Vlada Toporkova

"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.

Despite relentless Russian aggression, Ukraine’s school year began on schedule on Monday, September 2, with 2 million students returning to classrooms. Since the 2022 invasion, Russia damaged nearly 3,800 schools, with 365 reduced to ruins, reported Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

“F*ck friends, we can’t believe that we’re alive,” wrote Ukrainian photographer Maks Levin ten years ago on his Facebook page. “Today, together with journalists Markiian Lyseiko, Ivan Lubysh-Kirdey, and Heorhii Tykhyi, we broke out of the encirclement in Ilovaisk – we experienced being born again.” 

As the world transitions from the Olympic spectacle to the Paralympic stage, Ukrainian athletes, famed for their Paralympic prowess, are ready to shine once more despite the ongoing Russian aggression unleashed in their homeland.