“1,000-for-1,000” prisoner swap: Who Ukraine brought home from Russian captivity
On May 25, another 303 Ukrainian service members were brought home as part of the large-scale "1000 for 1000" prisoner exchange.
Danylo Dubchak
How Ukrainian recruits train to survive the drone war
Recent battlefield statistics highlight the extraordinary impact unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are having on the war in Ukraine. According to Kyiv’s military leadership, in January this year two-thirds of Russian military hardware losses were caused by attack drones. On the Ukrainian side, losses to Russian drone strikes are estimated to be running at a similar ratio.
“Alumni” of the torture chambers – after Russian captivity, men are left to heal themselves
After enduring months of brutal torture, men freed from Russian captivity are forced to continue battling for their survival. Many have returned to a life stripped of homes, money, and the care they should receive from the state. To support themselves and others like them, these former prisoners have come together to form a network called The Alumni. United by the shared trauma of torture and humiliation at the hands of the occupiers, they find solace and understanding in each other’s company. Humor, too, has become a lifeline—hence the ironic name Alumni. Former captives spoke to Frontliner about how they were taken prisoner, survived the horrors of Russian torture chambers, and, after gaining their freedom, now fight for their right to a dignified life.
What has been restored in Kyiv after Russian shelling?
During the full-scale war, the Russian army has regularly launched missile and drone strikes, devastating critical infrastructure and residential areas in Kyiv.
Ukraine is defending: 2024 in photos from Frontliner reporters
Ukraine has been in a full-scale war with Russia for the third year. 2024 was especially difficult and exhausting for the army, society, and economy. Every day, 100-200 combat clashes along the thousand-kilometer front line. Hundreds of drones and missiles are launched at cities and villages in the depths of the country. The advantage of the Russian army in terms of human and weapon resources is reflected in the loss of territories and the exhaustion of people in the Ukrainian military. The situation is becoming critical. But society seems to have gotten used to life in war. Moral and economic fatigue and the uncertainty of the future seem to blind and hide from us the primary and unchanging goal of the Russian Federation - the destruction of Ukraine forever. 2025 may become decisive in this war…
Kyiv Wall of Memory and spontaneous memorialization. How to honor the memory of all the fallen?
Kyiv's Memorial Wall on Mykhailivs'ka Square no longer has room for new photos of fallen soldiers. Before Russia's full-scale war, this memorial contained almost 5,000 portraits. Being doubled in size, it does not have the names of all the defenders who sacrificed their lives. Relatives and friends honor the fallen by adorning the Wall with flowers, lamps, candles, flags, and funeral wreaths. Faded photos, barely recognizable, remain as a poignant reminder of those who fell in battles. Who are the caretakers of this spontaneous memorial? Does it fit in the square’s ambiance? Is one wall capable of holding the memory of all those who died in the battles of the Russian-Ukrainian war?
CBD, cannabis, ketamine, and other methods war trauma treatment
Xenon gas therapy is a recognized medical method worldwide. Ketamine therapy remains under scientific research, but medical cannabis has only recently become legalized in Ukraine. Psilocybin, known as “magic mushrooms,” remains prohibited. All of these substances have demonstrated positive effects in therapy for PTSD treatment.
«I realize that my dad is gone». Children of fallen defenders undergo rehabilitation in the Carpathians.
After a heavy rainstorm, the clouds hugged the tall pines and seemed to descend into the valley. There, between three mountain ranges of the Carpathians, children of deceased soldiers have been undergoing psychological rehabilitation for two weeks. Sixty children from all over Ukraine have come to the I da Vinci camp, supported by the Children […]
Frontline Nikopol Pipe Plant as an overlooked symbol of resilience
Facing constant mortar and artillery fire, employees of one of Europe’s largest seamless pipe manufacturing plants in Nikopol have to travel to and from work regardless. The working day has become longer because of the war and shifts are now extended. However, most of the plant’s workers are holding on to their jobs, not planning […]
Dnipro Mechnikov Hospital, a place where people are brought back to life
❗️SENSITIVE CONTENT❗️ Mechnikov Dnipro Regional Clinical Hospital is the largest medical facility in eastern Ukraine providing surgical and stabilization care. It welcomes critically wounded soldiers from all over the frontline. Since 2022, the hospital has treated 28,000 troops. The wounded are evacuated from Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions [where the toughest battles […]
On the edge of Pisky. Or how displaced families keep going on
The Soniachnyi neighborhood is located on the outskirts of southern Zaporizhzhia, as the modular town of “On the Edge of Pisky” peeks through it. Germany funded this project in 2015 to temporarily accommodate internally displaced persons from the occupied territories and the frontline. Since then, the town’s population has been constantly changing—some people find a […]
Russia Ukraine War / Donbas Frontliner photo diary June 2023
The Russian-Ukrainian war in the photos of our Frontliner reporters. Previous photo diary / Попередній фотощоденник: Russia Ukraine War / Donbas Frontliner photo diary May 2023 Follow us: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Telegram
Steel Warriors Guarding the Border: Training Fighters to Liberate the Occupied Territories
It is noisy in the clearing. “Man down! Medic!” “How you doing, buddy? Can you hear me?” “Cover!” “Contact on the left!” The grenades that explode are drill grenades. The moans of the ‘man down’ are somewhat theatrical and mixed with witty remarks like, “Be quiet—you’re unconscious! Or maybe not, you’d better be conscious!” But […]
Lost lives and millions spent: the cemetery of russian missiles in Kharkiv
Minus a million dollars and minus someone’s life – this is the price of every russian missile that hits Ukraine. Cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, multiple rocket launchers, and artillery shells – these are all the things the russian army has been using to “hit” Kharkiv since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The consequences of […]
«Sirius»: Lessons of Charity. How the Largest Animal Shelter in Ukraine Is Living Through the War
“This is Izyumka, a cat brought from Izyum by Danish journalists after they pulled her out from under the rubble. Her tail had to be amputated because it was torn off, and her pelvis and leg were broken,” says Oleksandra Mezinova, founder of Sirius, an animal shelter in the village of Fedorivka just outside Kyiv, […]