Josh Olley

Ukraine’s 28th Brigade has been among the many on the forefront of the defense of Kostiantynivka, a key stronghold that Russia has been attempting to capture for months. First defending Chasiv Yar, the brigade had to relocate closer to the city. We spent a day with a crew manning a US-made M109 artillery gun—between massive blasts and the constant threat of Russian FPVs. 

A woman sobs as rescuers pull her son from the rubble. A child’s toy lies waterlogged in the mud. Firefighters carry away dead bodies, while plumes of smoke rise over Kyiv’s skyline. This is what remains when Russia targets civilians.

“Russia has come to our land and is killing us. What more motivation do you need?” Zoits, a drone operator, speaks with the calm precision of someone who has destroyed a Russian tank, standing tall despite her petite frame. Once civilians with careers in sports, marketing, and sales, more Ukrainian women are now picking up military uniforms as Russia’s full-scale invasion rages on into its fourth year.

In 2025, battlefield evacuation in Ukraine means dodging Russian drones, mines, and shellfire. For the medics of “Snake”—a special unit of Ukraine’s International Legion—it’s simply another day on the job.

As Russia closes in on Ukraine’s frontline city of Kostiantynivka, a key gateway to Kramatorsk, we witnessed firsthand how Russian troops are methodically razing it, preparing the ground for their next urban battlefield.

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.