Welcome to Voices of the Fight— a Saturday Q&A series featuring the warriors, innovators, advocates, and volunteers standing under fire for free people.
My name is Nikolaus Muchitsch, and I’m one of the co-founders and the Chief of Staff and Strategy at UFN. We’re a Ukraine-based news and information outlet working to help people in the West understand Ukraine, and people in Ukraine understand how best to enlist the West in the cause of true victory.
For many people, Ukraine is still a black box. They might see a headline about another attack or another meeting that brought us no closer to peace. But they rarely get a clear explanation of what is happening here or why it concerns them.
Whether Ukraine wins has direct consequences for Europe’s security. It matters to Americans, too. Having an ocean between you and Europe doesn’t make instability among your largest trading partners and closest allies irrelevant to your own future.
Part of our mission is to explain those consequences. Another part is to show what Western countries can learn here in Ukraine.
I know how
frustratingpolitical systems can be when you want something to happen quickly.
I always caution against assuming that everything happening on the battlefields in Ukraine will automatically carry over into every future war. But the speed of technological development, the use of drones, and the relationship between soldiers and engineers deserve far more attention in Western capitals.
Feedback travels from the front to the people developing equipment, changes are made, and the results are tested again. That process can move at a speed that much of the Western defense industry simply isn’t accustomed to. Understanding how it works is part of understanding how we will defend ourselves.
We also want readers to meet the people behind all of this: their culture, their lives, and the sacrifices they make to preserve their country and its place among free nations.
We publish this newsletter every day at 9:05am NYC time / 4:05pm Kyiv.Your subscription fuels our work.
My own route here was fairly indirect. I studied business management, lived in the UK and the Netherlands, then returned to Vienna, where I worked in lobbying and then consulting. I’m also involved in Austrian politics as a district councillor in my home city of Vienna, which is why I split my time between Ukraine and Austria, traveling back and forth.
My career gave me experience of both political decision-making and Europe’s industrial base. I know how frustrating political systems can be when you want something to happen quickly. Working in automotive consulting also gave me an appreciation of the technical and organizational problems behind the European industrial system, a story that people often discuss only in headlines when another factory closes.
I had been volunteering in Lviv since 2023, usually for a week at a time. At the beginning of summer 2025, I decided to go to Ukraine for a month. My initial idea was to get closer to the front and do something practical, perhaps driving trucks.
Once I was there, it became clear that my experience in consulting and politics was where I could contribute most. I could help explain Western decisions to Ukrainians and explain Ukrainian realities to Western audiences.
I had been looking for more meaningful work. Helping Ukraine survive, and helping Europe and the West secure its own future, gave me a very clear answer.
Eventually, I went out onto the balcony. First, I started crying. Then I started laughing.
When I first went to Kyiv at the beginning of summer 2025, my previous experience of Ukraine had mostly been in Lviv. I hadn’t experienced attacks on the scale Kyiv was facing.
Russian Shahed drones were coming almost every night. I remember sitting on the train, getting increasingly nervous as we approached the city.
An air raid alert sounded just as I arrived. I walked out of the station and, for the first time in my life, saw air defenses firing tracer rounds into the sky.
My immediate thought was: What have I gotten myself into?
Meanwhile, the cafés outside the station were open. People were walking around, going about their business. I was standing in the middle of it all, freaking out, while everyone else seemed to have somewhere to be.
I took a taxi to my hotel on the Maidan. At reception, I asked where the shelter was. They told me, but I ended up going to my room instead, where I paced up and down, wondering how I was supposed to sleep with all that firing outside.
A few weeks later, I was staying in an apartment when I experienced the heaviest attack I had been through up to that point.
I spent the night in the bathroom. I could hear the infamous “moped” sound of the Shaheds circling above me, and then I heard what I understood to be cruise missiles hitting nearby. For the first time in my life, I was genuinely praying not to die. It was an intense experience, to say the least, and I remember thinking: This is insane. How can people live like this?
What I remember most clearly, though, is waiting for sunrise. At that time, the attacks I had experienced mostly came at night, as the Russians were using the cover of darkness to make the work harder for Ukrainian air defense crews. So I was waiting for the sky to brighten and the noise to stop.
Eventually, I went out onto the balcony. First, I started crying. Then I started laughing.
And I thought: You didn’t get me this time, you bastards.
That feeling has stayed with me throughout my time here: You didn’t get me, and you’re not going to get this country either.
Believing in what I’m doing, and being around people who believe in it just as strongly.
There is a lot of pressure. In addition to my work at UFN, I also serve as a district councillor in Vienna, so I have to divide my time roughly equally between Austria and Ukraine. My constituents deserve my attention and proper representation, too.
That means a lot of trains, buses, and cars. Travel takes time, and attacks on transport infrastructure add another layer of uncertainty.
Through UFN, I’ve met Ukrainians working every day to save their country and people from around the world who have chosen to help them.
There’s also the pressure of knowing that every day this continues is another day we haven’t won. I want Ukraine to win because I believe in defending this country and the West, but also because people here deserve an end to the suffering they live with every day.
What keeps me focused is having a cause I actually believe in. I know what it’s like to look for meaning in your work. People have bills to pay, families to support, and obligations that limit their choices. You can’t simply tell everyone to quit their job and follow a calling.
But finding something you care about beyond the next paycheck changes how you deal with pressure. For me, believing that this cause is right makes the difficult days easier to get through.
The people around me matter enormously. I recently spoke with a member of our team who is a veteran of both the U.S. Army Special Forces and the war in Ukraine. We talked about how much it means to look someone in the eye and know they are as committed to seeing this through as you are.
Through UFN, I’ve met Ukrainians working every day to save their country and people from around the world who have chosen to help them. Having those people in my life makes an enormous difference. When I’m exhausted or frustrated, I know I’m working alongside people who haven’t given up either.
4 | How can people support your work?
The easiest place to start is by reading and sharing our work. Follow our channels (Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube), subscribe to our Substack, and help us reach people who might otherwise hear very little about Ukraine.
Our small team works every day to explain what is happening here and how it connects to decisions in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere.
We also cover Russian efforts to influence Western opinion. Readers need to understand how those efforts work and what they can do to challenge them. That’s part of supporting Ukraine, too.
If you can afford a paid subscription, it’s $10 a month. That supports the work we put into the publication. You can also
But please don’t underestimate the value of continuing to talk about Ukraine.
A friend from the United States recently told me how frustrating it was that people barely discussed the war anymore. To some extent, I understand why. People have mortgages, rising bills, and problems of their own. They can’t spend every waking hour thinking about Ukraine.
But the outcome here will affect the world they and their children live in. If we want to leave them a safe and prosperous West, and make sure that our countries are capable of defending themselves, Ukraine has to remain part of that conversation. It is an integral part of us now.
Read, share, donate if you can, and keep talking about it.
5 | Where can people follow you?
My main personal platforms are Instagram and X. On X, I write about politics, including some fairly provocative takes on developments in Ukraine and the West.
I also co-host a YouTube channel with Ferdinand Vogel, a German conservative who is a regular contributor to UFN.
For our reporting, interviews, and analysis, make sure you follow all UFN channels on Substack, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
You can follow my personal accounts, our organizational channels, or both. Between them, you’ll find my experiences in Ukraine, our team’s reporting, and plenty of discussion about the political decisions shaping our future.
*JP Lindsley, an American journalist based in Ukraine, is co-founder and editor-in-chief of UnderFire.News. *
Your subscription fuels our work.
What else we’re watching today:
**Ukraine Dispute Exposes Years of U.S. Requests Over Starlink Coverage—**Both the Biden and Trump administrationsrepeatedly asked SpaceX to activate or restrict Starlink servicesin conflict zones before this month’s restrictions on Ukraine’s military connectivity, according to six former senior U.S. officials. Biden officials sought service cuts to prevent Iranian proxy groups in Yemen and Lebanon from communicating, while pressing for expanded access for Ukrainian forces after Russia’s 2022 invasion. They also requested activation in Iran during the protests following Mahsa Amini’s death, helping move terminals into the country. Trump officials subsequently discussed supplying and activating terminals in Iran after U.S.-Israeli strikes in 2025 and 2026, hoping to support communications among anti-government protesters. Neither SpaceX nor the Trump administration has publicly confirmed that those terminals were activated.**Ukraine Expands Kairos Unit as Deep Strikes Pressure Russia—**Ukraine’s secretive Kairos unit hasgrown from a drone battalion into the Unmanned Systems Forces’ 7th Separate Center, a command with hundreds of personnel and authority to oversee other units, as Kyiv expands attacks on Russian military and economic infrastructure. Its commander, known as “Ray,” describes a progression from early drones reaching roughly 100 kilometers to inexpensive cruise missiles capable of striking deep inside Russia. Ukrainian manufacturing advances have enabled that expansion, supported by satellite imagery, intelligence networks, and energy industry specialists. Kairos participated in September’s strike on a refinery near Moscow, while Ray says his unit pioneered a campaign that hit 60 ships in the Sea of Azov within a month. He also cites 7,000 Unmanned Systems Forces strikes during the summer campaign to isolate occupied Crimea. Operations over occupied Ukraine remain vulnerable to satellite restrictions: Ray says aircraft fell from the sky when Starlink speed limits took effect. Overnight testing on October 24 reportedly found those limits lifted.**Ukraine and Russia Agree to Local Ceasefire for Oleshky Evacuations—**Ukraine and Russia haveagreed to a temporary ceasefire in Russian-occupied Oleshky, intended to let humanitarian aid enter and civilians evacuate through designated corridors. Both sides said the pause would begin October 27, following an earlier White House announcement naming October 29. The agreement was brokered through Melania Trump, while Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia also credited Pope Leo’s involvement. Oleshky, occupied since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, faces a deepening food crisis, with remaining elderly residents urgently needing medicine, clean water, and medical care. Technical preparations include clearing mines from evacuation routes and arranging transport. Separately, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian, Russian, and American negotiators had agreed to technical-level talks in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi.**Executives Quit $25 Billion Alaska Gas Venture Over Alleged Russian Control—**Almost the entire leadership ofPolar Train LNG’s $25 billion Alaska gas project resignedafter former CEO Joel Riddle alleged that Russia’s Novatek was financing and directing the venture before necessary U.S. sanctions approvals had been obtained. The project would repurpose a partially constructed Novatek terminal for Alaska’s North Slope, supporting American gas exports to Asia. It launched with involvement from Gentry Beach, an investor linked to Trump’s family, although Riddle says he later discovered Beach had neither invested nor held a formal company role. Messages show a senior Novatek executive discussing financing and accelerating transfers to Polar LNG, while legal advice flagged potential sanctions concerns. People familiar with U.S.-Russian negotiations say Novatek’s expertise was being discussed in exchange for sanctions relief for Arctic LNG 2. Novatek denies that linkage. Polar LNG says it complies with U.S. law and disputes Riddle’s account of his departure while the White House says discussions were only broad and preliminary.**U.S. Warns Iranian Plots Against Americans Have Reached Advanced Stages—**U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran hasadvanced plans to attack Americans, prompting Washington to reduce diplomatic staffing across the Middle East and order nonessential personnel and families out of Saudi Arabia. An October 23 memo from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Iranian efforts to target U.S. citizens had intensified substantially. Officials described the threat as the highest since the war began in February, with potential targets extending to Europe and intelligence suggesting possible Iranian operatives inside the United States. Another official cautioned that Tehran’s overseas capabilities remain more limited than its ambitions. Almost all U.S. missions in the Middle East now operate under restricted status, allowing staffing adjustments without public announcemen…
