the current of optimistic news.

Time will tell, but the ability of HIMARS and similar systems to eliminate these key targets behind enemy lines will eventually erode Russia's capacity to fight in the long term, but they are adapting as well.

It's hard to imagine Russia conducting more large-scale offensives successfully in the future, but it is worth remembering that the leadership has committed to the idea of this war being an existential one, that they can fight and win much like WWII, without worrying at all about the human cost.

As for Ukraine, they can and will look to keep advancing, but they do really need more and better weapons systems to break through Russia's defensive posture along the line as it stands. We here truly hope that with so much at stake and everything invested in defending Ukrainian sovereignty so far, this understanding will come soon among Ukraine's partners. -Francis

News are focused on the front line, can you give us a snapshot of the whole country? What's it like in the north/west?

Are civilians materially helping the military (ie. packing food rations, equipment, etc.) other than doing their day to day work to keep the economy running?

The way Ukrainians, near the front line or deep in the rear, have mobilized so much of society, all on their own, to help the war effort has been nothing short of unbelievable. In the space of a few weeks after the invasion, friends of mine who were artists, DJs and stylists became experts in levels of ballistic protection for bulletproof vests and the tech specs of night vision goggles. At the train station in Lviv, through which millions of refugees flowed, grandmas from all across the region were sending in buckets of potato-filled dumplings to feed to cold, hungry people. Not to mention the culture of regular donations- Ukrainians taking huge chunks out of their personal incomes every month to donate to the army or volunteer orgs. There are very few people who haven’t been involved in one way or another- Francis

Hello, and thanks for your work and for this AMA.

How have you felt about foreign outlets' coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

How do you balance your efforts to report the facts of the war against the possibility of causing harm by inadvertently or indirectly revealing sensitive information?

Edit: A third question, if you don't mind: What sort of restrictions, if any, has the government of Ukraine put on reporters covering the war?

One of my favorite topics. There are probably thousands of foreign correspondents in Ukraine now. A lot of them are doing an incredible job covering the war. But there have been some recurring issues with the foreign outlets coverage of the invasion and Ukraine in general. Often, they look at Ukraine through a Russian lens — even if they do so unconsciously. The devil is in the details. When you headline your report “Russia loses territory in Kherson Oblast” it implies that Russia HAD territory in Kherson Oblast, which it didn’t — Kherson Oblast is a part of Ukraine. Great examples came from the coverage of staged referendums in the occupied territories — Western media reports about it were often parroting Russian propaganda. We wrote an editorial about that, which you can read here: https://kyivindependent.com/opinion/editorial-stop-using-russias-propaganda-language-to-talk-about-its-war-in-ukraine Scroll to the end to find some examples.

Often, journalists seek to achieve artificial balance in their stories about the war to appear neutral — “this side says… that side says.” The issue is, they often end up “balancing” evidence-based reporting from the ground with what Russia SAYS happened — effectively equalizing facts and propaganda. – Olga

On sensitivity, great question. I’ll try to answer with some examples.

If I was leaked information about Ukrainian army secretly planning a surprise counter-offensive in the coming days, I wouldn’t publish it. Sure, it’s an interesting story, but does it really serve the public interest to learn about the counter-offensive in advance?But if I learned about ongoing corruption in the Ukrainian government or military, I would publish it. The public deserves to know. Shedding light on misconduct gives a chance of stopping it. Publishing stories like that, even during war, is helping Ukraine, not hurting it.
That’s why we were the first Ukrainian media outlet to write about weapons allegedly going missing in one unit of the Ukrainian military. Here’s the story: https://kyivindependent.com/investigations/investigation-international-legion-misappropriation
Here’s our editorial explaining why we chose to do it, and it also provides a wider answer to your question: https://kyivindependent.com/opinion/editorial-why-we-choose-to-publish-stories-about-misconduct-in-ukrainian-military - Olga

To the second question: Often, journalists seek to achieve artificial balance in their stories about the war to appear neutral — “this side says… that side says.” The issue is, they often end up “balancing” evidence-based reporting from the ground with what Russia SAYS happened — effectively equalizing facts and propaganda. – Olga

What would you hope to see Ukraine's place in the world in a few decades? Alliances, geopolitical positioning, major industries; etc.

I think we’ll be a pretty loud country with a very explosive and emotional political life, a strong military power of Eastern Europe, lots of IT businesses. There will be lots of opportunities for investment, lots of contacts to rebuild infrastructure, etc etc, and one contract gives jobs to many people in other trades of life. As the history shows, recovery growth is almost always very impressive -- ILLIA

are you guys ok?

No. -- ILLIA

How do you deal with the rolling blackouts, both privately and as a media outlet?

As regular people, we buy certain equipment for our homes -- such as gas stoves, power stations, batteries -- and also make sure all our devices are always charged. And it’s useful that you know where you can get electricity or where you can stay and work (gas stations, cafes, co-working spaces). As a company, we have purchased useful things like high-capacity power stations to keep working at our office all the time, also stocked up on food, fresh water, candies, in case of long blackout. Our guys are also working on the option of renting apartments abroad so that journalists could relocate and keep the KI website rolling - ILLIA

Do you think once the war ends there will be a border similar to north and south Korea?

This is possible, but not very likely. All actors (expect for Putin at this very moment) are very interested in getting back at least to the status quo of Feb. 23, 2022, or even 1991. And those interested in this are clearly stronger than Putin. -- ILLIA

Hi - first of all i hope you guys are ok, and that this war will end with peace and justice for Ukraine.

In Denmark today - our main news on the war is that one of our most significant and experienced Journalist for danish state TV, Mathilde Kimer, has been banned by Ukrainian intelligence services (SBU) to act as a journalist in your country.

The reason being they accuse her of creating "Soviet Propaganda". The funny thing being, she has also been banned from Russia on similar accusations with opposite ends.

What is your take on freedom of speech in Ukraine during this war, and on the story of banned western Journalists?

Hi, thank you for your support.

I hadn't heard about Kimer's case before, but according to a link that another commenter provided, it seems like she had illegally visited not only occupied Crimea in 2015, but also occupied Donetsk in 2017, three years after the war there began, and after the Russian proxies there had stopped letting in almost all reputable Western journalists. She might have some explanation for that, but I can't stress enough how seriously this is taken in Ukraine, especially during this war for the nation's very survival. Ukraine has handed out accreditations to over 10,000 journalists since the start of the war, but having those working who have illegally worked on the occupied territories is considered a very real security threat -Francis

What can everyday people in NATO countries do to help Ukraine and it's citizens?

Demanding that your politicians support providing Ukraine with defense aid, donating to Ukrainian charities, helping share information on the Russian war.... Etc etc etc -- ILLIA

I am just a fellow Ukrainian who is thankful and proud of the work that you are doing. Everyone pitching in towards our common Cause as best we can. Keep it up! And since all top-level comments are supposed to be questions - how can we Ukrainians (in Ukraine) help in your work?

Thank you for being here! Just keep fighting the good fight, and if you have a lot of friends in other countries, just sharing our work with them is a great start)- Francis

What are your thoughts on war fatigue?

Now that the battle lines seem to be hardening, the country with the most 'push' seems likely to succeed...is that accurate?

97% of Ukrainians have recently said in a poll they are totally sure the Ukrainian military will win this war. There’s very stong unity regarding the war’s desired outcome - because Russia has done everything possible to prove it that surrender or a deal is absolutely not an option -- ILLIA

Hi guys. You say you are funded entirely by your community of readers, but in this article interviewing Olga it states

Yet within weeks, the fired Kyiv Post journalists had created a vibrant new news operation, the Kyiv Independent, using an emergency grant from the European Endowment for Democracy and donated office space and web services.

https://cpj.org/2022/02/ukraine-editor-olga-rudenko-on-starting-kyiv-independent-as-russia-amasses-troops-on-border/

Many of your reporters etc seem to have close relationships with western government funded think tanks etc.

https://mronline.org/2022/04/14/ned-finances-key-ukrainian-propaganda-organ-the-kyiv-independent/

Is it true to say you are wholly funded by your readership and therefore truly independent?

Thank you for the question. The interview you’re citing is from one year ago, when we have just launched the Kyiv Independent. We did apply for some grants to kickstart the project, and received some support from well-known international media donors, including an emergency grant from an organization called the European Endowment for Democracy. I appreciate that they believed in our project and supported it. Since then, our audience has grown tremendously. Fortunately, many readers are choosing to support us financially via Patreon or Gofundme. As the result, the reader revenue now far exceeds that initial grant support that helped us get started. It actually makes me quite happy — I believe that being reader-funded is a very healthy way to support a media publication. And yes, that’s what guarantees our independence.
As for the government-funded think tanks - no, we don’t have “close ties” to them. We are not affiliated with Western governments or with the Ukrainian government. I’ve seen the “expose” you’re linking there a while ago, and we had a big laugh about it in the newsroom. Most of it is obviously made-up, and real facts are used to draw ridiculous conclusions. But attacks like that aren’t entirely unexpected for someone in our situation — when you are journalists writing about Russian atrocities in Ukraine. - Olga

How likely is it that Belarus enters the war? Would it escalate to NATO direct involvement?

Not likely. Their military is very weak, and now it’s even weaker as it has transferred lots of armored vehicles and mutinons to Russia to compensate for their dire loses in Ukraine. It’s a very low quality force that has very low motivation, and according to our sources from March, has once refused to attacking Ukraine. Such an event would definitely be an escalation, but it still doesn’t trigger NATO’s direct involvement (why fight if Ukraine can do this with Western aid) --- ILLIA

Do you see other European nations taking a more active role in the ground fighting on the side of Ukraine in the coming year? Is there any indication that other vulnerable, ex-iron curtain countries are worried enough to get involved?

Ukraine’s European neighbors are mostly NATO member states, and as much as nations like Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are aware of the threat to their own borders, Russia is far too weak (and not quite stupid enough) to attack a NATO country.
But, these countries do indeed remember their history of Russian occupation very well, that is why they are donating huge amounts (proportional to the size of their military) of equipment to Ukraine- Poland has sent hundreds of tanks alone.
Ukraine has made it clear that they are ready to do the fighting on their own, they just need the tools to do the job. - Francis

What would you say to citizens of EU countries and the US that are, for lack of a better term, hostile towards more money being sent to Ukraine?

For Europe, the reasons should be very, very clear: just remember your history. Central and Eastern Europe remembers very clearly, having lived under Russian occupation not long ago at all. For Western Europe, they need to cast back their minds just a little further, about eighty years back from today, if you know what I mean…

Putinist Russia fills all academic criteria of a truly fascist nation- a totalitarian state that attacks neighbors for the purpose of conquest and subjugation of other peoples, and one that encourages a culture of glorifying violent aggression.

For Americans, it might not seem like Ukraine matters all that much if you’re not too plugged into foreign policy- and here I will enter into cliches that do deserve to be critiqued- but this really is a global question of freedom, peace, and democracy vs. a world in which it is acceptable for tyrannical powers to wage wars of conquest and get away with it. The outcome of this war has huge implications for Taiwan, for example. - Francis

How will the war end?

IMHO, it will end with Russia stripped of its ability to go on waging the war -- defensive and offensive -- due to many factors, such as inability to supply, maintain, and reinforce its contingents due to Ukrainian control over key transportation lines, or due to internal strife and societal collapse within Russia because of mass loss of life and mobilization, etc etc etc. This doesn’t mean all Russian soldiers killed or the Ukrainian military entering the Kremlin of course. That’s a pretty normal thing in history, just like what happened to Germany in November 1918. At some point they will find themselves unable to go on and will request armistice and negotiations. - ILLIA

What’s the general procedure for making sure a story won’t give away information that is sensitive militarily? Are there established procedures or is it more ad hoc?

We all have rules that we agree to when we receive our accreditation from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Some journalists, especially foreigners for whom this war is just another media cash cow, break them consistently, and this can lead to tragic consequences. From my personal experience in frontline areas both in Donbas as well as the south, you learn very quickly in the field when to put the camera away and when what you shoot won’t do any harm. A lot of it is common sense, but a good rule is to always go along with what the military allows and forbids you to do, they know better. Of course, editors are also on the look out for information that shouldn’t be published. On the whole, since we are very clear about whose side we are on, we do our best to be responsible with what we publish. -Francis

Hello, and thank you for taking time to answer questions today! I was wondering how you all feel that your reporting on corruption in the military has been received, both nationally in Ukraine, and internationally? Has it impacted your ability to access sources for other stories? I thought the editorial, where you all explained your rationale, was fantastic.

Hi, it’s Anna Myroniuk, a co-author of the investigation into the International Legion.
Thank you a lot for your feedback on our editorial. It was important to explain to our audience what we stand for as The Kyiv Independent.
As for the official reaction to our story, military intelligence told us they had launched an internal investigation into the facts we laid out in our request for comment. Ukrainian and Polish media outlets picked up the story. I, however, expected greater exposure, and, to be honest with you, I think the reason why more media outlets didn’t report on this story is that they shy away from any criticism of Ukraine at the moment.
I believe that exposing corruption and abuse of power is especially vital amid the war as it contributes to the efforts to improve the country.

Why did Russians believe that ordinary Ukrainian citizens would welcome them as liberators ? We’re they just reading too much of their own propaganda?

It’s about the system -- the system in which you are very encouraged to tell your boss what he wants to hear, not the real thing. And your boss also tell his own boss something his boss wants to hear, and so on. Up to the Kremlin. A lie begets another lie and it eventually brought them to this delusion - ILLIA

Are you in contact with any people from Russia? What are their views?

I have a couple of people I kinda stay in touch with via social media. They totally support Ukraine and they fled Russia because of their position. But I can’t say I have much of a desire to talk to Russian people from my private life. Nothing personal, just not a good time - ILLIA

Is Starlink actually beneficial?

Since power and mobile connection has been out all day after this morning's drone strike, this reply is coming at you via Starlink :) and jokes aside, it's a game-changer for units in the field for so, so many reasons -Francis

Are you going to go the Crimea beach party this summer?

Yep. Already bought a swimsuit for the occasion.
I actually want the Kyiv Independent team to have an epic team building trip to Crimea. Homemade wine, sunburns, and everything. – Olga

How many troops took part in the liberation of Kherson and what was their ratio against the Russians?

I am not sure what about Ukrainian troops -- but there were nearly 30,000 Russians on the Dnipro right bank. The Ukrainian side did not have the advantage of manpower - ILLIA

Nice! I was hoping for this. I mean at this point Russia has made so many enemies. My question is: How can Russia distinguish between local Russian saboteurs, foreign non-Ukrainian enemies of the state and Ukrainian saboteurs as their infrastructures are constantly being destroyed or damaged? Should Ukraine make statements when it wasn't them?

Here, Russia often finds itself in a bind because admitting that Ukraine did it can be really, really embarrassing. In most cases, they probably find out who did it, but the public message is another thing entirely.

The most famous example is when the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet apparently sunk "because fire safety rules were not adhered to"- just giving Ukraine endless fuel for memes about any explosion being caused by a Russian smoking in the wrong place. -Francis

When it comes to the Crimea - and to a lesser extent, Donetsk and Luhansk - where the overwhelming majority speak Russian as their native tongue and voted against independence in 1991, how does the average Ukrainian feel about maintaining hegemony over these territories?

For obvious reasons, the Ukrainian government must assert sovereignty over those lands, but how does the rest of Ukraine feel about it?

The whole thing is not about languages, it’s about values. A Russian-speaking guy from Donbas here -- ILLIA

Well, it’s a very general consensus in the Ukrainian society that we want all of our sovereign territory back - including Crimea. To any politician in this country, saying otherwise means political suicide - ILLIA

I hear Russia is on the brink of 100,000 confirmed dead soldiers. I'm not hearing about Ukraine's losses. Do you have any numbers to report?

We have nearly 13,000-15,000 killed and nearly 45,000 injured. And it’s not that all 100.000 Russians are dead - that figure includes the dead (some 30,000), the injured, missing in action - those who are not out of ranks and can’t participate in the war anymore - ILLIA

What is the best Ukranian beer/drink? What is the best Ukranian dish?

My colleagues might disagree, but unless it's been mixed with rubbing alcohol by some dude in his basement, I'm a big fan of Ukrainian homemade wine. As for the best dish, when you are cold and hungry after a long day in the field, there is nothing like a plate of potato-filled varenyky dumplings. After being subject to several man-made famines over the decades, Ukrainians know the value of calories more than anyone. -Francis

My mom's borscht is the best thing I've eaten, ever. I'll let Illia speak for the drink. – Olga

What are the rules for what you're allowed to report on vs what you are not allowed? Are the types of information you aren't allowed to reveal or places you're not allowed to go?

The government and the military have imposed some rules about what can’t be reported because it can harm Ukraine’s security interests. The most notorious example is reporting on the sites of the missile strikes. Officially, journalists or the general public can’t publish photos of the sites of the missile strikes. The rule imposed back in spring says “no photos/videos of the site until 3 hours past the attack if it’s a civilian site, or 12 hours if it’s a military site.” In reality, it’s all very inconsistent. Often when there is an attack on a civilian site, like an apartment building, officials will post photos right after the attack. But most of the time it’s rather difficult to find out what and where was hit.

There is an official decree by Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, issued back in March, that lists information that can’t be published. It’s rather reasonable. It includes things like “details of the planned special operations” or “the exact locations of the military.”
One thing that is problematic is access to the front line. It’s rather limited — but from what I understand, it’s more likely a security issue rather than an attempt at censorship by authorities. Illia will be able to explain it better. — OLGA

Do you think the bodies of the Mariupol defenders will ever be recovered?

I think most of them will - we get bodies from Mariupol as a result of agreed exchanges -- ILLIA

Do you think it's a good idea for the Ukrainian govt to control 100% of its media output?

Of course not, and we are very glad that's not the case, unlike in Russia. The Kyiv Independent is very often critical of the government, and has carried out its own investigations exposing government corruption. - Francis

Hello. How are you all, What are your thoughts on NAFO?

NAFO rules -- ILLIA

Thanks a lot for reporting in these times.

Q: How do you organise the mental health of your reporters?

Q: Do you allow reporters to take a break when they need it?

Q: Do you force reporters to take time of work to protect their mental health?

Depression, anxiety and PTSD are not to be taken lightly, but one thing that has become very apparent is how quickly you get used to things in this new reality. The first time I heard explosions (mostly air defense and distant artillery) I was twitching often, but by now I don't react. - Francis

Thanks for this AMA.

Right now you are in a particularly precarious moral situation. The news coming from the Ukranian government is often unreliable or purposefully misleading, but unlike Russia, Ukraine's government doesn't seem to have an iron grip on its media. So when clear propaganda comes across your desk, what do you do? Are you more motivated to help your country and join in the propaganda wars against Russia, or does pursuit of truth override?

There’s no doubt that there is a large-scale information war going on, that can be seen in some of the more outlandish statements from officials and viral content on social media. But this is no excuse to compromise on editorial integrity and journalistic standards. We have the recognition that we have now because of exactly that- we report on facts, even when they might be uncomfortable for a pro-Ukraine audience, and even when it’s something that might be jumped on by Russian propaganda. One of the common war slogans in Russia is “Strength is in Truth”- absurd and ironic as it might be coming from them, it holds true, only in Ukraine’s favour, and we have to play our part in upholding that.- Francis

Best way to financially support Ukraine?

https://savelife.in.ua/en/

As you remember, this year's Nobel Peace Prize went to an Ukrainian NGO, a Belarusian dissident, and a banned Russian NGO. Shortly after, Mykhailo Podolyak went on Twitter, criticizing the Nobel Prize committee, and denouncing the Russian and Belarusian recipients as "representatives of two countries that attacked a third one". Do you have any thoughts on that?

I think it was an ignorant and insensitive move to split the prize between Ukraine, Russia and Belarus in the year when Russians are killing Ukrainians, often with the help of Belarusians. This move, combined with the words said at the announcement ceremony, frame Russia's criminal war as a temporary disagreement between the three countries. - Olga

How high are the odds that a) Byelorussia will allow an invasion of Ukraine from its territory and b) the Russians will mount a winter offensive at all?

Not likely, but possible - the Belarusian military is very weak and degraded, and it has transferred a lot of its weapons and vehicles to Russia. B) Likely, but the possibility of their success is low. It’s not February anymore, they do not have what they had then, and Ukraine is fully prepared on terrain and it has a fully mobilized military. The best regular Russian forces failed in March, now this bunch of mobiks has little chances — ILLIA

Ukrainian news outlets on social media, like yours have been very much responsible for motivating public opinion around the world to support Ukraine. Are you concerned about the instability of twitter under Elon Musk and the fact that he's been favoring right-wing pro-Russian voices? Are you planning on moving to any other platforms?

It would be a lie to say we aren’t a little concerned about Twitter, it serves as a hugely important platform for our coverage on the war, and the exposure that the war gets on a global level. As for Elon Musk, we appreciate his Starlinks, but really don’t feel so crash hot about the idea of legitimising Russia’s occupation through a “peace plan”. -Francis

Assuming a Ukrainian victory (which I really hope for), how do you see justice being served and rehabilitation of Russia? For example a Nuremberg/ Hague trial?

We have the piece for you, from someone right in the middle of the process: https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/zeljln/departing_eu_diplomat_civilian_casualties_in/

Ukrainian prosecutors are doing a very professional job documenting tens of thousands of war crimes cases, but for the people at the very top, those guilty of the so-called "crime of aggression", the EU is looking to set up a special tribunal. -Francis

There's many, many reports coming out of Bakhmut which essential boil down to it being a meat grinder for Ukrainian troops. Soldiers dying in water filled, freezing trenches because they cannot be moved for cure due to supply routes being mostly cut off; hospitals all the way to Kiyv overflowing with wounded and simply unable to take on anymore casualties; Ukrainian soldiers cursing the leadership saying they'll kill them if they et back to Kyiv before the Russians; the Wagner psychos quite happily proclaim their advancements; trenches being dug right in the middle of the city (yesterday/today)...

For all of this there's often video evidence, like trenches being dug or bombs being dropped on Ukrainian troops etc. Meanwhile all western media outlets keep dismissing the happening as "Bakhmut is an irrelevant city" and forget to mention that more and more troops are being sent in to defend it.

Can you help shed some light here? Are we being mislead by news outlets or is there a lot of untrue propaganda coming from the other side? The fog of war is incredibly thick in this case.

I actually wrote about exactly this a few days ago:
https://kyivindependent.com/national/understanding-russias-relentless-assault-on-bakhmut
You're right, the situation in Bakhmut is far from a rosy picture of hordes of human wave attacks on Ukrainian machine gun positions; it's hell on earth at the moment.
I wouldn't call what you are talking about propaganda though, nobody is directing the world's media to say that Russia is losing the battle of Bakhmut, it's more the result of a mix certain echo chambers of overly optimistic discourse and catchy headline stories.- Francis

What, if any, thought does the Kyiv independent have on the current situation in Russia. The potential societal collapse and it's history of "and then it got worse", could we ever see something like the Marshall plan post WWII occur in Russia?

I can't speak for everyone, but I personally see any result that cripples Russia's ability to terrorise its neighbours for the long term to be a positive one.
I find the logic of a Marshall Plan for Russia quite strange. The only time Russia can think about getting a cent of outside financial aid is when all reparations to Ukraine are paid, all war criminals are behind bars, and a drastic shift in mainstream political culture is observable. See Germany 1945, and then see if Russian society and elites are anywhere near reaching that point. - Francis

What is one thing you believe could help you defend and end the war but that the other countries are not yet willing to provide or are too careful or slow to give to Ukraine?

Are you worried about Putin's possible another offensive at Kiev?

To keep a long answer short: long-range missiles and hundreds more tanks and armored vehicles. The missiles to hit logistics hubs deep behind Russian lines, as well as the staging posts for their missile raids against Ukraine, and the armor for future counteroffensives. Russia is digging in for the long haul, and as shambolic as their army may seem, attacking fortified lines of defense is always incredibly costly in equipment and human lives- Ukrainian troops need better protection.

As for a new offensive on Kyiv (not Kiev :)) would be an unequivocal disaster for Moscow. Russia is struggling to gather enough soldiers even with mobilization, while the stores of experienced officers and advanced equipment are next to empty. Meanwhile, Ukraine is far better-prepared and better-armed than in February. In any case, if it happens, it won’t be a surprise, we will see their preparations by satellite weeks ahead. -Francis