On a sunny but chilly Monday, after class had already started in Kyiv schools, scores of grim-faced teens filled a crematorium hall at Kyiv's main cemetery instead. They had come to say goodbye to their friend and classmate Danylo Khudia, a 17-year-old whose coffin stood next to those of his
In the battered southern city of Kherson, where Russian drone strikes and artillery target civilians daily, residents cling to traditions for both a semblance of normality and as an act of defiance. This year, just like every year before the start of the full-scale war, Kherson locals baked Easter bread,
Editor’s note: This story contains graphic images. War leaves behind more than ruins and destroyed cities — it carves an invisible mark in the form of the missing and the dead. One of the most painful and challenging aspects of war is the fate of fallen soldiers, whose bodies remain
The average person now spends more than 60% of their time at home — a space that has, especially in recent times, evolved into a place where people build relationships, advance their careers, pursue education, and celebrate milestones. For Ukrainians, the meaning of home has been profoundly reshaped by Russia’s
War has long been framed as the domain of men, reinforced by language, imagery, and tradition. But after Russia invaded Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in 2014, Ukrainian women took up arms, proving that in the fight for national sovereignty, it is not gender but loyalty to one’s
In a small town in Kyiv Oblast, 10th grader Alina Marynenko just beat her entire class to be the most accurate shooter on an AK-47 simulator. "Fourteen out of fifteen! I set a record! We beat the boys!" Marynenko yells out to her class. Marynenko and her classmates fired the
When Oleg Petrasiuk began taking photos in 2009, photography was only meant to be a side gig to earn some money while in college. Eventually, it became his life’s work. After Russia launched its all-out war against Ukraine, Petrasiuk was drafted to serve in Ukraine’s Armed Forces. He
The year 2024 was brutal for Ukraine. Last winter saw the fall of Avdiivka when, after several months of brutal fighting, the Russian army captured the city leveled to the ground. Ukraine struggled to hold the front line with limited resources as political infighting in the U.S. Congress had
One thousand days ago, at 4 a.m. Kyiv time, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the deadliest military conflict in Europe since World War II. For 1,000 days, Ukraine has been defending against the Russian military, well-equipped and superior in numbers of weapons and people deployed. Each
Since June 2024, the 78th Air Assault Regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, together with other units, has been stationed in the Chornobyl exclusion zone, north of Kyiv. The regiment has been part of the latest group of forces Ukraine transferred closer to the border with Belarus, following ongoing threats
Ukrainian athletes have won 82 medals at the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in Paris, securing seventh place in the medal score, as the competition wrapped up on Sept. 8. Ukraine’s medal count includes 22 gold, 28 silver, and 31 bronze medals. China topped the list this year with 220
The Ukrainian Fashion Week returned to Kyiv for its 55th season from Sept. 1-4 for the first time since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Over the past two and a half years, Ukrainian designers put out showcases in cities like London, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, Lisbon, and Berlin
As the summer is coming to an end, Kyiv residents are trying to enjoy glimpses of normalcy amid the never-ending threats of Russian missile and drone attacks and the blackouts, which often follow large-scale strikes that target critical infrastructure across Ukraine. On Ukraine's 33rd Independence Day, celebrated on Aug. 24,
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Kyiv announced a general mobilization, thousands of Ukrainians have been called up to defend their homeland. In Ukraine, conscription is mandatory only for men. Despite that, more than 45,000 women have voluntarily joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Since February, Russian forces have steadily advanced across multiple sectors of the front in Donetsk Oblast. They have occupied villages previously liberated by Ukraine, wiped out entire towns, and introduced new threats to the region's overall defense. Alongside Chasiv Yar, Niu York, and other towns, Russia aims to capture Toretsk,
Editor's note: Some of the following images are graphic in nature and might be disturbing. For Kyiv residents, Monday morning started with loud explosions throughout the city. Russia launched a large-scale missile attack targeting the capital as well as cities in Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk oblasts on the morning of July
In stark contrast to the grim reality of air raid sirens and blackouts amid Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainians gathered to celebrate one of the most magical and ancient rituals of their ancestors that dates back to pagan times. Ivana Kupala falls on June 24, during the summer solstice, on the
In the midst of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the resilience of the Ukrainian people shines in the photographer Brett Lloyd's photo essay, "Ukraine Today." Commissioned by Vogue Ukraine, this series captures the vibrancy of life persisting amid war, offering an intimate look into the lives of Ukrainians. “'Ukraine
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, volunteers from around the world have come to Ukraine to support the country’s struggle. They have not only joined the foreign battalions to fight on the front line but have also helped various volunteer initiatives: from weaving camouflage nets for the
Sasha Maslov is a Ukrainian-American photographer who divides his time between Kyiv and New York. At the start of the full-scale invasion, he returned to Kyiv to document the war. His work, which has been showcased in galleries and art spaces across Europe and the United States, includes regular contributions
KHERSON OBLAST - When Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka Dam on June 6, 2023, they changed the landscape of southern Ukraine permanently. The breach unleashed nearly 20 cubic kilometers of water from the Kakhovka reservoir, a massive body of freshwater spanning three oblasts. Water levels in several cities in
Since the summer of 2023, local Ukrainian authorities announced the mandatory evacuation of families with children from multiple front-line areas due to the intensification of hostilities. The orders apply to several districts in Kharkiv Oblast, which borders Russia and has been heavily bombarded throughout the full-scale invasion, and the entirety
Editor's note: This article features graphic photos. Russian forces destroyed one of Ukraine's largest printing presses amid a mass missile attack on the city of Kharkiv on the morning of May 23. According to regional authorities, Russia used S-300 missiles, fired from inside Russian territory, to strike the factory belonging
The defense of the Azovstal steel plant, Ukraine's last stronghold during the Russian siege of Mariupol in the spring of 2022, remains one of the most heroic operations carried out by the Ukrainian soldiers to date. The plant was under constant Russian bombardment for nearly two months, and those stuck
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. While hiding from almost non-stop Russian bombardment in the dark and cold bunkers of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Dmytro Kozatskyi took his most famous and arguably most valuable photographs. He showed the world what it was
Every year on the third Thursday of May, Ukrainians celebrate Vyshyvanka Day. Vyshyvanka is the Ukrainian word for an embroidered shirt or dress – a central piece to traditional Ukrainian clothing. Vyshyvanka is traditionally made from linen and embroidered with various symbols unique to each region of Ukraine. Throughout history, Ukrainians
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
CHASIV YAR, DONETSK OBLAST – In the small town of Chasiv Yar, just several kilometers away from the eastern front of Russia's war in Ukraine, a rare house has remained intact. Most of the residents have fled to safer areas. Vitalii, 74, has lived in Chasiv Yar his whole life. He
Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have been killed by Russia’s war since 2022, leaving behind partners with shattered dreams of a shared future. As the full-scale Russian invasion nears its two-year mark, the number of fresh graves at cemeteries across Ukraine continues to grow, as does the number of those
"Fury" is a photo project that highlights 12 contemporary legends of the Ukrainian military. All the photos are featured in a calendar, with each soldier symbolizing a month of resilience and bravery in 2024. The project involves both veterans and those still in service. Initiated by the 1991 Fund, the
Despite the freezing temperature hundreds of Ukrainians gathered in central Kyiv on Jan. 11 to pay tribute to fallen Ukrainian serviceman and poet Maksym Kryvtsov. Going by the callsign "Dali," Kryvtsov was killed in combat at the age of 33, defending Ukraine against Russia's unprovoked aggression. He was a prominent
(Updated: )
