The hope and horror of 12 hours in wartime Kyiv — in pictures

The hope and horror of 12 hours in wartime Kyiv — in pictures

6 min read

L: People gather in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 30, 2025, to protest against the law destroying the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions. R: The aftermath of the Russian mass attack in a residential neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 31, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)

Culture
6 min read

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 speaking out. The battle for Ukraine’s democracy is waged not only in the trenches, but in holding the government accountable for the decisions it makes during wartime.

On the night of July 30, Ukrainian photographer Serhii Korovayny captured how Ukrainians of all ages gathered in the country’s capital leading up to a vote from the Verkohovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, to call for the reinstatement of the independence of the country’s anti-corruption institutions.

Article image
People gather near the Ivan Franko Theater in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 30, 2025, to protest against the law destroying the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)
Article image
More than 1,000 people protest outside the Ivan Franko Theater demanding the restoration of the anti-corruption institutions' independence in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 30, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)
Article image
Over 1,000 Ukrainians rally outside the Ivan Franko Theater in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 30, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)
Article image
People gather outside the Ivan Franko Theater to protest aganst the law that strips Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies of independence in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 30, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)

By night’s end, as strains of the national anthem drifted through the air outside government buildings, and voices trembled with fierce devotion to the cause for which so many at the front were laying down their lives, those same protestors — who only hours before had stood with unshakable resolve — had to find shelter, tormented by the sounds of yet another massive Russian attack.

The photographs in Korovayny’s series capture not only the collective struggle of Ukrainians, but also the intimate rituals that unfold within it. He invites us into his family’s apartment, where he, his wife, and their dog practice “the quiet skill of making a cramped corridor or bathroom livable for a few hours — creating a pocket of comfort while Russian steel buzzes overhead, killing strangers in your city and threatening to kill you too.”

Article image
Daria Vilkova, the photographer’s partner, hides in the bathroom with their dog Ginny during a Russian mass drone and missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 31, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)

As morning breaks, Korovayny turns his lens to the aftermath of the Russian attack — scenes of wreckage where rescuers sift through twisted debris in search of life, and those spared by cruel fate navigate the shattered remains of what was once home, the weight of survival pressing into the silence that lingers.

And still, the day moves forward. The sun rises over broken windows and sleepless eyes. A tea kettle boils. A door creaks open. Somewhere, someone sweeps glass from a floor they still call home. There is no grand finale to this kind of endurance — only the quiet repetition of choosing to live, even when the world around you becomes increasingly fluent in the language of death.

Russia’s July 31 attack killed at least 16 people in Kyiv.

“All this has become routine,” Korovayny said. “That is what terrifies me most.”

Article image
A large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine, killed at least 16 people, including two children, on July 31, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)
Article image
People wait outside of a residential building as rescue operation continues following a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack that struck residential areas in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 31, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)
Article image
First responders carry out a rescue operation at the site of a Russian strike in a residential neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 31, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)
Article image
Broken windows and destroyed cars at the site of the Russian missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 31, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)
Article image
Police at the site of the Russian missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 31, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)
Article image
At least 16 people were killed and 159 others injured, including 12 children in a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 31, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)
Article image
The aftermath of a large-scale Russian missile and drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 31, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)
Article image
Car cushion cover with U.S. President Donald Trump's face at the site of a Russian missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 31, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)
Article image
People gather at the site of a Russian missile and drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 31, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)
Article image
A dog gets scratches at the scene of a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 31, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)
Article image
The aftermath of the Russian large-scale missile and drone attack on residential neighborhoods in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 31, 2025. (Serhii Korovayny / The Kyiv Independent)

Growing up under missiles — Ukrainian childhoods shaped by war (Photos)
Ukrainian children are growing up in a world entirely reshaped by Russia’s war. Sirens, blackouts, and bomb shelters are nothing extraordinary — but a part of everyday childhood. This photo story follows five families as they raise their children in the shadow of the ongoing invasion. It’s not about the battlefield, but of bedrooms with windows shattered by blasts, morning routines interrupted by air raid alerts, and games played in underground shelters. The war seeps into the smallest moments.
Article image
Avatar
Serhii Korovayny

Serhii Korovayny is an editorial and portrait photographer based in Kyiv, Ukraine. He covers the Russian-Ukrainian war, Russian war crimes in Ukraine, environmental issues, the refugee crisis, and healthcare topics.

Read more