Yurii Marchenko

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.

Deep in a dugout near Ukraine’s front lines, a soldier sits with a book. It is not a tactical manual or a thriller, but Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations . His call sign is Stoic, and he lives by this philosophy.

The Vernadsky Research Base is Ukraine’s polar research station in Antarctica. But when Russia launched its full-scale invasion, even this icy frontier wasn’t untouched. Thirty-one polar scientists joined Ukraine’s Armed Forces. They’re now known, unofficially but proudly, as the Military Penguins. This is their story.