Hi, I’m Anastasiia Lapatina —

Ukraine Fellow at Lawfare, a national security publication in Washington D.C., where I cover all things Ukraine.

With colleagues at Lawfare, I also produce and host a narrative podcast about Ukraine-US relations that’s due for publication this winter.

I previously worked at the Kyiv Independent, Ukraine’s leading English-language outlet that has an inspiring founding story and an even more inspiring team. I grew a large audience of more than 500,000 followers on once-great Twitter after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. For my reporting, I have been featured on Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2022 list in the Media and Marketing category, as well as Teen Vogue 21 Under 21 (I am currently 23)

I’m based in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine

where I’ve lived most of my life, except for studying abroad in Canada for 6 years. I am married and have a daughter, who was born on New Year’s Eve of 2023.

Yours Ukrainian is my attempt at filling the gap

of knowledge about my country that I see everywhere in the world. There is much to know about life in Ukraine beyond the Russian war, deaths, and destruction, though there is a great deal of that too (and there is misunderstanding of those things as well).

Every week, I write about Ukraine’s most important events, sharing my humble opinions, as well as takes from our country’s most insightful intellectuals. I also write about life and culture, which are often ignored in the Western press.

The single most common question I hear from people abroad is — how can we help Ukraine? Where do I donate? What small, grassroots initiatives should I support? You will find answers to all of this here too.

I want to be that one Ukrainian friend of yours who serves as a window into a country that keeps making headlines, often tragic ones, but is so far away and so unfamiliar.

Cheers, and Glory to Ukraine

—Yours Ukrainian.