#Kharkiv

Everyone was looking at the Russian-occupied Kherson. Ukraine struck near Kharkiv and pulled off what experts now regard as one of the most well-executed military operations since World War II.

“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.

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.