Frontliner Reporter Andriy Dubchak and his colleague Inna Varenytsia 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 photos and reports from their journey. Follow their diary on the Frontliner website.
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.
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.
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.
❗️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 […]
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 […]
Kharkiv has been switching to its new life underground for almost two years of Russia’s full-scale war. Concerts, performances, and even school classes are held in basements and subway stations. Kharkiv children also get extracurricular education underground. Young dancers of the Happy Childhood dance ensemble, who used to watch the Freedom Square from their ballet halls before the war, moved to the basement.
“Our goal is to preserve the history of the resistance of the Ukrainian people for future generations and bring together key documentary photo projects related to the events of the full-scale invasion and its consequences on a single platform,” said Mstyslav Chernov, President of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers. Follow the […]
The true number of Ukrainian soldiers who have lost their sight in the Russo-Ukrainian war remains unknown. However, rehabilitation programs for the blind report a growing demand from veterans. Frontliner spent a day with Denys Abdulin, gaining insight into his new reality after the soldier lost his eyesight a year and a half ago in […]
What happens to children after they lose a family member in a war. What if they lose multiple family members and home in a single strike? If they’ve watched a parent get murdered as they tried to escape? How does a child learn to live with what they’ve seen and experienced? Generation Ukrainian started […]
Marco Rodari’s signature act is making giant bubbles. He creates enormous, magical orbs and launches them over his young audience. The children go wild, jumping up and down, squealing in delight as they try to pop the bubbles before they float away. For over nine months, this Italian performer has brought joy and laughter to […]
Avdiivka, Ukraine – After being treated for near-fatal wounds from a shell explosion at the hospital in Myrnohrad, Viktor made up his mind and walked 50 kilometers back to his besieged hometown, Avdiivka. He casually points to scars on his legs, torso and even face. His body is marred by shrapnel wounds. However, that’s nothing […]
This makeshift modification of the Grad has certain advantages over the standard variant. The cost of converting a civilian SUV into a multiple rocket launcher is only 160 thousand UAH. The Guerilla Grad has a range of up to 25 kilometers (15.5 miles). It also has high target destruction accuracy, even compared to the standard […]
Kamianka is a village near Izium in the Kharkiv region that was literally wiped off the map by the russians. There is not a single house left standing. The formerly rich farming village has been caught in the crossfire since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, as it lies in a valley between two heights. […]
After the Russians blew up the dam of the Kakhovka reservoir, the riverside of Dnipro became a site of environmental disaster. While one part of the region is being flooded, another part is being destroyed by the lack of water. Immediately after the terrorist attack, the level of the upstream Dnipro began to drop rapidly, […]
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
