crimea: the war before the war

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Dominic Culverwell

Business Reporter

Dominic is the business reporter for the Kyiv Independent, reporting on Ukrainian companies, investment, energy, corruption, and reforms. Based in Kyiv, Dominic joined the Kyiv Independent team in 2023, having previously worked as a freelancer. He has written articles for a number of publications, including the Financial Times, bne IntelliNews, Radio Free Europe/Liberty, Euronews and New Eastern Europe. Previously, Dominic worked with StopFake as a disinformation expert, debunking Russian fake news in Europe.

d.culverwell@kyivindependent.com
For media & speaking inquiries:
press@kyivindependent.com

Articles

Business

Japan breaks into Ukraine’s drone market for first time as Tokyo confronts regional threats

by Dominic Culverwell
A Tokyo-listed drone firm is breaking with the trend of Japanese companies avoiding Ukraine's defense industry by partnering with interceptor drone producer Amazing Drones, the first Japanese company to invest in the sector. The investment — undisclosed in size — will fuel a major production scale-up at Kharkiv-based Amazing Drones, with Terra Drone using its decade-long experience to handle supply chains, marketing, and global expansion, the company said at a launch event in Kyiv on March 31.
Business

Exclusive: The minerals deal that sparked backlash is now backing Ukraine’s drone edge

by Liliane Bivings, Dominic Culverwell
Just over a year after a dramatic Oval Office clash derailed the now-infamous "minerals deal," the fund it spawned is making its first move, backing Ukraine's defense tech sector as global conflicts intensify. The first of three investments planned this year by the fund — officially known as the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund — will go to Sine Engineering, a Ukrainian dual-use military technology company, two people familiar with the deal told the Kyiv Independent. The deal is exp
Business

'I don’t remember prices rising this fast' — Soaring oil prices strain Ukraine’s war economy

by Luca Léry Moffat, Dominic Culverwell
The Iran war is hitting Ukrainians at the pump, as rising global energy prices ripple through the war-battered economy that is only just emerging from an energy crisis and significant bout of inflation. Diesel prices hit $1.64 a liter on March 9, according to Ukrainian fuel market analyst group A-95 Consulting, a 16% climb compared with one month prior. Petrol prices rose by 12% in the same period. "I’ve been working in this market for 25 years, and I don’t remember prices rising this fast," S

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