Photoreports

Glyadyelov’s new retrospective spans 35 years of Ukraine’s momentous history. But it is in the quiet, lived moments—the exhaled breath of a city under fire—that his photographs truly resonate.

Thousands of Jewish pilgrims journeyed to Uman to pray at the grave of a revered Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav. Their Rosh Hashanah prayers for renewal and peace are intertwined with the ongoing devastation of the war in Ukraine. In the narrow streets and crowded courtyards, the rituals of pilgrimage became both an act of faith and a moment of reflection.

Ukraine’s 28th Brigade has been among the many on the forefront of the defense of Kostiantynivka, a key stronghold that Russia has been attempting to capture for months. First defending Chasiv Yar, the brigade had to relocate closer to the city. We spent a day with a crew manning a US-made M109 artillery gun—between massive blasts and the constant threat of Russian FPVs. 

Ai Weiwei’s new installation, Three Perfectly Proportioned Spheres and Camouflage Uniforms Painted White, opened September 14 in Kyiv’s Pavilion 13. It confronts Russia’s war in Ukraine with stark symbolism and calls for reflection on violence and peace.

For the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has carried out a direct strike on Ukraine’s government quarter, hitting the Cabinet of Ministers building and destroying part of its upper floors.

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.

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.

A group of men draped in blue and yellow flags steps off the bus into a crowd. “Welcome back! Thank you, guys!” echoes from all sides. Moments later, a woman runs in to embrace one of them. This is one of the places Ukraine’s former prisoners of war are brought after exchanges, with more defenders returning from Russian captivity on June 19.

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.

Flames devoured rooftops. Smoke choked entire blocks. As air raid sirens wailed through the night, Kyiv’s firefighters ran toward the destruction that Russia had unleashed, once again.