Mykyta Shandyba

The power radiating from a person’s gaze can’t be replicated. Just five photos, ten eyes, and the boundless energy they hold. Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SOF)—whose work remains largely unseen—shape outcomes far greater than most realize, in a nation fighting for its survival.

Kyiv will host the Fifth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen on September 10-11. Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska will unite global leaders, Nobel laureates, and teachers from around the world to explore how education can transform societies—even amid war.

David Chichkan’s family, friends, and comrades gathered to honor the artist, who lived his art and remained committed to his principles of freedom and equality until the very end.

Before you can train to become one of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, you have to survive “Selection.” It’s not a course. It’s not preparation. It’s a brutal test of endurance, resolve, and mental toughness—designed to break most and reveal the few who can operate where others can’t.

Help doesn’t always begin with a slogan. Sometimes, it starts with a quiet question: “How are you today?” At Gen.Camp, a therapeutic retreat for Ukrainian children affected by Russia’s war, the response is often silence—shoulders hunched, eyes lowered. From that silence, the healing begins.

Strapped in tight and flying low, Ukraine’s army aviators cut through smoke and rotor wash to deliver the full force of their firepower during their daring combat missions. These rare photos take you inside their world—on the ground and in the sky—and reveal why they keep doing their job.