Alex Stezhensky

Editor and Writer | NV English

A Kyiv native, Alex originally envisioned a career in visual media and sound production before his path shifted in 2006 when he moved to New York. After returning to Ukraine in 2020, he launched his journalism career as a translator at the New Voice of Ukraine. He quickly advanced to editorial and authorship roles, producing original reporting and analysis. Alex specializes in investigative journalism, focusing on international affairs and domestic politics. Outside of the newsroom, he remains passionate about photography and music composition.


‘Extremely expensive tractors’ /
Drones push Ukraine's Leopard tanks into hiding

Leopard tanks that Ukraine received from Western partners after prolonged and difficult negotiations now mostly sit under camouflage nets in forests in Kharkiv Oblast, venturing out mainly to tow damaged equipment.
25 August, 05:09 PM 0
Russian war

License breakthrough /
Ukraine cleared to produce Storm Shadow/SCALP

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham agreed to provide Ukraine with licenses to produce Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Aug. 25.
25 August, 04:42 PM 2
Nation

Kramatorsk under fire /
Russian bombs injure 19, including 2-month-old

Russian forces attacked Kramatorsk eight times on the morning of Aug. 25. Preliminary information indicated they used aerial bombs. The strikes initially injured 11 people, including a 2-month-old infant, Donetsk Oblast Military Administration head Vadym Filashkin said.
25 August, 04:30 PM 2
Russian war

Another Russian refinery offline /
Drones force Novoshakhtinsk plant to stop

The Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov Oblast halted operations after being damaged in a drone attack overnight on Aug. 25, regional Gov. Yuri Slyusar said.
25 August, 04:20 PM 19
Russian war

Code of Independence /
17 charts show how war reshaped Ukraine’s economy

How have Ukraine’s economy and living standards adapted to the realities of war? NV Business presents 17 key charts — from the record defense budget and drone production boom to labor shortages and rising housing prices in Kyiv.
25 August, 04:08 PM 18
Business

A gift from Kyiv /
Costa takes embroidered duck home for granddaughter

European Council President António Costa visited Ukraine on Aug. 23–24. Kyiv hosted a series of ceremonies marking the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, as well as a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.
25 August, 03:46 PM 13
Nation

Fuel pressure mounts /
Iran faces gasoline shortage as imports tighten

Iran is facing a growing fuel shortage as U.S. restrictions limit its access to imports, depleting supplies of a commodity that has previously triggered unrest in the country, Bloomberg reported.
25 August, 02:53 PM 39
Business

Confirmed at Millerovo /
Ukraine hit Russian MiG-29, General Staff reports

Ukrainian forces damaged a Russian MiG-29 fighter jet at the Millerovo airfield and struck several other Russian military targets, Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Aug. 25.
25 August, 02:10 PM 45
Russian war

Black Sea blockade /
Ukraine risks losing 30%–50% of iron ore exports

Alternative routes for shipping Ukrainian iron ore with the sea corridor halted would make the product uncompetitive in China.
25 August, 01:15 PM 38
Business

A $2.2 billion market blow /
Ukrainian strikes send Ozon shares down 27%

Shares of Ozon, Russia’s second-largest online marketplace, which accounts for more than a quarter of the country’s e-commerce market, plunged on the Moscow Exchange after the company reported a series of drone strikes on its warehouses.
25 August, 12:19 PM 68
Business

Independence Day message /
Trump praises Ukraine's resilience and sacrifices

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he received Independence Day greetings from U.S. President Donald Trump. Zelenskyy published the text of the letter on X.
25 August, 12:09 PM 66
Nation

Refinery attack on video /
Fire Point shows strike on Afipsky oil refinery

Fire Point released footage of the strike on the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, showing the moment of the attack on the facility.
25 August, 10:22 AM 137
Russian war

Kyiv opens the vault /
Britain gets first access to Avengers Labs AI intel

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham signed an agreement in Kyiv on Aug. 24 allowing British defense companies to use Avengers Labs, Ukraine’s artificial intelligence laboratory.
25 August, 10:16 AM 92
Nation

Factory-gate pressure builds /
Ukraine inflation hits 42.5% after 3% rise

Producer prices in Ukraine rose 3% in July 2026 from June, the State Statistics Service reported.
25 August, 10:01 AM 72
Business

One of Ozon’s largest /
Satellite image shows warehouse fire damage

Russian media published a satellite image on Aug. 24 showing fire damage at a distribution center operated by Russian marketplace Ozon in the settlement of Tyube near Makhachkala.
24 August, 08:04 PM 231
Nation

An ordinary life /
Moscow links Reutt to deadly Crimea bombing

A Russian court in occupied Sevastopol arrested 32-year-old Russian national Margarita Reutt on Aug. 14. She allegedly confessed to organizing the bombing that killed Ukrainian military defector Robert Shageev, but the confession cannot be independently verified, The Guardian reported on Aug. 23.
24 August, 06:03 PM 396
Nation

After drone attacks /
Putin allows temporary control of vulnerable sites

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has signed a decree allowing critical infrastructure facilities to be placed under temporary management if their owners fail to provide adequate security, Russian propaganda agency Interfax reported on Aug. 24.
24 August, 05:36 PM 225
Nation

Back from Russian captivity /
Ukraine returns 10 troops previously listed missing

Ukraine brought 10 service members back from Russian captivity on Aug. 24 as part of a special phase of a prisoner exchange, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
24 August, 04:10 PM 81
Russian war

Instead of a parade /
Ukraine showcases homegrown military systems

Ukraine showcased unmanned ground systems, aircraft, UAVs and naval drones in Kyiv on Aug. 24 to mark the 35th anniversary of Ukrainian independence.
24 August, 03:57 PM 228
Nation

A command-level accusation /
SBU names Gerasimov suspect in war crimes case

Ukraine’s SBU Security Service and the Prosecutor General’s Office have formally named Army Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff and first deputy defense minister, a suspect in absentia.
24 August, 03:36 PM 142
Nation