Amira Barkhush

The term “Human Safari” sounds like a premise from a dystopian fictional novel, but for those living along the Dnipro River, it isn’t the case. It’s the name Ukrainian locals and journalists have given to Russia’s campaign of drone terror, where FPV drones are deployed not for military objectives but to hunt down civilians.

With winter coming, Russia has been increasing its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, leaving cities without essential services like heat, water, or electricity. Despite these harsh challenges, children’s clubs in Ukraine are adapting to the outages, utilizing charging stations and generators.

Studying underground has become the reality for many Ukrainian children living in close proximity to the border with Russia and the frontline. We visited two kindergartens in Zaporizhzhia and Vilniansk, a city in the region, to see how the kids celebrate St. Nicholas Day underground.

Suffocation with plastic bags, breaking fingers, electric shocks to the genitals, and forced self-mutilations of pro-Ukrainian tattoos are only a small part of what Russia imposes on Ukrainian POWs and captured civilians. The Memorial Human Rights Defence Centre released a report uncovering these systematic atrocities.

For over thirty years, Russia has ranked as one of the world’s deadliest places for journalists, long known for targeted murders and suspicious “accidents.” The danger has now moved to the battlefield itself, where Russian forces deliberately kill media workers in Ukraine with drones—acts that constitute war crimes. Here, we cover the latest examples of this systematic campaign.

Olha Kurtmallaieva has been waiting for her husband to return from Russian captivity for over three and a half years. How does she navigate her life, and what gives her the strength to continue fighting?