Alexander Query

Russia’s largest aerial assault in months has plunged Ukraine into renewed terror, targeting civilians with over 120 missiles and 90 drones on November 17. Among the hardest hit is Sumy, Ukraine’s frontline city bracing for a winter of fear, destruction, and survival.

In the Sumy region, where Russian strikes often target schools, some have moved underground to offer children a semblance of normalcy. Hidden in basements, these makeshift classrooms are a quiet defiance of war.

The Russian army’s push for Donbas is not only a matter of symbol in Vladimir Putin’s twisted vision of history; it’s also a matter of resources. Russia’s hold on Donbas would deprive Ukraine of vital resources for its industry. 

Ukraine is learning the hard way; it can’t depend entirely on its Western allies to get enough weapons to repel the Russians and ensure victory, so Ukrainian engineers are racing against the clock to constantly produce new innovative weapon systems. Here’s a quick round-up of the latest war-time inventions.

“Two girls died,” says Slava, a Kherson local who survived a Russian drone attack, his scarred hands a painful reminder. He glances at the bus stop where we’ve paused, and twitches. “Let’s move,” he says. Bus stops, he knows too well, are prime targets.

Russian forces keep using marine mammals in the Black Sea as military weapons against Ukrainian drones. The Soviet-inherited programs are akin to animal cruelty and endanger dolphin species on the brink of extinction. The recent death of Hvaldimir, Russia’s famous beluga whale spy, shows that no animal is safe in Russian hands.