Vlada Toporkova

What would a tribunal for Vladimir Putin look like? It wouldn’t be just about him. It would be about hundreds of Russian commanders, soldiers, propagandists, and officials who enabled and committed atrocities across Ukraine.

Russia turned the skies over Kyiv into a killing field overnight on May 7, 2025, launching a wave of missiles and suicide drones that killed at least two people—a mother and her son—and injured eight others, including four children, reducing civilian homes to smoking wreckage.

In the fourth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the battlefield is saturated with drones of every shape and purpose. But one type stands out: FPV interceptor drones. These fast, highly maneuverable machines—piloted in real time through video headsets—have become one of Ukraine’s most effective tools for neutralizing Russia’s prized aerial assets, especially the dreaded Lancet loitering munitions.

“How do you fit your entire life in a suitcase?” actress Ismenia Mendes asks, sitting center stage. You might recognize her from Orange Is the New Black , but tonight, she’s not just playing a role—she’s giving voice to someone else’s reality. The New York City’s West End Theatre stage glows red and blue. The performers sit with scripts in hand. This is a Diary of War reading.

Putin is stalling ceasefire talks. Meanwhile, Russia’s history with ceasefires in Ukraine is full of violations.

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.