Yurii Marchenko

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) disqualified Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych on February 12. The reason was his intention to compete in a special helmet honoring athletes who were killed as a result of Russia’s war.

He left Nigeria for Russia in search of work. Weeks later, he was standing in a frozen trench in eastern Ukraine.

Russia is banned from the Olympics—but its athletes are still competing. Labeled “neutral,” their presence and affiliations raise questions about accountability.

At just 21, Canadian volunteer Cooper came to Ukraine to fight. Wounded but undeterred, he’s already taken part in historic battles—including Kupiansk, where his unit’s strength and Russia’s lies were laid bare.

A Russian drone strike hit a passenger train in eastern Ukraine on January 27. One serviceman turned instinct into action, organizing the evacuation of civilians and saving lives.

“When your loved ones, your homeland, your entire nation are under threat—what do you do? You fight back.” For millions of Ukrainians, that answer has become a daily reality since Russia’s full-scale invasion.