This is first on Mastodon! Please boost this thread. It’s an important one.
Good morning to readers. Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.
Some career news: I’m leaving NPR as part of the layoffs that dramatically reduced the company’s workforce.
I’ve decided to go back into Ukraine to keep reporting.
But this time, alone.
I’ll be launching a new email newsletter, ‘The Counteroffensive,’ to cover the war going forward.
There, you’ll find a direct connection to me and my reporting – whether you choose a free or paid subscription.
SIGN UP HERE NOW: https://counteroffensive.substack.com/p/the-first-substack-dedicated-exclusively
The Counteroffensive is the first Substack dedicated exclusively to war correspondence.
It will cover the spring Ukrainian counteroffensive.
But the name is meant to signify a broader campaign: against apathy, cynicism and ignorance about world events in general and the emergence of a new Cold War in particular.
Many of you know me as an #investigative correspondent and former U.S. #Army combat medic. And many of you have read along as we traveled to nearly every major #Ukrainian city.
I want to keep that conversation going.
After all…
... #Warcorrespondence is almost as old as #war itself.
As long as there have been humans fighting, those humans have wanted to find ways to bring their stories home.
In this second year of the devastating full-scale war between #Russia and #ukraine ...
...I’m looking to use modern means to satisfy these old instincts: a #Substack newsletter from a #warzone.
https://counteroffensive.substack.com/p/the-first-substack-dedicated-exclusively
If you subscribe to this #email #newsletter, what you’ll get is an open reporter’s notebook from the frontlines of an emerging #ColdWar:
War correspondence by subscription. You’ll get regular and intimate dispatches about what it’s like to cover the largest war in #Europe since WWII
Leaving a steady job at an established institution like #NPR for an unproven venture is a big bet.
It’s a bet that readers still care about the human toll that this war is taking.
It’s a bet against #cynicism, and #ignorance, and #apathy.
It’s a bet that there are enough of you out there to support an ambitious project like this.
As I was driving recently I listened to an #NPR interview with my colleague Michel Martin, explaining why she made a major career move.
“Be brave,” she said. “Do something hard.”
It’s in that spirit that I’m launching this dangerous and expensive venture.
Readers can't do anything about the danger, but they can help us have the gear we need to mitigate risk.
And they can help us not go into crushing debt in order to bring the news to the public.
Your support buys us what we need to report: #bodyarmor, #medicalkits, car rentals, #recording equipment, and #emergency supplies.
And it’s not just gear – hiring my #Ukrainian interpreter and partner Ross costs thousands of dollars a month.
But we are not asking for contributions for contribution's sake.
You get something powerful in return: reporting that serves a #publicinterest mission, that engages and educates.
During my time in Ukraine, I’ve cultivated sources in nearly every major Ukrainian city, including sources in many of the major Ukrainian national security institutions.
This has allowed me to track down the notorious Russian 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade -- known for its role in shooting down MH17.
I’ve tried to inform you through regular Twitter threads, starting with the catchphrase I first wrote in the first days of the invasion:
‘Kyiv Remains In Ukrainian Hands.’
By the way, should I keep using that opening line? #KyivRemains
Tim Mak
Devin Canterberry