Photographer Serhii Melnychenko has presented his project *“Frontline Tapes: photographs, letters, and artifacts of Ukrainian soldiers”*, which he worked on throughout 2025. Melnychenko sent disposable film cameras to Ukrainian soldiers and asked them to document their daily life, their work, and the war. However, the project grew beyond photography: together with the cameras, Melnychenko asked the soldiers to send him handwritten letters and artifacts they chose themselves. The result is not only a collection of images and documents of the war, but also a tapestry of personal stories and memories of the people who are defending Ukraine’s independence today.

Every week, Russia demonstrates to Ukrainians its supposed “desire for peace.” On the eve of the forecasted cold spell in Ukraine, the Russian army struck energy and heating facilities and destroyed people’s homes. The consequences of these attacks on the energy sector were felt most acutely in Kyiv, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia regions. During the massive overnight attack on the capital on January 9, the enemy launched an “Oreshnik” ballistic missile at a critical infrastructure facility in Lviv region — less than 70 km from the EU border. The week was marked by tragic events such as Russian strikes on hospitals and emergency services: one medical worker was killed, others were injured, and rescuers were wounded as well. Meanwhile, in Kharkiv, search‑and‑rescue operations continued throughout the week at the site of the Russian missile strike on January 2. Thanks to the work of Ukrainian documentarians, we can revisit this week and appreciate the courage of those who rush to help.

Ukrainian photographer Oleksandr Hliadielov spoke about why, in Ukraine, the concepts of freedom and revolution are inseparable; about documenting a generation of free people he first encountered on the Maidan and later on the front line; and about why today it is important to photograph not only the war itself, but also life beyond the front.

As part of the FotoEvidence Ukraine project, the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers has published Serhii Korovainyi’s photobook *“Donbas, the Edge of Hell and Love.”* It is a personal story about a home that no longer exists, about landscapes and people who carry within themselves both love and loss, and about Donetsk and Luhansk regions — places impossible to forget and worth fighting for.

The first week of the new year in Ukraine passed under the sound of air‑raid sirens, the buzz of Shaheds, and explosions. Massive attacks on Zaporizhzhia, strikes on Bila Tserkva and Volyn, terror against Chernihiv and Kherson — Russian assaults reached every region during the holiday week. The most destructive and deadly attacks targeted Odesa and Kharkiv. In Odesa, on New Year’s night, three children sustained moderate injuries. The next day in Kharkiv, a three‑year‑old child was killed under the rubble of a residential building, and an infant suffered shock. The aftermath of the Russian attacks on Kharkiv and Odesa was documented in photo reports by Mykyta Kuznetsov and Oleksandr Himanov