Yurii Marchenko

“What bad has Russia ever done to Ukraine?” a senior Russian official once asked. The line has since become a meme, yet history answers with centuries of conquest, repression, and betrayal.

On a golf course outside Kyiv, four players move unhurriedly along the fairways, chatting as they go. All of them are Ukrainian veterans who have been through the hell of Russia’s war, lost a limb, and yet today hold a golf club with confidence.

Alina Shukh was a World U20 heptathlon champion with Olympic ambitions. Far from the track, and deep in the fight against Russia’s invasion, today she leads foreign fighters on Ukraine’s frontline.

In the early hours of July 20, Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk defeated Britain’s Daniel Dubois and once again became the undisputed world champion. This is the third time he has held all the major boxing belts—something no one has ever done before. But this is far from the first record set by Ukrainian athletes in boxing.

Ukraine during wartime is a striking example of how an entire society can learn to save lives. Ukrainians have taken first aid courses en masse: from soldiers in the Armed Forces and volunteers to taxi drivers and teachers. Even thousands of kilometers from the front line, that knowledge is already saving lives.

“I drew death and war. And the future—because I’m scared of what’s coming.” Seventeen-year-old Valeriia lived through the Russian occupation and lost her father. Now she’s one of hundreds of children finding a way forward at Gen.Camp, where games and therapy help war-traumatized kids begin to heal.