Julia Kochetova

A photo essay follows the Khyzhak brigade, a Ukrainian mobile firing unit made up largely of police officers, along the H20 highway between Kramatorsk and Kostyantynivka in Donetsk. The unit protects troop movements and armoured vehicles by shooting down Russian drones, while soldiers contend with constant surveillance, artillery, destroyed vehicles, casualties and worsening infrastructure. Personal accounts from fighters Dzhango and Young reveal the psychological and physical costs of combat, separation from family and the loss of comrades. The landscape includes abandoned bodies, burned vehicles, drone debris and a church that later burns down, underscoring the devastation of the frontline.

Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv have intensified, giving residents as little as 30 seconds to reach shelters and killing at least 16 people in one recent barrage. Ukraine has exhausted its US-made Patriot interceptors for ballistic threats, leaving the capital increasingly vulnerable. Residents fear worsening psychological pressure, power and heating cuts, and possible water and sanitation problems during winter. Russian strikes have also destroyed warehouses and businesses, including Rozetka’s $70m distribution hub near Brovary, while Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil and logistics facilities have prompted reciprocal strikes. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko says the attacks are intended to drive residents into depression, while officials and business owners warn of growing humanitarian and economic consequences.

Kyiv’s National Opera premiered excerpts from Mothers of Kherson, an opera about Ukrainian children deported or forcibly transferred to Russia, before an audience that included Ukraine’s first lady, senior officials and families directly affected by the abductions. The performance drew tears, a standing ovation and strong emotional reactions. The work, created by composer Maxim Kolomiiets, librettist George Brant and producer Sasha Andrusyk with support from Save Ukraine, combines fictional characters with accounts from children and parents who experienced deportation. Ukrainian authorities estimate that more than 20,000 children have been affected, while many remain untraced or unable to return. Commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera, the opera will be staged in Warsaw and New York, extending Ukraine’s cultural diplomacy and efforts to maintain international attention on the issue.

Residents in Kyiv’s Vynohradar and UNIT.City districts clear rubble, salvage belongings and repair shattered homes after a major Russian missile and drone assault. Ukrainian officials said 73 missiles and 656 drones were launched nationwide, killing at least 12 people in Dnipro and six in Kyiv and injuring 131 others. The attack was the third major assault on Kyiv in less than a month, exposing the city’s vulnerability to missiles despite defences that intercept most drones. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for more air-defence systems, while the report notes that Russia’s intensified campaign coincides with Ukraine’s shortage of US-made systems and stalled peace talks.

A Russian missile and drone assault on Kyiv killed two people, injured 90 and severely damaged several cultural sites. The National Chornobyl Museum lost much of its exhibition space and about 40% of the artefacts on display, while the National Art Museum of Ukraine suffered extensive damage to its historic building but preserved its collection. The Mala Opera also sustained damage yet planned to continue its performances, reflecting the determination of Kyiv’s cultural institutions to remain active despite the wider destruction of Ukrainian heritage.

The Chornobyl nuclear site remains dangerously vulnerable four decades after the 1986 disaster. A Russian Geran-2 drone struck the New Safe Confinement shelter in February 2025, creating a large breach, damaging its containment and humidity-control systems, and causing a fire that took weeks to extinguish. The aging sarcophagus beneath the shelter still contains vast quantities of nuclear fuel and radioactive dust, and experts warn that its collapse could release radioactive particles. Repairs costing up to €500m are needed within four years, but Ukraine has not secured the funding, while radiation limits make the work hazardous and technically difficult. The plant has also endured Russian occupation, grid blackouts, and continuing risks from nearby drone and missile activity.

Ukrainian soldiers are increasingly seeking treatment for addictions linked to untreated PTSD, anxiety and the psychological strain of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Clinicians at a Kyiv rehabilitation centre say drugs and alcohol are often used away from the front to suppress traumatic memories, while military authorities do not track the scale of the problem and manpower shortages sometimes push patients back into service before recovery. Although commanders’ attitudes toward treatment are improving, stigma and limited capacity remain significant obstacles, with experts warning that addiction and severe PTSD will persist long after the war ends.

Ukrainian war veterans Artem Khrebet and Mykhailo Drobotenko competed in what organisers described as the world’s first competitive boxing bout between double amputees fighting on prosthetic legs. Khrebet won after three two-minute rounds in Brovary, near Kyiv, following an evacuation caused by a Russian air-raid alert. Both fighters said adaptive boxing provided therapy, confidence and purpose while rejecting pity. Coaches and former heavyweight champion Scott Welch argued that boxing could support Ukraine’s large and growing population of wounded veterans, with officials and international organisations estimating that more than 100,000 people have lost limbs since Russia’s full-scale invasion. Drobotenko immediately called for a rematch.

Kyiv Zoo is using generators, wood-burning stoves, solar panels and round-the-clock staff to keep vulnerable animals warm amid prolonged blackouts, freezing temperatures and Russian attacks on Kyiv. Toni, Ukraine’s only gorilla, requires an enclosure maintained at about 17C, while zoo buildings have suffered blast damage and lost much of their glass. Staff have treated injured animals, adapted food preparation during power cuts and continued serving visitors, supported by donated food from European zoos and public donations. Despite the strain, the zoo remains operational and attracts evacuees, soldiers and local families.

Kyiv Zoo is using wood-burning stoves to keep its animals warm during a severe winter and prolonged electricity shortages caused by attacks on energy facilities supplying the city. Director Kyrylo Trantin said the zoo prepared in advance by studying how zoos in Berlin and Soviet Leningrad coped during the Second World War, when many animals died.

Russian strikes on Kyiv’s energy infrastructure have left about 2,600 buildings without reliable electricity or heating during an exceptionally cold winter. Residents are relying on warming shelters, generators, gas burners, improvised insulation and cafés, while schools have closed and at least 10 people have died from hypothermia, with 1,469 hospitalised. DTEK says 80% of its power-generation capacity has been destroyed and calls for more air defences, ammunition and an energy ceasefire. Families face worsening isolation and the prospect of leaving Ukraine, although many remain determined to stay.