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

Oleksandr Navrotskyi is a Ukrainian photographer. He was born, lives, and works in Kyiv. He has been practicing photography since 2008, focusing in his work on the theme of the urban environment. He has participated in group exhibitions in Ukraine and across Europe. Oleksandr Navrotskyi spoke about working on his photographic series, about Troyeshchyna — a “unique” district of Kyiv — why film allows him to truly feel the urban landscape, and why he never plans his shoots.

The final week of 2025 in Ukraine began with a massive Russian attack on critical infrastructure. According to the Ministry of Energy, it was the ninth large‑scale strike on Ukraine’s power system since the start of 2025. A significant portion of the attacks targeted Western Ukraine. For residents of Chernihiv, Christmas Eve and Christmas turned into days of hardship under relentless shelling. The week was also marked by strikes on the Zhytomyr and Cherkasy regions, where children were among the dead and injured. Russian forces continued their deliberate destruction of infrastructure in Odesa region. The situation in frontline areas remained consistently severe. In Donetsk region, a volunteer from Kharkiv was killed by a Russian drone strike. Late in the week, Russia launched a massive attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region, continuing drone terror throughout the day.

Yakiv Liashenko is a documentary photographer who now captures everyday life and the reality of war within the Donbas Special Forces Battalion. With his digital camera, he records death and pain; with black‑and‑white film, he preserves life and beauty. His photographs are documents of our time, showing ruined buildings, mutilated bodies, and the faces of people who have witnessed immense suffering yet have not lost their desire to live.

Photographer Ira Lupu explains why, visually, the act of photographing war operates within a fairly limited register — yet photography remains her medium of choice; why it is worth taking on subjects that may seem obvious at first glance; and how to search for depth within them.