Andrii Kotliarchuk began his career in the Verkhovna Rada, photographed presidents, shot advertising campaigns for global brands, and worked for many years in glossy magazines. But in the 2000s, he stepped away from commercial work to focus solely on his own projects. Today, he is the author of frontline portraits, albums about wartime volunteers, and a series on Kyiv region after occupation, as well as a new member of the UAPP. In his work, documentary precision is intertwined with an author’s philosophy, and war appears not only as a tragedy but also as a space for searching for meaning and beauty.

The first week of September brought a new ordeal for Ukraine. In the early hours of Sunday, 7 September, at dawn, Russia carried out its most powerful combined strike in recent months against Ukrainian cities. The enemy launched hundreds of attack drones and ground‑launched missiles, directing them at residential neighborhoods, government buildings, and civilian infrastructure. According to the Air Force, a total of 823 aerial weapons were fired at Ukraine: 810 attack UAVs and 13 missiles. Despite the work of air defense, 9 missile impacts and 54 drone impacts were recorded. Damage of varying scale was reported at more than thirty locations, including in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Poltava, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Kremlin propaganda is hoping for successful advances by the Russian army in southern Ukraine. That is why it actively spreads the narrative that residents of Zaporizhzhia are supposedly waiting for the arrival of the invading forces. Propagandists claim that “local media are wondering whether Moscow will take control of the city after negotiations or hand it over to Kyiv” (as stated by the propaganda outlet *Ukraina.ru*).

Another week has passed — and once again, a series of Russian attacks has struck Ukrainian cities both in the rear and near the front line. Despite technical negotiations between Ukraine, the United States, and EU countries, there has been no tangible progress toward peace. Instead, Russia continues to escalate the intensity of its strikes, undermining international diplomatic efforts. This week, the Kremlin’s aggression reached an unprecedented scale: massive drone and missile attacks targeted not only military sites but also civilian infrastructure. Despite the effective work of Ukrainian air defense, the sheer volume of attacks led to numerous casualties and destruction even in cities far from the front. These actions once again make it clear — Russia chooses war over peace.

The documentary film *2000 Meters to Andriivka* by director, journalist, and founder of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers Mstyslav Chernov has been selected as Ukraine’s official submission in the category “Best International Feature Film” for the 98th Academy Awards.