Resist and rebuild: Civilian life in wartime Ukraine

The past nine weeks of all-out war have completely upended civilian life throughout Ukraine. After withdrawing from around Kyiv and Chernihiv in late March, Russian forces are ostensibly refocusing their invasion on taking Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions. With many cities, towns, and villages already in dire humanitarian situations, civilians living in these areas are faced with the difficult choice of attempting to evacuate or bracing themselves for an escalated offensive. Meanwhile, residents of the Kyiv region are clearing the wreckage Russian forces left behind and trying to adjust to a “new normal.”

For insight into civilian life in some of Ukraine’s most wartorn areas, Meduza turned to two Ukrainian experts who have been reporting on the ground throughout the war. 

Timestamps for this episode:

• (1:38) Maria Avdeeva, research director at the European Expert Association, on documenting Russian war crimes to combat disinformation and the critical humanitarian situation in Kharkiv. 
• (12:30) Journalist and Public Interest Journalism Lab co-founder Nataliya Gumenyuk on the atmosphere in Kyiv, how local leaders and civilian volunteers keep Ukrainian towns running, and the humanitarian situation in Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions. 
• (23:45) Avdeeva on why the local government in Kharkiv is clearing debris and planting flowers while still under attack. 
• (25:42) Avdeeva and Gumenyuk on rebuilding Ukraine after — and during — the war. 
• (31:00) Gumenyuk on what makes reporting on this war different and what she wants international audiences to know about Ukraine.