Life in Ukraine

Ivan spent years under Russian rule in Luhansk. But the night before he turned 18, he made a decision beyond his years and left everything behind to reach free Ukraine. This is his journey.

On a golf course outside Kyiv, four players move unhurriedly along the fairways, chatting as they go. All of them are Ukrainian veterans who have been through the hell of Russia’s war, lost a limb, and yet today hold a golf club with confidence.

“And now, guys, let’s do this exercise on the other leg,” said the head coach. A second later, dozens of men on the football pitch started laughing. Meet “Nezlamni”—Kharkiv’s first club to play amputee football. Almost all the players are veterans who lost their limbs on the battlefield.

In June 2025, Ukraine passed its first-ever law to legalize multiple citizenships. This move could finally offer foreign fighters like Devon and James Fensom a legal path to stay in the country they risked their lives to defend from the Russian invasion.

Alina Shukh was a World U20 heptathlon champion with Olympic ambitions. Far from the track, and deep in the fight against Russia’s invasion, today she leads foreign fighters on Ukraine’s frontline.

The first thing that catches your eye when you enter Kharkiv’s Northern Saltivka district is the desolation—burned-out buildings, empty courtyards. No wonder: it’s just less than an hour drive from the Russian border, well within range of nearly every weapon in the Kremlin’s arsenal.