Josh Olley

Russia’s missile strike near a playground in Kryvyi Rih killed nine children. These photos show the devastating aftermath.

The full scale of Russian atrocities in Bucha, known as the Bucha massacre, surfaced only after its liberation on March 31, 2022—bodies in the streets, mass graves, homes reduced to rubble. But this isn’t just a story of devastation. On one street, residents have been reclaiming their town step by step—burying their dead and rebuilding their lives.

This week in Ukraine, Russian airstrikes devastated Odesa and Kherson, killing civilians and destroying homes. Along the eastern front, Ukrainian forces held ground in Pokrovsk, Toretsk, and Kupyansk amid heavy fighting. As the war grinds on, soldiers return home as veterans, medics work to stabilize the wounded, and young Ukrainians march through Kyiv — all captured in powerful images.

In Kharkiv, a city battered by relentless Russian attacks, artists, curators, and performers refuse to leave their home. They won’t let the war silence them. Their studios double as bomb shelters, their exhibitions continue even amid blackouts, and their theaters adapt to missile alerts. 

In war, many moments become crossroads—between staying and leaving, fighting and falling, survival and sacrifice. A husband and wife share a final embrace before she evacuates. Former prisoners take up arms to defend Ukraine. A father carries on his sons’ legacy. And in Washington, a meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy signals a shifting diplomatic landscape. These photos capture the resilience, tension, and evolving alliances shaping Ukraine’s fight for survival.