Life in Ukraine

A Kyiv penthouse with panoramic windows once embodied success. Now, it’s where people jolt awake to air raid sirens, counting the seconds: will they make it to a shelter, or is it safer to stay in the bathroom? Russia’s relentless bombardment has radically reshaped what Ukrainians call comfortable housing. Here are the main lessons.

A new school year has begun in Ukraine, once again under the shadow of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Despite frequent air raid alerts and the constant threat from Russian attacks, city administrations, schools, and teachers across the country are finding ways to ensure that as many children as possible can continue their education. 

“I felt like I was merging with a rock I was sitting on. I called my mother to say I loved her,” says Oleh Fitkalo, describing his experience during a psychedelic session. For him and other Ukrainian veterans, psychedelic therapy is opening unexpected doors to healing from the invisible wounds of war.

In Denmark—hundreds of kilometers away from Ukraine—little Luka celebrates his 5th birthday. “Make a wish!” his mother says, holding a candle-lit cake. “I wish we were in Ukraine!” Luka answers. Like millions of other Ukrainian children, the boy was forced to flee his home due to Russia’s full-scale war, and now—dreams of returning. 

“What bad has Russia ever done to Ukraine?” a senior Russian official once asked. The line has since become a meme, yet history answers with centuries of conquest, repression, and betrayal.

Ukraine received the remains of 6,057 fallen soldiers in June 2025—the largest return of bodies since the full-scale Russian invasion began. Many arrived without names, just numbers. Behind each one may be a family, still waiting and hoping. Across the country, DNA specialists are racing against time to restore identities.