Vlada Toporkova

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.

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.

More than a decade after Russian troops stormed Crimea, the question remains: Why do Russians insist Crimea belongs to them? Professor of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Cambridge, Rory Finnin, explains that the answer isn’t just about strategy or borders but a deeply ingrained national myth.

What is the Special Tribunal Ukraine and the Council of Europe just signed, and why could it change international law and bring Vladimir Putin to justice?

As dawn broke over Kyiv on June 17, the city awoke to the aftermath of Russia’s grueling overnight missile and drone strike that killed at least 15 people and injured over 100. This is what the city lived through, told in photos from the ground.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian port workers have operated under constant threat. Every departing vessel carries the risk of being struck, and every container and grain truck moves under the wail of air raid sirens. And yet, grain continues to leave the ports of Odesa.