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Martin Kuz

@martinkuz.bsky.social
170 followers 133 following 133 posts

Independent journalist covering Ukraine Newsletter: martinkuz.substack.com GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/reporting-on-ukr… Bylines: @startribune.com @newlinesmag.bsky.social @sfchronicle.com

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Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A week ago, a Russian missile gutted a church in Kramatorsk. Moscow has destroyed at least 740 religious sites in Ukraine, and in each case—and as with every one of the hundreds of strikes on civilian targets daily—there is but a single purpose: terror. And still the regime in DC shrugs. Or cheers.
martinkuz.substack.com
Lost sanctuary
Russia’s war of annihilation guts another church as Kramatorsk is slowly ground to dust
004
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A week ago, a Russian missile gutted a church in Kramatorsk. Moscow has destroyed at least 740 religious sites in Ukraine, and in each case—and as with every one of the hundreds of strikes on civilian targets daily—there is but a single purpose: terror. And still the regime in DC shrugs. Or cheers.
martinkuz.substack.com
Lost sanctuary
Russia’s war of annihilation guts another church as Kramatorsk is slowly ground to dust
004
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Since my visit last fall, I’ve thought back to the church. I imagined parishioners mourning those they had lost in the war while still cherishing the chance to come together in a ritual that connected them to the time before the madness. My memories resurfaced last week for the worst reason.
martinkuz.substack.com
Lost sanctuary
Russia’s war of annihilation guts another church as Kramatorsk is slowly ground to dust
031
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Since my visit last fall, I’ve thought back to the church. I imagined parishioners mourning those they had lost in the war while still cherishing the chance to come together in a ritual that connected them to the time before the madness. My memories resurfaced last week for the worst reason.
martinkuz.substack.com
Lost sanctuary
Russia’s war of annihilation guts another church as Kramatorsk is slowly ground to dust
031
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Fred Wellman @fpwellman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Monstrous
221851
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Russia denies targeting civilians. Yet the intensified strikes on Ukrainian cities this year lay bare a depraved focus on civilian sites: apartments, malls, schools, cathedrals, trains. Unable to claim victory, Putin pursues a war of state terrorism as the Trump regime shrugs. @fpwellman.bsky.social
martinkuz.substack.com
Droning on and on
As Russia terrorizes Ukraine with faster, deadlier drones, the Trump regime pays lip service to ending the war
0187
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Pete Kotz @petekotz.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
"Listening to the drone that sounded like a swarm of hornets outside the kitchen window, she wanted to believe that its unseen operator would ignore a 73-year-old babushka. But nearly all of her friends and neighbors had died in drone or missile strikes, drowned, or succumbed to disease."
martinkuz.substack.com
Droning on and on
As Russia terrorizes Ukraine with faster, deadlier drones, the Trump regime pays lip service to ending the war
022
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
As the drone's buzzing persisted, Olga realized that another civilian victim would mean nothing to the occupiers. She accepted that to live she needed to leave. “Every day you are scared, holding your breath. You feel like you are always hiding,” she told me. “The drones are everywhere.”
martinkuz.substack.com
Droning on and on
As Russia terrorizes Ukraine with faster, deadlier drones, the Trump regime pays lip service to ending the war
022
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
As the drone's buzzing persisted, Olga realized that another civilian victim would mean nothing to the occupiers. She accepted that to live she needed to leave. “Every day you are scared, holding your breath. You feel like you are always hiding,” she told me. “The drones are everywhere.”
martinkuz.substack.com
Droning on and on
As Russia terrorizes Ukraine with faster, deadlier drones, the Trump regime pays lip service to ending the war
022
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Much more so compared to America, and to varying degrees compared to a number of European nations, a collective devotion to liberty and civility defines everyday life in Ukraine. A photo essay in honor of Ukraine marking 35 years of independence this week.
martinkuz.substack.com
Liberty and civility
Marking 35 years of independence, Ukraine, even under siege, upholds political and civic ideals that are in retreat across the West
033
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Much more so compared to America, and to varying degrees compared to a number of European nations, a collective devotion to liberty and civility defines everyday life in Ukraine. A photo essay in honor of Ukraine marking 35 years of independence this week.
martinkuz.substack.com
Liberty and civility
Marking 35 years of independence, Ukraine, even under siege, upholds political and civic ideals that are in retreat across the West
033
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
UPDATE: Ohio's parole board has recommended reducing the death row sentence of Tyrone Noling to life in prison with the chance of parole starting in 2029. Petition for pardon: www.change.org/p/petition-f... Background: martinkuz.substack.com/p/a-life-in-... @ohioinnocenceproj.bsky.social
cleveland.com
Ohio Parole Board recommends clemency for death row inmate Tyrone Noling
The Ohio Parole Board recommend commuting Tyrone Noling's death sentence to life with parole eligibility.
011
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
A nation under siege from a much larger country could be forgiven for sacrificing political and civic ideals in the fight for survival. For more than 1,600 days, the Ukrainian people instead have upheld democratic principles and moral decency. A photo essay as Ukraine marks 35 years of independence.
martinkuz.substack.com
Liberty and civility
Marking 35 years of independence, Ukraine, even under siege, upholds political and civic ideals that are in retreat across the West
032
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Ukraine declared its independence 35 years ago. In the 25 years since Putin ascended to power, he has sought by assorted means to colonize Kyiv. Economic pressure, political interference and a small-scale military incursion preceded the war that began in 2022. The blue and yellow flag still flies.
martinkuz.substack.com
Liberty and civility
Marking 35 years of independence, Ukraine, even under siege, upholds political and civic ideals that are in retreat across the West
041
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
UPDATE: Ohio's parole board has recommended reducing the death row sentence of Tyrone Noling to life in prison with the chance of parole starting in 2029. Petition for pardon: www.change.org/p/petition-f... Background: martinkuz.substack.com/p/a-life-in-... @ohioinnocenceproj.bsky.social
cleveland.com
Ohio Parole Board recommends clemency for death row inmate Tyrone Noling
The Ohio Parole Board recommend commuting Tyrone Noling's death sentence to life with parole eligibility.
011
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Ukraine declared its independence 35 years ago. In the 25 years since Putin ascended to power, he has sought by assorted means to colonize Kyiv. Economic pressure, political interference and a small-scale military incursion preceded the war that began in 2022. The blue and yellow flag still flies.
martinkuz.substack.com
Liberty and civility
Marking 35 years of independence, Ukraine, even under siege, upholds political and civic ideals that are in retreat across the West
041
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
A nation under siege from a much larger country could be forgiven for sacrificing political and civic ideals in the fight for survival. For more than 1,600 days, the Ukrainian people instead have upheld democratic principles and moral decency. A photo essay as Ukraine marks 35 years of independence.
martinkuz.substack.com
Liberty and civility
Marking 35 years of independence, Ukraine, even under siege, upholds political and civic ideals that are in retreat across the West
032
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
On Ukraine's 35th Independence Day, I’m sharing images that show the flag (or the combination of its colors) from my reporting throughout the country. For me, the blue and yellow bands shine like a lighthouse amid war’s gloom, a beacon of hope in a world ever more darkened by autocracy and cruelty.
martinkuz.substack.com
Liberty and civility
Marking 35 years of independence, Ukraine, even under siege, upholds political and civic ideals that are in retreat across the West
033
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
On Ukraine's 35th Independence Day, I’m sharing images that show the flag (or the combination of its colors) from my reporting throughout the country. For me, the blue and yellow bands shine like a lighthouse amid war’s gloom, a beacon of hope in a world ever more darkened by autocracy and cruelty.
martinkuz.substack.com
Liberty and civility
Marking 35 years of independence, Ukraine, even under siege, upholds political and civic ideals that are in retreat across the West
033
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Any journalist will tell you that some stories stay with you. I’d like to share one that shadows me.
martinkuz.substack.com
A life in the balance
The long struggle of an innocent man on death row to once more breathe free
023
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Any journalist will tell you that some stories stay with you. I’d like to share one that shadows me.
martinkuz.substack.com
A life in the balance
The long struggle of an innocent man on death row to once more breathe free
023
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Tyrone Noling has spent 30 years on Ohio's death row for a double murder he has always insisted he didn't commit. At a parole hearing Tuesday, the sheriff at the time of the murders echoed what he told me in 2003: Based on the evidence, he believes Tyrone is innocent. www.change.org/p/petition-f...
martinkuz.substack.com
A life in the balance
The long struggle of an innocent man on death row to once more breathe free
013
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Tyrone Noling has spent 30 years on Ohio's death row for a double murder he has always insisted he didn't commit. At a parole hearing Tuesday, the sheriff at the time of the murders echoed what he told me in 2003: Based on the evidence, he believes Tyrone is innocent. www.change.org/p/petition-f...
martinkuz.substack.com
A life in the balance
The long struggle of an innocent man on death row to once more breathe free
013
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
In 2003, I wrote about Tyrone Noling, who by then had spent seven years on Ohio’s death row. Three decades after his conviction for murder, he's still there. He's still innocent. And when his petition for clemency reached the state parole board this week, I was in the room. @acluohio.bsky.social
martinkuz.substack.com
A life in the balance
The long struggle of an innocent man on death row to once more breathe free
023
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
In 2003, I wrote about Tyrone Noling, who by then had spent seven years on Ohio’s death row. Three decades after his conviction for murder, he's still there. He's still innocent. And when his petition for clemency reached the state parole board this week, I was in the room. @acluohio.bsky.social
martinkuz.substack.com
A life in the balance
The long struggle of an innocent man on death row to once more breathe free
023
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Soon after writing about Tyrone’s case in 2003, I left Ohio. But his case never left me. That’s why on Tuesday, 30 years after his unjust conviction sent him to death row, I sat inside a white-walled hearing room in Columbus to listen as the state parole board considered his petition for clemency.
martinkuz.substack.com
A life in the balance
The long struggle of an innocent man on death row to once more breathe free
011
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Soon after writing about Tyrone’s case in 2003, I left Ohio. But his case never left me. That’s why on Tuesday, 30 years after his unjust conviction sent him to death row, I sat inside a white-walled hearing room in Columbus to listen as the state parole board considered his petition for clemency.
martinkuz.substack.com
A life in the balance
The long struggle of an innocent man on death row to once more breathe free
011
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Five months into his war of choice, Trump appears to have grasped that Iran holds all kinds of cards, to borrow one of his pet phrases. As the Taliban showed in outlasting the world’s most powerful military, Tehran’s resolve reflects an awareness that, then as now, time is America’s greatest enemy.
martinkuz.substack.com
A matter of time
In attacking Iran, Trump officials ignored the brutal lesson of America’s long war in Afghanistan
012
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Five months into his war of choice, Trump appears to have grasped that Iran holds all kinds of cards, to borrow one of his pet phrases. As the Taliban showed in outlasting the world’s most powerful military, Tehran’s resolve reflects an awareness that, then as now, time is America’s greatest enemy.
martinkuz.substack.com
A matter of time
In attacking Iran, Trump officials ignored the brutal lesson of America’s long war in Afghanistan
012
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Driven by delusional hubris, Trump and Putin both launched wars that they believed would end within days. Terrorized for more than four years by Putin, Kyiv is now suffering from the ripple effects of Trump’s decision to attack Iran six months ago as America’s interest in Ukraine all but disappears.
martinkuz.substack.com
A matter of time
In attacking Iran, Trump officials ignored the brutal lesson of America’s long war in Afghanistan
013
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Driven by delusional hubris, Trump and Putin both launched wars that they believed would end within days. Terrorized for more than four years by Putin, Kyiv is now suffering from the ripple effects of Trump’s decision to attack Iran six months ago as America’s interest in Ukraine all but disappears.
martinkuz.substack.com
A matter of time
In attacking Iran, Trump officials ignored the brutal lesson of America’s long war in Afghanistan
013
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Five years after pulling out of Afghanistan, America attacked Iran, another country whose leaders think in decades and centuries rather than two-year election cycles--evidence that the Trump regime ignored the brutal lesson of the longest war in U.S. history. @startribune.com @fpwellman.bsky.social
startribune.com
Opinion | Trump officials ignored the brutal lesson of America’s long war in Afghanistan
"The combined impact of an unpopular conflict and sagging economy magnifies pressure on President Donald Trump — and, by extension, the Republican Party — to end the hostilities before November’s midt...
211
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Five years after pulling out of Afghanistan, America attacked Iran, another country whose leaders think in decades and centuries rather than two-year election cycles--evidence that the Trump regime ignored the brutal lesson of the longest war in U.S. history. @startribune.com @fpwellman.bsky.social
startribune.com
Opinion | Trump officials ignored the brutal lesson of America’s long war in Afghanistan
"The combined impact of an unpopular conflict and sagging economy magnifies pressure on President Donald Trump — and, by extension, the Republican Party — to end the hostilities before November’s midt...
211
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Far-right parties are on the rise or already in power from Berlin and Paris to Rome and Zagreb -- not to mention DC. And yet many of those countries continue to lecture Ukraine about its unworthiness to join the EU and NATO -- even as Ukraine has proven again the sturdiness of its democracy.
martinkuz.substack.com
This is what democracy looks like
For the second time in a year, street protests have forced Ukraine’s president to backpedal
031
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Far-right parties are on the rise or already in power from Berlin and Paris to Rome and Zagreb -- not to mention DC. And yet many of those countries continue to lecture Ukraine about its unworthiness to join the EU and NATO -- even as Ukraine has proven again the sturdiness of its democracy.
martinkuz.substack.com
This is what democracy looks like
For the second time in a year, street protests have forced Ukraine’s president to backpedal
031
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Chastened by the protests, Zelensky replaced Syrskyi with Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi, a decorated commander who last week gambled with his career when he publicly supported the ousted Fedorov. “Silence does not protect the army,” he wrote on social media. “It only allows mistakes to accumulate.”
martinkuz.substack.com
This is what democracy looks like
For the second time in a year, street protests have forced Ukraine’s president to backpedal
012
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Chastened by the protests, Zelensky replaced Syrskyi with Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi, a decorated commander who last week gambled with his career when he publicly supported the ousted Fedorov. “Silence does not protect the army,” he wrote on social media. “It only allows mistakes to accumulate.”
martinkuz.substack.com
This is what democracy looks like
For the second time in a year, street protests have forced Ukraine’s president to backpedal
012
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The suspension of elections under martial law deprives Ukrainians of nearly all leverage to counter the government’s policy and personnel moves. Protests represent their lone option. And for the second time in a year, young Ukrainians forced the country’s most powerful elected official to back down.
martinkuz.substack.com
This is what democracy looks like
For the second time in a year, street protests have forced Ukraine’s president to backpedal
012
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The suspension of elections under martial law deprives Ukrainians of nearly all leverage to counter the government’s policy and personnel moves. Protests represent their lone option. And for the second time in a year, young Ukrainians forced the country’s most powerful elected official to back down.
martinkuz.substack.com
This is what democracy looks like
For the second time in a year, street protests have forced Ukraine’s president to backpedal
012
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
After Syrskyi's ouster, Fedorov hailed Drapatyi’s selection as “a breath of fresh air and a new source of hope.” The same description befits the people of Ukraine, whose brave defense of their motherland extends to protecting its liberty from the president’s worst instincts.
martinkuz.substack.com
This is what democracy looks like
For the second time in a year, street protests have forced Ukraine’s president to backpedal
023
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
After Syrskyi's ouster, Fedorov hailed Drapatyi’s selection as “a breath of fresh air and a new source of hope.” The same description befits the people of Ukraine, whose brave defense of their motherland extends to protecting its liberty from the president’s worst instincts.
martinkuz.substack.com
This is what democracy looks like
For the second time in a year, street protests have forced Ukraine’s president to backpedal
023
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Pete Kotz @petekotz.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
"Their willingness to fill the streets even in wartime — even at risk of missile attacks — shows a devotion to and belief in democratic principles that should shame the older, allegedly democratic nations that persist in lecturing Ukraine about its unworthiness."
martinkuz.substack.com
This is what democracy looks like
For the second time in a year, street protests have forced Ukraine’s president to backpedal
031
Reposted by Martin Kuz
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
The firing of Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi marks a seismic triumph for the Ukrainian military’s new generation over an entrenched, Soviet-style command culture and strategic vision — and further inspires hope that the global institution of democracy might not be dead.
martinkuz.substack.com
This is what democracy looks like
For the second time in a year, street protests have forced Ukraine’s president to backpedal
011
Martin Kuz @martinkuz.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
The firing of Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi marks a seismic triumph for the Ukrainian military’s new generation over an entrenched, Soviet-style command culture and strategic vision — and further inspires hope that the global institution of democracy might not be dead.
martinkuz.substack.com
This is what democracy looks like
For the second time in a year, street protests have forced Ukraine’s president to backpedal
011