Isabelle Khurshudyan

Kyiv

Ukraine bureau chief

Education: University of South Carolina

Isabelle Khurshudyan is a foreign correspondent based in Kyiv. A University of South Carolina graduate, she has worked at The Washington Post since 2014, previously as a correspondent in the Moscow bureau and as a sports reporter covering the Washington Capitals.
Latest from Isabelle Khurshudyan

Ukraine has captured more than 200 Russian soldiers in Kursk offensive, videos show

Visuals verified by The Post show more than 240 Russian prisoners, which analysts say appear to include conscripts with minimal fighting experience.

August 25, 2024

U.S. debates support for Ukraine’s surprise offensive into Russia

Caught unaware by Ukraine’s military incursion into Russia, the Biden administration is debating whether to help Kyiv’s forces hold the sliver of territory they now occupy.

August 23, 2024
A Ukrainian serviceman walks Wednesday near damaged buildings in Sudzha, a city in Ukraine-controlled territory in Russia's Kursk region.

The strategy behind Ukraine’s move into Russia

In recent weeks, Ukraine launched a surprise attack into Russia, taking land and capturing Russian prisoners of war. Today, The Post’s Ukraine bureau chief, Isabelle Khurshudyan, explains how Ukraine’s incursion may change the trajectory of the war.

August 22, 2024

Ukrainians cheer push into Russia but fear it comes at the cost of the east

As Moscow’s forces gain ground in Ukraine’s east, some are questioning why Kyiv is devoting so many resources to taking Russian land rather than defending its own.

August 22, 2024
A volunteer with the Ukrainian organization East SOS assists a resident as she flees her home because of Russian advances in Selydove, a town near Pokrovsk, on Thursday.

Ukraine’s offensive derails secret efforts for partial cease-fire with Russia, officials say

The warring countries were set to hold indirect talks in Qatar on an agreement to halt strikes on energy and power infrastructure, according to officials.

August 17, 2024
A transformer of an electrical substation burns after shelling from Ukraine in the town of Shebekino in the Belgorod region of Russia in late 2022.

Ukraine appears to expand Russia incursion, in morale boost for Kyiv

Ukrainian forces have continued to push deeper into Russia, further signaling this operation wasn’t a short raid but rather a potential occupation.

August 10, 2024
Ukrainian service members ride a BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle near the Russian border in the Sumy region of Ukraine on Friday.

Ukraine, powered by Western arms, stuns Russia in cross-border assault

A surprise Ukrainian attack into Russia’s Kursk region appeared to use Western-donated fighting vehicles. The U.S. offered no objections to the operation.

August 8, 2024
This photo released by the acting governor of the Kursk region Alexei Smirnov's Telegram channel shows a house damaged after shelling by the Ukrainian side in the city of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region that borders Ukraine.

Ukraine watches warily as prisoner swap shows Moscow and West can negotiate

After a landmark prisoner deal showed Moscow and Washington can still do business, Kyiv said it would hold President Biden to his promise: ‘Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.’

August 2, 2024
People line up to enter a train to leave Pokrovsk, Ukraine, as Russian forces advance across the front lines Friday in the Donetsk region.

F-16 fighter jets arrive in Ukraine but may not tip advantage against Russia

Ukrainian and Western officials now caution that the aircraft once championed by Kyiv as a game changer are unlikely to make an immediate impact on the battlefield.

July 28, 2024
An F-16 fighter jet at Belgium's Melsbroek air base in May.

Ukraine confronts labor shortage as need for soldiers drains workforce

Ukraine’s urgent need for soldiers to fight Russia’s invasion is eroding the workforce and creating a drag on the economy but also new opportunities for women.

July 23, 2024