Photoreports

The seaside festival opened without the sea—in Kyiv instead of Odesa—with a program stretching from choreography to the front line, for a public that needs a breather as much as the truth.

Where vehicles once drove freely, FPV drones now hunt day and night. Accessing the zero line for journalists has become almost impossible, casualty evacuations are perilous, and a new Russian drone unit called Rubicon has made life deadlier than ever.

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.