I can't believe it
The Counteroffensive is turning one year old. Here's why we're worth continuing to support, and how we plan to cover this terrible war in our second year.
Editor’s note: Don't miss our Chicago event this Sunday April 21st at 4pm, with UA Resistance. We’re holding an event near Humboldt (Alexander Von) Park. Click here to RSVP.
And next Monday, April 22nd at 7pm, we’ll be joining up with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Toronto Branch at the Munk School. Click here to RSVP!
To attend, we’re offering a onetime discount for paid subscribers!
A year ago I went back to Kyiv on my own.
The country had taken a hold on me. I couldn’t just leave and forget it.
So I started this newsletter, The Counteroffensive. I wanted to keep reporting on an invasion which has left a terrible mark on millions of people.
The mission of The Counteroffensive from its conception was to zoom in to the personal level, and use these human stories to illustrate the news of the war — stories you will never see anywhere else.
Thanks to you, we’ve been able to survive.
But now at the one year mark, many annual subscribers will soon be up for renewal.
And we still need your help to hold the powerful accountable — to create engaging, unique journalism that cuts through the so-called ‘Ukraine fatigue.’
Unfortunately, this work is needed now more than ever.
In Ukraine, everyone is bracing for a coming Russian summer offensive that will destroy yet more lives — and set the stage for the remainder of the war.
On Capitol Hill, critical Ukraine aid is being considered for passage.
In eastern Ukraine, people are living in the dark — because of relentless Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
In European capitals, more politicians are dithering over how much support to lend a country that is on the frontlines of the war against authoritarianism.
Who we are:
Here’s a snapshot into the special skills of the reporters that make up The Counteroffensive! Here’s a video of me teaching you how to make an improvised tourniquet:
… And Alessandra, using her Persian language skills (instead of the other skill she wanted to highlight):
… Here’s Myroslava talking about the basic elements of journalism that we use to make our stories: ledes and nut grafs, for example.
A new kind of war correspondence:
What’s been clear is that there’s a need for a new style of journalism that will make the war in Ukraine feel closer to home for Western audiences.
And that’s what we’ve been doing here at The Counteroffensive all year.
We covered things other news outlets never would: about stolen military dolphins, and the cumulative sleep deprivation due to missile attacks;
And we stood firm when we had mass unsubscribes after profiling a member of the LGBTQ+ community in Ukraine.
But we also covered Ukraine as a place as more than a place of war: we spoke about traditional dress, like vyshyvankas; looked at the restaurants Anthony Bourdain visited here and gave them another look; we looked at how Ukrainian cheeses were smuggled out of the country for the International Cheese Awards.
I confronted and wrote frankly about my PTSD and alcohol problem. I got hospitalized after getting really burnt out, and then really ill.
The Counteroffensive wrote human stories from Ukraine, and Taiwan, and the Turkish-Syrian border.
We did more than just journalism.
We started a conversation, then a community.
In just the last week, we hit 60,000 total subscribers. We need more of them to choose to be paying subscribers.
At just $8 a month, you fund critical journalism that ensures the West doesn’t forget about the war in Ukraine. And what’s a more important investment than that?
Thank you for reading. Please re-up to help us get through our second year!
We promise more groundbreaking, dynamic journalism that brings you closer to the ground truth of what’s happening in the war.
Stay safe out there.
Yours truly,
Tim
P.S. Send me a note any time with questions, comments or concerns -- remember, I work for you! tim@counteroffensive.news
P.P.S. Here’s today’s Dog of Peace, Miss Moneypenny, a dog that I saw in El Paso, Texas yesterday. Isn’t she charming?
NEWS OF THE DAY:
Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.
PROGRESS ON AID TO UKRAINE: The House of Representatives released the text of a bill to provide nearly $61 billion in aid to Ukraine. As soon as possible after the bill becomes law, the U.S. President is to provide Ukraine with ATACMS missiles.
No later than 60 days after the document enters into force, Biden must conclude an agreement with the Ukrainian government on the return of the funds provided. In this case, the US president will have the right to cancel up to 50% of Ukraine's debt for the economic assistance provided to the country, but not before 15 November 2024.
RUSSIA'S SECRET PLAN: Russia's MFA has drawn up plans to weaken its Western adversaries, including the US, and use the war in Ukraine to create a world order free of "American domination," the Washington Post reported, citing a secret Russian Foreign Ministry document. It is a classified appendix to the official and public document,’Concept of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation.’ The document is dated April 11, 2023 and was given to journalists by European intelligence services.
In this annex, the Russian ministry calls for an offensive information campaign and other measures in the military-political, trade-economic, information and psychological spheres against the coalition of unfriendly countries led by the US.
RUSSIAN SPIES HAVE BEEN ARRESTED IN BAVARIA: They were monitoring U.S. bases in Germany and planning to sabotage military transport routes. Der Spiegel reported, citing its sources in the German Federal Prosecutor's Office.
One of the detainees is 39-year-old Dieter S. He has German and Russian citizenship. From 2014 to 2016, he fought on the side of pro-Russian groups in Ukraine. Since October 2023, he has been discussing possible sabotage with representatives of the Russian special services, the main purpose of which is to undermine military assistance to Ukraine.
I still want to see Alessandra teach us how to steal a car tbh.
Supporting The Counteroffensive is one of the best investments I’ve made in a while. Thanks. Be safe.