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.


Roads turned traps /
Russian devices threaten Chasiv Yar supply lines

Russian forces are remotely mining Ukrainian logistics routes near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, Kostyantyn Melnykov, press officer for the King Danylo 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said on Suspilne on May 22.
22 May, 03:53 PM 157
Russian war

Banking through war /
Businesses secured 51,916 loans during martial law

Ukrainian businesses have received 57,223 loans worth a combined UAH 201.4 billion ($4.55 billion) under the state portfolio guarantees program for micro-, small and medium-sized businesses since it began in December 2020, the Finance Ministry reported.
22 May, 02:43 PM 34
Business

Russia’s overload gambit /
Ukraine downed 93% of drones in Russia’s barrage

Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 93% of drones and 72% of missiles Russia launched during its large-scale attack on May 13 and 14, even as Moscow tried to overwhelm Ukraine’s defenses with repeated waves of strikes, Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for the Air Force, said in an interview with Novyny.LIVE on May 22.
22 May, 02:08 PM 66
Russian war

Art beyond war /
Ukrainians bring freedom’s scars to New York

Works by 10 Ukrainian artists are being presented at Modern Freedom, a major international exhibition in New York featuring contemporary artists from Central and Eastern Europe.
22 May, 12:41 PM 161
Life

Baltic airspace alarm /
Estonia summons envoy over Moscow drone claims

Estonia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires ad interim over an ongoing disinformation campaign targeting Estonia and other Baltic states, the ministry said on May 21.
22 May, 12:19 PM 50
Nation

Oil war comes home /
Zelenskyy touts strike on Yaroslavl refinery

Ukrainian Defense Forces used drones overnight on May 22 to strike an oil refinery in the Russian city of Yaroslavl, about 700 kilometers from Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
22 May, 12:00 PM 199
Nation

Trump’s Iran shield /
GOP leaders kill House vote before defeat can land

House Republican leaders canceled a vote on a resolution to limit President Donald Trump’s authority to wage war against Iran, CNN reported on May 21.
22 May, 11:36 AM 150
Nation

No charity case /
Pavel frames support as defense strategy

A “bad peace” for Ukraine would have consequences across Europe for decades, Czech President Petr Pavel said at the opening of the GLOBSEC international security conference in Prague, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on May 21.
21 May, 07:36 PM 166
Nation

Border pushback /
Ukraine drives Russian troops from two settlements

Ukrainian forces have effectively pushed Russian troops back toward Ukraine’s state border in the Velykyi Burluk sector, forcing Russia to lose two settlements over the past month, Joint Forces Grouping spokesman Viktor Trehubov said on national television on May 21.
21 May, 06:46 PM 329
Russian war

War aims shrink /
Budanov sees Moscow lowering victory bar

The Kremlin is being forced to scale back its stated goals in the war against Ukraine after failing to achieve its original objectives, Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov said on May 21, Ukrinform reported.
21 May, 05:57 PM 244
Nation

Nuclear theater /
Moscow turns Belarus drills into NATO warning

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, called joint Russian-Belarusian nuclear drills a “signal to Europe and NATO,” Russian Telegram channels and the Russian state propaganda agency TASS reported on May 21.
21 May, 05:29 PM 96
Nation

Sanctions fight /
Mindich takes Zelenskyy to court over NSDC move

NV examined whether a court could overturn sanctions President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed on businessman Tymur Mindich and how the lawsuit may be connected to the case against former presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak.
21 May, 04:21 PM 107
Nation

War math /
Fedorov details Russia’s rising battlefield toll

Ukraine’s Defense Forces have sharply increased the monthly number of Russian troops killed or seriously wounded, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told journalists at a briefing.
21 May, 04:05 PM 240
Russian war

Air defense goes local /
Companies join fight against Shahed attacks

Private air defense teams in Kharkiv and Odesa oblasts have already destroyed about 20 Russian Shahed drones and reconnaissance drones, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said at a meeting with journalists.
21 May, 03:12 PM 121
Russian war

Putin’s pressure play /
Kremlin trolls target Merz before German votes

The Kremlin has intensified efforts to undermine German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters, as it seeks to boost pro-Russian forces ahead of key regional elections in Germany, Politico reported.
21 May, 02:49 PM 135
Nation

Russia’s gas giant /
Gazprom skips dividends despite trillion-ruble profit

Gazprom’s board of directors has recommended that shareholders approve no dividend payments for 2025, meaning Russia’s state-controlled gas monopoly is unlikely to send dividend revenue to state coffers, Interfax reported.
21 May, 01:45 PM 86
Business

A rare direct appeal /
Rubio urges Cubans to side with Trump pressure

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Cubans in a video address to align with President Donald Trump’s administration and blamed Cuba’s government for the country’s energy, food and economic crises, NYT reported on May 20.
21 May, 12:51 PM 46
Nation

Ballistic shield race /
Zelenskyy touts early gains for missile defenses

Ukraine does not yet have its own air-defense systems capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, but it has taken “strong first steps” in that direction, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with Ukrainian scientists on May 21, Novyny.LIVE reported.
21 May, 12:29 PM 126
Nation

A faster EU track /
Merz backs special status to bring Kyiv closer

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed granting Ukraine special “associate member” status in the EU, with expanded rights and security guarantees before full accession to the European Union, Spiegel reported on May 21.
21 May, 11:25 AM 101
Nation

Moscow’s warning shot /
Russia pressures Yerevan over its European path

Russia called Armenia’s intention to remain in the Eurasian Economic Union while seeking to join the European Union “unacceptable,” Russian outlet Interfax reported.
21 May, 10:45 AM 105
Nation