Life doesn’t pause for war — not entirely. Even as missiles and drones target Ukrainian cities and front lines shift, people find ways to carry on. For those not holding a weapon, survival means more than staying alive. It also means showing up to work, gathering with friends, keeping routines stitched together with fragile hope. In Ukraine, it also means going out to protest against the government — because even amid the chaos of war, there are moments when silence feels more dangerous than sp

Editor’s Note: Soldiers and military medics are introduced by first names and callsigns only due to security reasons. DONETSK OBLAST – A sunflowers-painted bus drives fast toward Dnipro, clearing the way with sirens. From the front line to the rear, from death to life, it carries wounded Ukrainian soldiers, and its mission is to get them to hospitals alive. The Hospitallers volunteer medical battalion operates the bus. Its name is "Avstriika" (“Austrian” in Ukrainian) in memory of a fallen mil

KHARKIV – In the face of relentless Russian attacks, prolonged blackouts, and a looming threat of a new major offensive, against all odds, life in Kharkiv continues to endure. Located just 30 kilometers from the Russian border, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has been under some of the heaviest and most frequent attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Due to the recent Russian bombardment of the energy system, the city is now struggling with rolling blackouts. And a