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Russia-Ukraine War

Valentyn, a 26-year-old platoon commander in the 25th Air Assault Brigade, in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Jan. 23, 2026.
War

Ukrainian infantry fight to survive on the Pokrovsk front as Russia closes in

by Asami Terajima

DONETSK OBLAST — Walking through the mine-infested field under intense Russian drone surveillance was the scariest part of the mission for 22-year-old infantryman Mykola. "If you stop, you die," said Mykola, a small-framed soldier with dark circles under his eyes and a tired stare. "When we were walking to get to the positions, it wasn't hard to walk — it was hard to realize that you may not walk out alive because there were a lot of our dead around." The walk to his positions near the easter

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Inside the Kyiv Independent: See how we survive the Russia-inflicted energy crisis

At 4 p.m. every day, the Kyiv Independent office goes dark. After hours of working without heating, the electricity disappears too. The generator shuts off for thirty minutes to cool down. Laptop screens become the only light in the room. The only sound is the tapping of fingers on keyboards. Cold hands move slowly, stopping every so often as people breathe warm air into them to regain feeling. Outside, temperatures drop to -15 degrees Celsius (4 degrees Fahrenheit). Inside, it doesn't feel mu

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As Ukraine war deaths mount, Kharkiv morgue strains to identify the truth

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Forensic medical expert Inga Gerbst in Kharkiv, Ukraine on Jan. 22, 2026.

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