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.


Fuel shortage spreads /
Ukrainian drones force 322 Russian stations offline

A total of 322 gas stations in Russia have closed or gone offline for repairs since the start of 2026, up 70% from the same period last year, Enkorr reported, citing Russian media.
5 August, 06:33 PM 0
Business

Deadly strike on a business /
Russian drones kill one, wound eight in Odesa district

A Russian drone strike on a business in Odesa district killed one person and wounded eight, Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Aug. 5.
5 August, 05:10 PM 11
Russian war

Nothing to hide /
Stefanishyna vows to defend herself after NABU notice

A formal notice of suspicion from Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies prompted former Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Olha Stefanishyna to declare that she had nothing to hide on Aug. 5.
5 August, 04:03 PM 43
Nation

A new anti-graft case /
NABU serves Stefanishyna with a fresh suspicion notice

Former Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Olha Stefanishyna was served a new notice of suspicion involving alleged illicit enrichment, the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC) reported on Aug. 5.
5 August, 03:34 PM 55
Nation

Leak brought under control /
Russian strike damages ammonia tank at Kyiv business

An ammonia leak in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district was contained after a large-scale Russian attack, and officials reported no risk of another leak, the State Environmental Inspectorate said on Aug. 5.
5 August, 02:20 PM 31
Russian war

Russia bypassed /
Kazakhstan sends 100,000 tons through Georgian port

The Tengizchevroil consortium, or TCO, which operates Kazakhstan’s largest oil field, Tengiz, plans to ship 100,000 metric tons of oil through the Georgian port of Batumi in August, The Moscow Times reported.
5 August, 02:12 PM 79
Business

Cities under deliberate assault /
Zaluzhnyi urges a global response after 17 killed

Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, urged Ukraine’s partners to act after an overnight Russian attack killed 17 people in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, he wrote on social media on Aug. 5.
5 August, 12:53 PM 71
Nation

A death hidden in records /
Invalid document points to general’s slain son-in-law

One of Daniil Peredrii’s personal documents was declared invalid, supporting reports that the son-in-law of Russian Aerospace Forces chief Gen. Oleksandr Chaiko was killed in the explosion at the Balzi Rossi restaurant in central Moscow, Agentstvo.Novosti reported on Aug. 5.
5 August, 12:14 PM 87
Russian war

A growing Russian target /
Drone strikes damage or destroy 200 gas stations

Russia began deliberately targeting Ukrainian gas stations in October 2025, and by July 2026 it was damaging about 20 a week, an NV infographic shows.
5 August, 11:31 AM 53
Nation

Air defenses fail /
Moscow barrage leaves 17 dead in Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast

Seventeen people were killed and 44 wounded in Russia’s overnight ballistic missile attack on Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Aug. 5.
5 August, 11:24 AM 47
Nation

A cheaper shield /
Fire Point targets first FP7.X intercept in 2027

Ukrainian company Fire Point has assembled 13 industrial partners for Europe’s Freyja missile defense project and entered its most difficult phase — integrating all the components, CEO Iryna Terekh told Reuters on Aug. 4.
4 August, 07:17 PM 386
Nation

A new target /
Ukraine appears to strike supermarket hub in Russia

The Ukrainian military appears to have struck a Russian food distribution center for the first time after previously targeting oil refineries and Wildberries and Ozon logistics hubs, The Moscow Times reported on Aug. 4.
4 August, 06:31 PM 851
Nation

No room for outsiders /
Umerov moves from security council to spy agency

Lawmakers and experts told NV what Rustem Umerov’s appointment could mean for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
4 August, 06:09 PM 120
Nation

A fleeting diplomatic opening /
Trump risks missing chance to help end Ukraine war

U.S. President Donald Trump risks missing an opening to broker an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine as he focuses on Iran, Thomas Graham wrote in The New York Times.
4 August, 05:42 PM 164
Nation

A deadlock Umerov cannot break /
Denysenko: Putin rejects talks to end Ukraine war

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is “wrecking the Russian economy” while refusing to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, and Rustem Umerov’s appointment as head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service will not change the situation, said Vadym Denysenko, a former Ukrainian lawmaker.
4 August, 04:52 PM 77
Nation

A smarter interceptor /
General Cherry adds French AI guidance to Bullet

Ukrainian defense company General Cherry has partnered with French startup Alta Ares to integrate AI-powered guidance into its Bullet anti-Shahed drone.
4 August, 02:55 PM 176
Nation

The squeeze intensifies /
Up to 15,000 Russian companies close every month

Between 12,000 and 15,000 companies have shut down in Russia each month for economic reasons since the start of 2026, roughly three times the monthly total in previous years, Kommersant reported.
4 August, 02:28 PM 441
Business

A logistics pivot /
Wildberries builds warehouse network in Kazakhstan

Russia’s largest online marketplace, Wildberries, is building two warehouse complexes in Kazakhstan covering a combined 260,000 square meters and plans to open them in the first quarter of 2027, The Moscow Times reported.
4 August, 12:42 PM 97
Business

Eighteen blows in 18 days /
Strikes damage up to 22.2% of logistics footprint

Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces struck 18 warehouses belonging to Russian e-commerce marketplace Wildberries over the past 18 days, commander Robert “Magyar” Brovdi said on Telegram.
4 August, 12:23 PM 314
Nation

Russia-linked accounts drained /
FBI unit chief charged over $925,000 crypto theft

An FBI unit chief detailed to the U.S. intelligence community faces two federal counts after allegedly transferring nearly $1 million from cryptocurrency accounts linked to a hostile foreign state into his personal wallet.
4 August, 11:06 AM 100
Nation