Josh Olley

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it shook the world. For many Americans, it was another headline — something happening “over there.” But for some of the US veterans and volunteers, it was a call to action. They packed bags, bought one-way tickets, and entered a war that wasn’t theirs, at least not by birth. For them, it became a matter of principle.

“Pavlo, can you hear me? Don’t touch your face.” In a Lviv hospital, a doctor reassures his patient just moments after surgery. Pavlo lies on a gurney, barely awake from anesthesia, instinctively reaching to feel what he now looks like. His procedure was one of 26 performed this week by US and Ukrainian surgeons as part of the “Face to Face” medical mission.

When Ukrainian restorers found a centuries-old sculpture of Jesus wrapped in a massive canvas and hidden in a war-damaged church, they didn’t just uncover a relic, but a legacy of resistance. Just as someone once hid it from the Soviets, Ukrainians today are racing to protect their heritage from Russian bombs in the very same spirit.

Meet the drones and their operators—pairs forged in war, bonded by survival. In Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion, these robots have become more than weapons. They’re comrades, partners in arms, serving side by side with the soldiers.

As a teenager, he joined the famed French Foreign Legion. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he became a volunteer, fighting on some of the hottest fronts of the war. Legionnaire, boxer, and sniper of the 3rd Assault Brigade—callsign “Hepa”—by the age of 24, he had lived a lifetime’s worth of experiences.

In the dead of night, as families slept, a Russian missile tore through Kyiv’s sky—and then their homes. On April 24, 2025, Ukraine’s capital suffered its deadliest missile and drone attack since the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Russia killed at least 12 people and injured 90 more, including children and a pregnant woman.