Oleksandr Rupeta works in Ukraine and worldwide, specializing in social anthropology, social conflicts, and personal stories. His focus is on people and communities, spaces and moments that shape our time. Rupeta spoke about his author projects, ethics in photography, and international experience as a documentary photographer. He is a member of the International Federation of Journalists, the Federation of European Photographers, and the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine. His works have been published in The New York Times, Financial Times, The Times, The Guardian, The Economist, Time, Nature, Forbes, National Geographic Traveler, as well as in specialized media such as Bird In Flight, C41 magazine, FotoRoom, Dodho Magazine, The Heavy Collective, and many others.

In July 2025, Russia carried out more than 5100 drops of guided aircraft bombs on Ukraine, launched more than 3800 Shakhad kamikaze drones and almost 260 missiles of various types, 128 of which were ballistic. These figures, given by President Vladimir Zelensky, indicate a consistently high intensity of Russian terror. The week from July 28 to August 4 has only confirmed: the strategy of mass attacks remains unchanged. Russia's military has continued its combined drone and missile strikes that have killed dozens of people, injured hundreds of civilians and destroyed infrastructure in different regions of the country. Against the background of these attacks, Ukraine continues to defend not only its territory, but also the security of the whole of Europe.

The guys didn't let us play war, they say we — girls — will spoil everything for them. None of them explained exactly how we could spoil the «war». However, we definitely believed that this was some very important game. My dad had to come and scold the guys for not taking us. Scowled, the guys reluctantly put sticks in our hands that were supposed to serve as weapons, — and in a moment they were looking for a way to throw us out of the game the fastest. Under his father's watchful eye, we were treated, of course, not badly, but as soon as he turned away or walked away in his business — us, so to speak, «were killed» with a fictional shot in the back, and we had to lie on the grass for the rest of the game. Wow, how many years did it take me to understand this exact metaphor of «civilized supervision».

End of July 2025. Ukrainians with children and dogs, wearing prostheses and wheel chairs gather in the streets and squares of major cities to protest. These are mostly young people, they hold cardboard posters with slogans and yellow-blue flags in their hands. For the first time since the start of the Great War, mass protests are being held in dozens of Ukrainian cities. Protesters demand that the president veto the law No. 12414, which eliminates the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP).

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

From July 21 to 27, 2025, Russia continued a large-scale wave of terror against Ukraine, striking Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy Oblast and dozens of other settlements with drones, missiles and aerial bombs. Among the dead are — civilians, among the wounded are — children. In terms of scale and intensity, these attacks have become one of the most brutal in recent months.