Olena Blizniakova

As Russia’s full-scale war nears its fourth year, Sweden keeps stepping up to support Ukraine. In an exclusive interview, Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard outlines new aid for 2026 and highlights growing military cooperation—including plans to train Ukrainian pilots on Swedish jets.

“I will say everything as it happened without leaving anything out, unless it's something I have forgotten,” a young African man says while sitting in a room in an undisclosed Ukrainian city. He is a soldier in the Russian army, captured by Ukrainian forces. The POW describes everything that happened to him, from the moment he decided to study in Russia.

“What was once a place of happiness became a site of tragedy,” says Daryna, a Mariupol native. For thousands of Ukrainian families, 2022 was the last time they celebrated winter holidays at home. Soon after, Russia launched its full-scale war, and those homes were occupied or destroyed—sometimes both.

We meet 31-year-old Vitalii Veres in a hospital ward. On the bed opposite, sits his girlfriend. “I always tell her: don’t let go of me or I’ll get lost,” Vitalii jokes. A few days from now, he will have surgery to prepare a fitting for a prosthetic eye. For now—while he has some free time—he’s working on his social media blog.

We enter the hospital room to meet one of the patients. Before we know it, we’re talking to everyone in the room. They’re all soldiers here, injured on the front line. “You can take a photo of me, but I won’t be able to tell you anything. I don’t remember,” says 23-year-old Serhii. The next day, he’ll be among the first called in for surgery, performed by “Face the Future” Medical mission.    

“It’s all good and well when you get people out alive and bring them to safety,” says Ruslana, a Ukrainian combat medic. “But the hardest thing is when you lose someone in your hands.”