Ukraine Online Coverage
Beyond the headlines of war
Since Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, fighting has caused thousands of civilian casualties. Millions of people are displaced.
A full-fledged war in Europe is unprecedented for our generation. As an independent magazine, it raised questions about the ethics of war reporting, the sensitivity it requires (and often lacks) and what we, Are We Europe, can add to the table now. To cover the events in a responsible way, we started this online coverage with stories from Ukraine and its neighbouring countries, a selection of which has gone into our print magazine. We asked our contributors in the region: What goes on behind the headlines of the war?
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From the magazine
The language of solidarity
It’s a Saturday morning in Romania when 700 Zoom users from all over the country type in the same 11 digits—a Zoom ID Meeting number.
Sunday Wishes
Ukrainian economic migrants in Slovakia often work illegally because they only have tourist visas. After the visa’s expiration date, many stay in the Slovak Republic,
Niewybuch
Youth military summer camps have existed in Poland since the 1920s, but the phenomenon has grown massively in recent years. The young participants are put
Inevitable Hero
Moldova gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1992. It had the same centralised ideals and heroes as any other communist country for over
News from the front lines
“All is fair in love and war,” says the well-known proverb. But even war has rules.
Collateral Damage
I started drawing victims on the second day of the war. Only one portrait a day so that the process does not become mechanical. I
This is (not) our war
For Belarusians, the Lukashenko regime leaves them with few options but to flee the country if they want to stand with Ukraine
How we stopped being comrades
After 41 years of one-party rule in Czechoslovakia, communism was traded in for a new sense of freedom in 1989. But recent events have shown the ghost of old comrades in new forms.
“We don’t have a plan.”
In the middle of one of the more affluent areas in the Hungarian Buda hills, a spacious, yellow villa houses some 50 Roma refugees from
A note from the editor’s desk
“Seems like Putin has gone for it.” The words appeared blurry on my screen—but rubbing my eyes and putting my glasses on didn’t make them less surreal…
Transnistria Conglomerate
Anton Polyakov documents daily life in Transnistria, from the remnants of the Soviet Union kept firmly in place to Russian folk sport and Transnistrian traditions.
Protests Between Grief and Resentment
“That’s crazy,” I say while holding a sign reading “Stop Putin’s War” outside the Russian Consulate in Naples. “I’ve lived outside of Russia for years
Memory in the age of impunity
“Dear Peter. I have been waiting to write to you for a long time, but the latest news has made it clear that it is
The Call of Coal
“Look! There are cargo ships bringing coal to the plant again!” says Luciano Damiani, gesturing towards two vessels silhouetted on the horizon between the sea
When Weapons Get Scarce
“I am very capable, I am just a little tired” Mykhaylo is not yet 60. Under martial law, he is eligible to serve in Ukraine’s
A Sociologist’s Perspective
A free thinker’s take on Europe, disinformation, activism, and the future of journalism
Behind the Crimean veil
The plight of Crimea returned to global attention after a rally in Moscow to mark the eighth anniversary of its annexation by Russia. On 18
Timeline of the war
This timeline was made during the editorial process of our latest magazine, Beyond the headlines of war.
Opinion: The war on Ukraine mirrors the Turkish-Syrian border in 2013
Poland now holds more Ukrainian refugees than all other countries combined, but the similarities to Turkey’s position in relation to Syria run deeper than simple proximity to major conflict.
The Song for Shared Polish-Ukrainian Identities
Even before the February invasion, millions of Ukrainians migrated to Poland. Has this history created foundations that can be built upon now?
Understanding the Russian war on Ukraine through a new religious divide
In the heart of Kyiv, the St. Sophia Cathedral could have been a symbol of Christian unity and the shared spiritual roots of Russia and Ukraine. But things turned out differently.
Diary of war
Experience the first month of the 2022 Russian invasion through this diary of four young people in Ukraine.
Online exclusive
“Ukraine represents exactly what the regimes in power fear the most”
Jakub, you wear a few hats. You are the CFO of the Kyiv Independent, an editor at The Fix—a research and media publishing organisation—as well
Authoritarian Wolves In Democratic Sheep’s Clothing
While the invasion of Ukraine has stunned the world with its scale and violence, it is neither an isolated phenomenon nor coming out of nowhere.
800 Kilometres From Kyiv, Lithuanians Wake Up With Flashbacks of Tanks
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, conversations with family and friends in Lithuania inevitably touch on one of the following: stomach cramps, insomnia, or flashbacks to seeing tanks in 1991.
Resisting aggression through creativity
War blurs professional boundaries; it is all about survival. Yet, many Ukrainian artists stay true to their identities and pick up brushes in the face of the Russian invasion.
The Witness, week 4
This is the fourth week of the Russian war in Ukraine. But the danger lies not only in bombs—I’m as worried about my own mental health, money and my girlfriend’s future.
The Witness, week 3
I just turned 20 and my country is being invaded, turned into ashes, and shelled relentlessly. I wonder how long we’ll be able to escape the sounds of war drums all around us.
The Witness, week 2
Last week, I woke up to a Russian declaration of war. Kyiv, Mariupol, and Kharkiv are now in the eye of the storm. This week, I get the dreaded call.
Help us keep Ukraine’s media going
A detailed overview of our Keep Ukraine’s Media Going fundraising campaign. With an update from Are We Europe’s managing director Mick ter Reehorst.
The Witness, week 1
My name is Oleksandr. I’m almost 20. I live in Zaporizhzhia. It’s a great city in southeast Ukraine, 230 kilometres from Donetsk. It’s my home.