Army

A pile of rubble is all that remains of Sea Pearl after a Russian air strike hit the family-run hotel in Zatoka, a beach village of 2,000 about 60 kilometres south of Odesa, on May 16. The neighbouring Villa Reef (on the right) was heavily damaged. Russia's plans to take over Odesa and its regions wiftly have failed but Ukraine's coast remains vulnerable to air strikes. © Michael Shtekel

Odesa Faces Grave Threats From Air and Sea

Although Russia’s plans to swiftly take the region failed, the coast remains highly vulnerable.

16 Jun 22

Russian troops control the entry and exit to Energodar, a city in southern Ukraine, which is home to the country's largest nuclear power plant. The city, with a pre-war population of 53,000 people, was occupied in the early days of the Russian invasion. The sign reads "Energodar. Russia, forever." © IWPR

Occupied Energodar, as Quiet as a Graveyard

The city, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, fell into Russian hands on March 4, and it is now impossible to leave.

13 Jun 22

Ukrainian tank crew trains with infantry nearby on May 09, 2022 near Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine. © John Moore/Getty Images

Analysis: Intelligence Report Warns of “Absolute Inequality” on the Battlefield

“By not providing missile defence systems in sufficient quantities, the West will make a historic mistake that will cost hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian lives.”

10 Jun 22

(L) Fedir Sandor, head of the sociology faculty at Uzhhorod University, enlisted in the Ukrainian military and he still conducts virtual lectures from the trenches. (R) Fedir Shandor (centre) with his army friends. © (L) Uzhhorod University (R) photo courtesy of Fedir Shandor

Ukraine: The Professor on the Frontline

Giving lectures from the trenches, one sociologist combines military service with academia.

24 May 22

In occupied Berdyansk, in southern Ukraine, Russians marked 9 May bringing back Soviet-era symbols and Russian Federation flags. © Readovka News

Back to the USSR: May 9 in Ukraine’s Occupied Territories

Russians bring back Soviet-era symbols to mark a militaristic holiday that fails to credit other nations for their role in defeating Nazi Germany.

10 May 22

The ruins of Petro's house after it was hit by four rockets. © IWPR

Life on the Chernobyl Front

Frontier folk, wedged between the Belarus border and the nuclear exclusion zone, faced fierce live fighting, theft and intimidation.

27 Apr 22

Rustam Zarifulin was reportedly killed on March 14 while fighting with the Russian army in the town of Izium, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. He moved to the Russian region of Sverdlovsk in 2016, where he served in the army and then became a contract soldier. He was buried in Chui, Kyrgyzstan's northernmost region, on March 27. © Kloop.kg

Central Asians Fight in Ukraine Eyeing Russian Citizenship

To bolster its troops, Moscow is tempting foreign nationals with the offer of a passport.

19 Apr 22

Larisa Kalik, 24, left her native Transnistria in spring 2020. Her book "The Youth Year", which describes the dire conditions young men face in the mandatory military service, attracted the ire of the authorities in Moldova's breakaway region. © Photo courtesy of Larisa Kalik

The Transnistrian Dissident Who Fled to Ukraine

A young activist who documented the dire conditions in the Transnistrian army found herself in Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion.

30 Mar 22

A sign showing the entrance to Belarus is seen at the Ukraine-Belarus border crossing on February 13, 2022 in Vilcha, Ukraine. © Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Tensions on Ukraine-Belarus Border

Locals say that morale is high, despite intelligence warnings that a fresh invasion could be imminent.

29 Mar 22

A Ukrainian serviceman stands guard near a burning warehouse hit by a Russian shell in the suburbs of Kyiv on March 24, 2022. © FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis: Ukraine’s War of Attrition

Both sides try to wear the other down, with neither able to strike the knock-out blow.

25 Mar 22

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