UAPP, in partnership with The Kyiv Independent, continues its monthly feature—a selection of key photographs that most accurately convey the events, mood, and challenges of another month of the full-scale war.

This selection includes not only major events but also mundane moments that, through the lens, become symbols of the time. These are photographs that capture pain, dignity, exhaustion, strength, and hope. Images that help us see and remember. Together, we are creating a visual archive of history unfolding right now.

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A woman walks along a smoke-filled road next to severely damaged buildings following Russian strikes on Kyiv on May 24, 2026. Authorities reported a massive ballistic missile attack on Kyiv in the early morning of May 24; at least five people were injured after Moscow threatened retaliation for strikes on Russian-occupied areas in eastern Ukraine.
Photo by Roman Pylypiy / AFP via Getty Images

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The aftermath of a Russian missile strike on a five-story residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 24, 2026. The attack was part of a massive bombardment of the capital and a number of other Ukrainian cities. Three people were killed and more than 15 were injured as a result of the hit.
Photo by Pavlo Petrov

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Medics examine a woman wounded during a Russian shelling of the capital on May 24 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Russia launched strikes using ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones. At least two civilians were killed and at least 44 were wounded.
Photo by Serhiy Korovainyi

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A participant in the "Hurby-Antonivtsi" training field game on the border of Ternopil and Rivne regions, Ukraine, on May 9, 2026. Participants compete for opponents' flags while enduring a 60-hour continuous test of endurance and team cooperation.
Photo by Liza Bukreyeva

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Cadets. Kyiv, Ukraine. 2026.
I took this shot in May. Spring has returned to Kyiv after another winter of full-scale war. Young cadets look out over the dark waters of the Dnipro River flowing between the city hills. This photograph is about youth, responsibility, and life continuing despite the war.
Photo by Nazar Furyk

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Black smoke rising over Kyiv after a massive Russian missile attack on the capital, May 24, 2026.
Photo by Oleksiy Filippov

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The body of a deceased man lies in the middle of a street in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, following a Russian air strike, May 5, 2026.
Photo by Oleksandr Mahula / Suspilne News

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Relatives and friends say goodbye to 12-year-old Lyubava and 17-year-old Vira Yakovleva in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 19, 2026. The sisters died as a result of a massive Russian attack on the capital on May 14. The search and rescue operation at the site of the strike lasted more than a day and ended with the discovery of the bodies of the deceased girls.
Photo by Maksym Koshka / Frontliner

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A child with a teddy bear walks past a burned-out shopping center in Lukyanivka, Kyiv, Ukraine, after a Russian missile and drone attack on May 24, 2026.
Photo by Nikita Lisovyi

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Residents in traditional embroidered Ukrainian shirts—vyshyvankas—hold an embroidered banner during Vyshyvanka Day in Kharkiv, May 21, 2026.
Photo by Ivan Samoylov / AFP via Getty Images

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Contributors:
Georhiy Ivanchenko
Olga Kovalova
Irynka Hromotska

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