Russian forces bombard Kyiv, Meduza turns to you, and thousands donate to save Ukranian media

The International Journalism Festival weekly round-up. Stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter, by following our Telegram channel, or by joining us on Facebook and Twitter.

Kyivans hide in subways as Russian forces bombard the capital. As Russian missiles rain down on their homes, many people of Kyiv have moved permanently into the safe shelter of the metro. Daryna Shevchenko, CEO of The Kyiv Independent, is a 2022 International Journalism Festival speaker.

A better Russia, tomorrow. Meduza turns to you. Dear readers, this is a special transmission of Meduza’s newsletter, coming to you at a time of crisis. We are writing to you now for one simple reason: We need your support today more than ever. Galina Timchenko, executive editor of Meduza, is a 2022 International Journalism Festival speaker.

Russia’s last independent TV channel covers the invasion of Ukraine. In Moscow, the small staff of TV Rain works through another endless night. (Update: TV Rain has now been shut down by the Russian authorities). Tikhon Dzyadko, editor-in-chief of of Dozhd (TV Rain), is a 2022 International Journalism Festival speaker

Thousands donate to campaign to save Ukrainian media. The funds will enable independent media to continue to cover the war from neighbouring countries. Jakub Parusinski is a 2022 International Journalism Festival speaker.

Why did it take the West so long to wake up to Putin’s outrages? This terrifying, world-changing conflict in Ukraine did not start in 2022. Nor did it start in 2014. It began a decade and a half ago when Russia invaded Georgia and got away with it. Natalia Antelava is a 2022 International Journalism Festival speaker.

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Digging into the disinformation campaign behind Russia’s war on Ukraine. We now know that the US war in Vietnam was predicated on false claims about an attack on an American warship in the Gulf of Tonkin. Likewise, the 2003 invasion of Iraq was justified using choreographed — and ultimately baseless — claims that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. Has a similar campaign of disinformation been used too as a pretext for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine? Jane Lytvynenko is a 2022 International Journalism Festival speaker.

Vladimir Putin: what’s going on inside his head? The Russian president’s intentions are now clear. The psychology behind them has been years in the making. Peter Pomerantsev is a 2022 International Journalism Festival speaker.

Tips from the Guardian on live-blogging and covering breaking news on Ukraine. Head of Editorial Innovation Chris Moran explains how he and his team have shaped the newspaper’s live blog to meet users’ needs. Chris Moran is a 2022 International Journalism Festival speaker.

Many of us are watching Ukraine & asking ‘why is this happening?’ We’ve made a series of videos to try and help. Ros Atkins is a 2022 International Journalism Festival speaker.

Photo credit: Ukrainian children hiding underground from Russian air raids via Telegram u_now