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«I can see the assault of positions in my dreams». Why are many soldiers deprived of psychological recovery?
An enemy assault, an empty rifle mag, and one-on-one in a trench with Russian soldiers. Having miraculously escaped possible captivity, 36-year-old soldier Dmytro Holovko now sees that day in his nightmares. Yet here, at a psychological rehabilitation center in the Kharkiv region, he can sleep peacefully and distract himself from haunting memories. The two-week rehabilitation […]
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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 […]
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Identity in ruins: How Russia is destroying Ukraine’s heritage
For over a decade, Russia has been waging a war to destroy Ukraine’s historical and cultural heritage: ruining buildings, conducting illegal archaeological excavations, appropriating museum artifacts and archives, and using the findings for its own propaganda. Russian authorities are attempting to eliminate as much of Ukrainian identity as possible. Since the full-scale invasion, 945 cultural […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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“Happy Childhood” in Kharkiv. The dance ensemble changed the bombed halls into a basement
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.
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«I dream that I can see again.» – Blind Ukrainian soldier fights to regain life shattered by Russian drone strike
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 […]
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Gen Camp: healing the invisible wounds of Ukrainian children
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 […]
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«I gave the children just a normal day.» – Meet Pimbo, the Italian clown returning smiles to Ukraine’s frontline kids
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 […]
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Chancing One’s Arm: Wounded Civilians Remain in Avdiivka
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 […]
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Kamianka: a bird’s eye view of a destroyed village near Izium
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. […]