With the international media focus currently diverted to what’s happening in Palestine, a report from a Kyiv start-up provides an opportunity to look at news-gathering from a different perspective.

In its Ideas Blog this week, INMA presents the inside story of an English-language news site which has become a leading source of trusted news with millions of global readers.

Kyiv Independent chief operating officer Zakhar Protsiuk and advisor Matthew Harrison tell the extraordinary story from four months before the start of the Russian invasion.

After the Kyiv Post – then the biggest English-language paper in Ukraine – fired its entire newsroom in November 2021 in an attempt to control editorial direction, a founding team worked to establish the Kyiv Independent.

Less than a month later, the new news site was live, with a newsletter and podcast, and partnerships to “light the road ahead”.

And of course, four months after that, on February 24, 2022, Russia’s launch of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine changed everything. “Kyiv Independent was there to cover it,” they say. “Our live war coverage quickly became one of the main sources of objective trusted news of the unfolding invasion.”

Traffic grew from 13,000 readers in January to around thee million readers in March, with core social channel (Twitter) increasing by a million users in ten days.

“Perhaps most crucially, people stood with us via financial contributions on GoFundMe and by joining our membership. Since our launch, more than 45,000 people have supported us financially and our membership has grown to around 10,000 paying members.”

And while their start-up story has “the usual chapters of tech stack pivots, reader revenue challenges, and operational lessons, the underlying difference is that we are building our organisation during the biggest conventional war in Europe since WW2.” (This picture taken as the team works by candlelight following a Russian attack on Kyiv’s power infrastructure).

Lessons they share include trying new things with a team that is passionate, curious, and led by values, without worrying about perfectionism. “Find motivation through continuous wins, and transparency.”

Protsiuk and Harrison say reader revenue now sustains the website, enabling the Independent to retain and acquire staff, send journalists to the front lines, and seek justice on behalf of ordinary Ukrainian people. However, during times of war, P&L management becomes more complex. “Even things like security equipment and public speaking engagements abroad become substantial costs.”

Bringing reader-revenue platforms in-house was essential, and has enabled a closer relationship with readers and reduced dependency on partners.

Stack changes have focussed on integration, enabling better prediction of monthly recurring revenue. A CRM in HubSpot for donations allows the Independent to “properly thank everyone who chooses to contribute to our cause and finds others who may be in a position to help.

“We think it is essential to let everyone who contributes a significant amount to our cause know exactly how their donation is used and thank them during a call with team leaders.

“The goal is simple: Build a personal connection with people so they realise how they are moving us forward. To date, we don’t have one homogenous profile of donors or high net worth segment. Instead, we find people from all walks of life who understand our story could one day become their own if Russian atrocities aren’t held to account.”

In their INMA post, Protsiuk and Harrison urge keeping strategising and planning ahead, “even when you feel it doesn’t make sense.

“Building a media start-up requires a lot of planning and building strategies to make operations sustainable long-term.

“It felt surreal developing our 2023 strategy while rockets were regularly falling on Kyiv and we were losing power in the office every few hours. However, we have to keep pushing forward and find new horizons of mental strength.

“Together with its community, the Kyiv Independent will continue to stand for the Free Press. Our commitment to this is greater now than ever.”

• The INMA post includes two ways of supporting the Independent – via a one-time donation or joining their membership. Contributions to support the news media in Ukraine can also be made to the Ukrainian Media Fund.