Life

An evening view of Tsalenjikha, a village in Georgia's western region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. Magda Kharchilava, 24, left the village of nearly 4,000 people to study in the capital Tbilisi but decided to return to pursue her photography and art passion. She is an exception: young Georgians are leaving rural areas in droves due to lack of education and job opportunities in the regions. © Magda Kharchilava

Young Georgians Abandon Rural Life for the Capital

As Tbilisi swells, towns and villages lose the very force that could keep them alive.

28 Mar 23

In February 2023, the Armenian government announced the gradual introduction of a national health insurance that in four years would cover the country’s population. Experts have long debated the need to reform the current system, under which the general public pays for treatment, while those from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups can access free care. © Armenia’s Ministry of Health

Armenia to Launch Comprehensive Health Insurance

Country has long had low spending on healthcare, leading to huge pressure on ordinary citizens.

22 Mar 23

Alfad Halimov and Elmira Halimova open the Irpin Cafe, the cafe on wheels they run in Uzhhorod. The couple arrived in western Ukraine in late February 2022, the last stop of a journey that began in the heart of Central Asia and took them to Sevastopol, in now Russia-occupied Crimea, and then to Irpin. As Russian forces occupied the town in the outskirts of Kyiv, they packed their life up again and moved west. © Romaniia Gorbach

Crimean Tatars: a Life on the Move

A café on wheels in Uzhhorod encapsulates a story of deportation and resilience.

17 Mar 23

(L to R) Natalia Tsoi, boxing referee from Kazakstan; Farida Abdueva, Muay Thai fighter from Kyrgyzstan; Shoira Zulkaynarova, boxer from Tajikistan; Aziza Yakubova, boxer from Uzbekistan. © Courtesy of N. Tsoi, F. Abdueva, S. Zulkaynarova and A. Yakubova.

Central Asia: Fighting, Inside and Outside the Ring

Women who dream of taking on combat disciplines have to first defy conservative traditions.

8 Mar 23

1. A collage of all Kyrgyzstan's presidents since the country became independent in 1991. In mid-February 2023, Sadyr Japarov gathered his predecessors in a secret meeting in Dubai in what he called a unifying gesture; critics however maintain it was a populistic move. © Office of the President of Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz President’s Secret Meeting with Predecessors Causes Controversy

Critics deem mysterious summit, presented as a gesture of unity, as simply a populist move.

7 Mar 23

Andrii in an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). He joined the army six months ago: together with Serhii, who signed up two months after, he is now one of the most celebrated IFV crew of Ukrainian army’s 93rd Mechanised Brigade in Bakhmut. © Kolyan Pastyko

Battle Rages in Fortress Bakhmut

Russian troops are determined to gain control of the eastern city that has become a key political prize.

6 Mar 23

Posad-Pokrovs’ke: “We Need a Whole New Village”

The strategic southern settlement destroyed by shelling faces a daunting task as it looks to recover.

3 Mar 23

Olena sits on her bed in the basement of her apartment building in Bakhmut where she has been living for months with her parents. © Anastasia Rokytna/IWPR

Ukraine: Life Below Ground in Bakhmut

The city is at the centre of a war of attrition between Ukrainian and Russian forces, who have been trying to take it for over six months.

1 Mar 23

Ukraine: War Teens

The lives of hundreds of thousands of young people have been shaped by Russia’s confrontation with Ukraine.

27 Feb 23

Orikhiv: City on the Verge

The few residents who remain in the shattered town await the next offensive, from whichever direction it comes.