Vlada Toporkova

In just six years, Ukraine has surged from 102nd to 5th place globally in digital public services—all while enduring relentless Russian attacks. But how did a nation at war transform into a leader of the digital revolution?

“I had a wonderful childhood, a great life, and good friends,” says Dany, a 27-year-old drone pilot, recalling her home city of Luhansk with a wistful smile. When Russia occupied Luhansk in 2014, she was just 16. Today, as Russia bombards Kharkiv and Kyiv—the cities she now calls home—Dany is no longer a child. Today, she serves in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and fights back. “I won’t let them take my home from me twice.”

While Ukrainian chess players fall victim to Russia’s ongoing invasion, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) is on the verge of fully reinstating Russia and Belarus in global chess—a decision that could forever stain the sport’s integrity and hand Moscow a major propaganda victory.

"Some bodies have ropes around their necks, tied hands, broken limbs, and burn wounds,” said Kharkiv region governor Oleh Syniehubov, recounting the horrors of Russian occupation in Izium. On September 15, 2022, Ukraine discovered several mass graves in the woods near the city. One site contained over 400 bodies of civilians and soldiers, tortured and killed by the Russian army.

Russia shows no restraint in its bombing campaign against Ukrainian cities. Just throughout August and September 2024, Ukraine has faced Russian airstrikes every day.

Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova premiered her film Russians at War at the Venice Film Festival, claiming it challenges Western media’s one-sided portrayal of Russian aggression. Trofimova wants to offer a different story, and it happens to be one in which she sees no war crimes committed by Russian soldiers.