#Kherson

This week in Ukraine, Russian airstrikes devastated Odesa and Kherson, killing civilians and destroying homes. Along the eastern front, Ukrainian forces held ground in Pokrovsk, Toretsk, and Kupyansk amid heavy fighting. As the war grinds on, soldiers return home as veterans, medics work to stabilize the wounded, and young Ukrainians march through Kyiv — all captured in powerful images.

Every day across Ukraine, sirens pierce the skies. Someone, somewhere, is in danger—or worse. But who are the men and women working behind the scenes to protect them? When the sirens sound, they don’t run to bomb shelters. Instead, they rush to their posts, ready to defend.

Once a city of 20,000, Kurakhove in the Donetsk region now bears the brunt of relentless Russian attacks. The latest blow? A strike on the Ternivska Dam, sending floodwaters into nearby villages.

“Two girls died,” says Slava, a Kherson local who survived a Russian drone attack, his scarred hands a painful reminder. He glances at the bus stop where we’ve paused, and twitches. “Let’s move,” he says. Bus stops, he knows too well, are prime targets.

The war in Ukraine has devastated not just its people, but also its animals. With animal shelters at capacity, ordinary citizens are helping to share the load.