An independent reporting media that covers Russia's crimes in Ukraine
Russian occupiers have been attacking Pokrovsk for over a year – since the summer of 2024, when they launched a major offensive in this direction. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the city’s population has fallen from over 60,000 to barely a thousand (according to the latest data from the Donetsk Regional Administration).
The city falls silent as it greets the funeral procession. Just a few minutes later, as the procession turns a corner, street traffic resumes. The act of remembrance permeates reality, shaping the rhythm of everyday life. How Lviv lives with the war, far from the front – a report by Frontliner.
The maxillofacial surgery ward is crowded. Men in civilian clothes and uniforms cluster by the exam rooms, wearing dark glasses or eye bandages. Among them — Oleksandr, who needs an ocular prosthesis after being wounded. So does Andrii. Ivan’s eye survived, but a fragment damaged the muscle and now he cannot open his eyelid.
Radiation, wild animals, and “Shaheds.” At night near the ghost city of Prypiat, a mobile fire group from the 25th Brigade stands guard under a sky where threats can appear without warning.
At the start of the full-scale invasion, the youngest soldiers were those born in 2003. Now — those born in 2007. Their feats and deaths are felt especially acutely, as recent school photographs have become portraits on graves.
At least 9,000 foreigners are fighting for Russia against Ukraine, according to estimates by the Coordination Headquarters “I Want to Live” project, a Ukrainian government initiative that operates a hotline to encourage Russian soldiers to surrender.
He’s been through constant beating with fists and sticks, made-up war crimes that he was forced to hang on other prisoners, and grueling 16-hour standing in a cell, this is the story of Yurii Sviderskyi, the 23-year-old Azov fighter from Khmelnytskyi. After putting down arms in Mariupol, he was imprisoned for over two years. Yurii watched the whole city burn to the ground, witnessed the Olenivka attack with other Ukrainian soldiers being killed, and saw numerous inhuman interrogations. It’s been six months since Yurii got back to Ukraine. He is still undergoing rehabilitation, as he still struggles with his teeth due to the injuries he received before his release. Frontliner spoke to Yurii in Khmelnytskyi when he came to see his girlfriend Taisiia between rehabilitation sessions. The following text is Yurii’s raw speech.
The "Alcatraz" battalion, operating within the 93rd Mechanized Brigade "Kholodny Yar", is composed of former prisoners who have chosen to enlist in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Each of these men has a unique past, shaped by the criminal charges they once faced. Some served just a few months behind bars, while others spent a significant portion of their lives in prison.
Frontliner reporters Andriy Dubchak and Viktoria Kalimbet have traveled to the Donetsk region to document life in frontline towns and villages. They will visit Ukrainian military positions, speak with locals, and share daily photos and reports from their journey. Follow their diary on the Frontliner website.
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.
During the full-scale war, the Russian army has regularly launched missile and drone strikes, devastating critical infrastructure and residential areas in Kyiv.
The Netherlands city of Leiden is hosting a photo exhibition “Far and Yet So Close” until March 5, which presents the realities of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine.
Velykyi Burluk, a quiet village in the Kharkiv region, that lies just 20 kilometers from the Russian border. Since the Russian offensive of May 2024, this village has found itself trapped between two relentless fronts. To the northwest, battles rage in the charred ruins of Vovchansk, while to the southeast, Kupiansk is being systematically leveled to the ground. With the advent of Russian planing guided bombs in 2023, Velykyi Burluk lives under the shadow of constant strikes.Yet, in the face of unending danger, most of Burluk's residents remain rooted in their homes. They feel forsaken, resigned to their fate, and gripped by the belief that no life beyond their embattled village could possibly be better than the one they already endure.
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.
My grandfather, Anatolii, passed away clinging to the myth of the "Russian world.” Despite surviving the brutal Russian occupation, he remained captivated by this idealized vision. My grandfather was a lifelong miner, dedicating his life to the Donetsk region. He never experienced poverty and he had a house and a big family. Yet, as the cruel Soviet economic system exploited the relatively stable Ukrainian welfare, many people felt hardships immediately.
In a shift from traditional textbooks, young people are now attending monthly "Defense of Ukraine" classes, learning to fly drones, shoot, provide first aid, and more. To foster the spirit of national unity, various patriotic education centers are being established in Ukrainian cities. Have a look at the "Defense of Ukraine" classes in different regions in this photo report.
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?
Debris from a downed Russian drone, large enough to be mistaken for a fighter jet, fell on Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region, on October 5, 2024. Ukrainian forces reported that debris from the downed Russian Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B drone was shot down by a Russian Su-57 aircraft during combat zone tests.
