Since the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the assault has gone beyond the destruction of Ukrainian towns and villages—it has targeted Ukraine’s future. As of 2025, more than 20,000 Ukrainian children are officially known to have been forcibly taken to the territory of Russia or temporarily occupied Crimea. These were not evacuations.
In 2025, Ukrainian schools operate under the shadow of war, adapting to daily threats. Shelters, underground campuses, and hybrid learning formats have become the new normal. School is no longer just about knowledge — it’s about survival training.
The full-scale war in Ukraine has dramatically reshaped the country’s demographic landscape. Over two and a half years, the population has declined by at least 10 million.
Missiles, drones, and guided bombs have become a daily threat to Ukrainian cities since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Russia systematically targets residential neighborhoods, hospitals, schools, and markets—places with no military value.
Children experience war without filters — through alarms, anxious adults, and random bits of information from screens. The constant stream of news and social media can harm a child’s mental health more deeply than a physical explosion. Frontliner offers practical guidance on how to talk to your child about war, help them cope with fear, and create a sense of safety. In times of crisis, your calm presence and honest words are the most powerful support you can give.
Following exchanges with Russia, Ukraine regularly receives the bodies of fallen soldiers, often by the hundreds. The process of identifying them can take weeks, relying on DNA testing, forensic databases, and biological samples provided by family members.
Russia’s full-scale invasion has inflicted catastrophic damage not only on Ukrainian lives and cities but also on the country’s rich and fragile ecosystems. The destruction of the Donbas forests, the occupation of the Askania-Nova biosphere reserve, and the deliberate explosion of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant have led to the death of thousands of animals and plants.
More and more Ukrainians are returning from the war—veterans, displaced civilians, and those from front-line or formerly occupied areas. They need not only medical, but also psychological support. A careless word or intrusive question can reopen wounds.
What exactly is a Day of Mourning in Ukraine? Who has the authority to declare it, what rules apply, and why does it matter to society? Frontliner explains how both national and local mourning practices work to honor those lost in war.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world. But in 1994, by signing the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine voluntarily gave up all its nuclear weapons—in exchange for security assurances from the United States, the United Kingdom, and, notably, Russia. By 1996, the last warhead had left Ukrainian soil.