Life in Ukraine

On January 6, Ukrainians across the country marked Epiphany with a time-honored tradition—plunging into icy waters to renew their faith. Despite ongoing challenges from Russia’s war, the ritual of immersing in frigid rivers, symbolizing the Holy Trinity, remains a powerful expression of Ukraine’s cultural resilience and spiritual renewal.

This year, we documented powerful stories across Ukraine—from frontline realities to personal moments—capturing the ongoing impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the resilience of the Ukrainian people.

“What was once a place of happiness became a site of tragedy,” says Daryna, a Mariupol native. For thousands of Ukrainian families, 2022 was the last time they celebrated winter holidays at home. Soon after, Russia launched its full-scale war, and those homes were occupied or destroyed—sometimes both.

An increasing number of Ukrainian documentaries are embracing a “mosaic” style of storytelling, opting for a self-sufficient narrative that eschews voice-over narration. With an unflinching vision, Kateryna Gornostai’s Timestamp portrays Ukrainian children navigating classrooms amidst the backdrop of Russia’s full-scale war, offering an intimate, hyper-focused account of youth and teachers.

In just a few years, Ukraine has gone from paper queues to a digital revolution—putting everything from driver’s licenses to military IDs in a smartphone. To advance the country’s digital transformation, Ukraine launched the CDTO Campus, a national training project that creates digital leaders who are reengineering government from the inside out.

Studying underground has become the reality for many Ukrainian children living in close proximity to the border with Russia and the frontline. We visited two kindergartens in Zaporizhzhia and Vilniansk, a city in the region, to see how the kids celebrate St. Nicholas Day underground.