Republik: "You will Survive"
Medic “Eminem” would almost have become a doctor. Instead, he saves wounded soldiers at the field hospital while drones turn the eastern Ukraine into a death zone.
The body Eminem saves that evening has holes in the arms, legs, and abdomen. He belongs to a soldier, perhaps 30 years old, who had been fighting on the front in the east of Ukraine just a few hours earlier. Eminem bends over the man lying on an operating table; a tube is in the patient’s mouth, cannulas in his wrists pump bright liquid into his veins. The eyes are half-open, the whites gleam between the lids. Eminem, whose real name is Andrii, works as a medic at a stabilization point a few kilometers from the front. How can a person endure so much horror in so little time?
On the battlefields of Ukraine, death is increasingly dropping from the sky. While at the start of the invasion tanks, infantry, and artillery were mainly used, both sides now attack their opponent more often with drones. Especially when visibility is clear and the air is still, the aircraft rise and bring death: as remotely piloted kamikaze drones that fly into their targets and explode, bomber drones that drop explosive charges. The injuries from the drones have changed Eminem’s work. While artillery shells tear off whole limbs or kill soldiers instantly, shrapnel injuries from kamikaze drones are more numerous, more complex, and harder to treat.
Written by Merlin Gröber.
Chrismon Magazin: Under enemy fire
At two o’clock in the morning, the bomb hits: in Kharkiv, a city in eastern Ukraine, the sirens wail, flames shoot from the roof of the Barabashovo market and devour the storage halls. The air smells of burnt plastic, the firefighting water is blackened by ash that drizzles down from the ceiling like fine rain. Shards of glass crunch under heavy boots; men in uniform shout against the roar of the flames. Nils Thal stands in front of the market hall wearing a bulletproof vest and a helmet, fighting the fire—and hoping that a second bomb won’t strike beside him.
In fact, Nils Thal is a firefighter with the city of Nuremberg — but for about three and a half years, he has repeatedly volunteered in Ukraine. Every time Nils Thal goes out on a call, it could be his last: Kharkiv is one of the most heavily bombed cities since the start of the Russian Invasion. Yet the 38-year-old works at the fire station in the northeast of the city, waiting for the alarm to blare, jumping onto a fire truck, and racing to wherever the bombs are falling. Why would someone risk his life to help a country he barely knows?
Written by Merlin Gröber.
Jetzt.de - “Now every night could be the last”
The beats boom below, Russian drones buzz above. The club scene in Kyiv is alive and kicking. Out and about in the backyards of a city where people continue to dance despite the war.
with the help of Hlib Fishchenko.
The thumping sound of electronic music wafts quietly through Podil, one of Kyiv’s oldest neighborhoods. It is a soundscape that is an integral part of the Ukrainian capital. In front of a large brick building, Roman Kurhan puts his hand on a door handle. He opens the door. Then another one. Suddenly, he finds himself in the middle of a large backyard. What was quietly pulsing outside now echoes loudly off all the walls. “Anastasiia is playing a set right now,” says Roman, a smile flitting across his face.
It could be a normal Wednesday in Kyiv. It was well on its way to becoming one of the most important clubbing destinations in Eastern Europe, on par with Berlin and Tbilisi. But nothing has been normal in Kyiv and Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. It’s war. The people of Kyiv are still partying and dancing – or perhaps because of it.
Taz die Tageszeitung - Unsafe in their country of origin.
Fagatta, Adora and Nia fled Georgia to escape violence and discrimination because of their gender identity. Because the German authorities do not believe them, they are threatened with deportation.
Words from Helena Weise.
The drag show at which Fagatta wants to perform starts in an hour, but the wigs are still hanging unkempt over the doors and the performers are crowded behind small mirrors leaning against drinks crates. Fagatta touches up the eyeliner and talks about Pride in Tbilisi 2023, when a right-wing extremist mob stormed the festival grounds before the event began. It was a day like this, Fagatta was preparing for a performance. Looking back, it was the moment when Fagatta realized that Georgia was no longer safe.
“They destroyed my make-up, my costumes,” says Fagatta, pointing to the brushes and fake eyelashes scattered on the counter, just like back then. “Everything I had accumulated over two years.” In the videos taken by journalists that day, you can see the attackers tearing up rainbow flags and setting fires. Fagatta recognized his own backpack in the evidence, a dress. “I have never experienced such hatred,” says Fagatta. “And I was sure at that moment: if I had stayed there, I would have been injured or even killed.”
Süddeutsche zeitung - „Forget the fear, live!“
„Forget the fear, live!“ They care for seriously injured people on the frontline and celebrate birthdays by candlelight. They survived Russian captivity and feel truly free on a motorcycle: How queer Ukrainians have been affected by three years of war - and what power love holds for them.
For more than 3.5 years, I have been documenting queer peoples lives in Ukraine collected in my project “Fragile as Glass.” With many of the people I met in 2022 at the beginning of the war of aggression I am still in close contact up until today.
The war is far from over. Being able to be so close to the fears, worries, but also intimate moments and life developments is something special. I am grateful for the trust that people have placed in me. For the Buch zwei of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, we have compiled all the transcripts and interviews from the last few years. It provides detailed insights into people’s lives.
I would like to thank Thorsten Schmitz who wrote the wonderful text with sensitivity. And Friedrich Bungert and Felix Hunger for the great selection and design.
For Fluter.de - "We are fighting for the freedom of two countries," says Zurab Jibut.
For decades, Georgia and Ukraine have faced a similar challenge: defying Russia’s claim to power. In Ukraine, Georgian volunteers are therefore also fighting for the democratic future of their own country.
On two metal prostheses, Zurab Jibut wobbles toward the gates of a cemetery. The Georgian lost both legs during the summer offensive in Belgorod in 2024. His friend and comrade Nasirovi Nodari was even less fortunate, losing his life during a mission in the spring of this year. Both fought in the Georgian Foreign Legion in Ukraine. According to its own statements, over 500 Georgian soldiers are fighting in the “Georgian Legion,” and Belarusians and Chechens have also joined it. When Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, the Legion was initially founded as a volunteer battalion. Two years later, the Ukrainian parliament integrated it into its armed forces. (..)
Some want to get rid of him at any cost. Others see him as a long-standing ally. What Mamulashvili definitely is: a man who has dedicated his life to fighting Russian imperialist ambitions in the region. At the age of 14, he fought alongside his father, a Georgian military officer, in the Abkhazia War. He then fought in the Caucasus War and in Chechnya. And now in Ukraine. He is the founder and commander of the Georgian Legion.(..)
Focus Magazin Russian Drones Hunt Civilians In Kherson
A city that is not allowed to rest, where every day means survival: Russian drones hunt civilians in Kherson. War crimes every day, says the local prosecutor.
For the past six months, there has been an increase in attacks by drones that kill civilians in the frontline city of Kherson. Videos of drones chasing people fleeing on bicycles, on foot or in cars have been circulating on Russian-language Telegram channels. The drones kill or injure all those who cannot flee.
Natalia Andreevich’s house is located in the city’s red zone. Anyone who lives there is considered a legitimate target by the Russians. Natalia has been nursing her husband in hospital for a month. She says she can no longer go home anyway. The Russian army attacked her house four times, artillery shells punched holes in the garden, the roof and the sidewalk. Normal life is no longer possible in the neighborhoods along the river.
“Everything we’ve spent a lifetime building is here in Kherson: the house, the garden. This is our home,” says Natalia Andreevich. The artillery explosions outside the window become louder, more regular. For a moment, no one in the room speaks. Then Natalia says: “If we flee, we’ll have nothing, and if we stay, we’ll die. We’re caught between the fronts.”
Text by Merlin Gröber, with the help of Alexey Sandakov.
The Torture Cells Of Kherson Ukrainian Queer Community In The Crosshairs Of Russian Occupiers.
The story was published as a photo essay in Der Standard and appeared as a long reportage on Fluter.de and in the Amnesty Journal.
In the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, queer people experience imprisonment, harassment and sexual assault. A report from a scene that went from safe space to the scene of gender-specific war crimes. For months journalist Yana Radchenko & Photojournalist Sitara Ambrosio have been researching with the help of The Europe Ukraine Desk of N-Ost.
From the beginning on in 2022 as Russia was preparing to invade Ukraine, people from marginalized groups were particularly concerned. For the LGBTQ-community, the reason is the homophobic and transphobic social climate that prevails in the Russian Federation for many years. LGBTQ people are persecuted by the state and the queer community is classified as extremist. At the beginning of the full scale invasion, there were rumors about a so-called "execution list", that allegedly also lists representatives of the LGBTIQ community. This is according to US authorities and could not be verified independently.
Despite all the challenges and difficulties, the Ukrainian LGBTIQ community continues to stand up for their rights.
Some fight on the front line as soldiers or medics, others work as volunteers or are active as human rights activists.
With the support of: Michael Trammer, Volodymyr Pecherskiy, Oleksandra Natsiuk and Daryna Zolotnikova.
Fight For Democracy Pro European Protests In Georgia.
"This is the last chance, otherwise at some point, all left to do, is to leave our country"
For Jàdu Magazine.
Many people in Georgia are fighting for democracy, rapprochement with the EU and their individual future. Since the parliamentary elections in October 2024, thousands have taken to the streets in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. In some cases, there has been massive police violence against demonstrators and journalists. A new climax, but the pro-European movement itself is not new. Who are the people behind the protests and what helps them to continue? In Tiblisi I met with activist Ana Sikhashvili, journalist Aleksandre Keshelashvili and trans woman Sani Morizstein, to find out more.
Ver.di Publik Ukrainian Trade Unions Negotiating Tariffs Supporting Colleagues Enduring War.
„The men are at the Frontline, abroad or hiding at home for fear of being called up. This is also causing an unprecedented shortage of skilled workers in our industry“. says Wassyl Andrejew, chairman of the 57,000-member construction trade union "Profbud".
Aleksander Skyba does not come across as someone who shies away from conflict. As proud as he is of his workplace, a Soviet locomotive built in 1968, he is just as upset. Because the thermometer in the driver’s cab rises to over 30 degrees Celsius in the morning, with only the wind providing refreshment. „That’s still harmless,“ says Skyba. For the workforce, however, the war brought overtime, lack of sleep and now a shortage of staff. Thousands of colleagues are at the frontline. Anyone who makes it home is either an invalid or dead. So far, there is no law on the duration of military service in times of war. Skyba, but also the „International Trade Union Confederation“, observes cases in which „martial law is being misused to undermine basic workers‘ and trade union rights“.
Negotiating tariffs, supporting colleagues, enduring war. What does the work of Ukrainian trade Unions two and a half years after the Russian invasion?
Text by Moritz Gross for Ver.di publik - with the support of Dmytryj Bohuslawskyj. Many thanks to Christian Jungeblodt.
Dekoder.org: Photo Column - Images of war.
Together with my Ukrainian colleague Yana Radchenko, we have spent the last months investigating war crimes against queer people in Ukraine. The project is supported by the N-Ost journalist network. At the same time, I am also fundamentally interested in queer life in Ukraine and what has changed as a result of the invasion.
An series of events has been taking place in Kyiv: it combines traditional Ukrainian music and electronic music. At this rave, there was a DJ booth, but traditional instruments were also played. It’s interesting to see how the young generation, which is fighting so hard to advance progress in Ukraine, is simultaneously drawing on traditions and searching for its roots. There were also many queer people there that evening. They were celebrating and upholding their traditions. Reviving traditions and living a progressive understanding of gender roles does not have to be a contradiction.
Interview with Julian Hans.
IS processes: Thousands of foreign IS supporters have been imprisoned in north-eastern Syria for years.
"People committed their crimes on our soil, on our people. We have the evidence and the eyewitnesses here", says Rima Berkel, Judicial Councilor of the Autonomous Self-Government.
For Amnesty Journal - Written by Bartholomäus Laffert.
It has been ten years since IS first emerged. It had split from Al-Qaeda in 2013 and sought to use the chaos of the war in Syria to create a caliphate. While the Syrian regime quickly withdrew from the fighting, the Kurds in particular and militias allied with them opposed the jihadists. Starting in 2014, they were supported by an international alliance led by the United States, primarily through airstrikes. When the SDF captured the town of Baghouz, the last IS retreat near the Iraqi border, in 2019, the jihadists were considered defeated.
Thousands of fighters and their relatives were captured. Since then, the question for the Kurds has been: What should they do with all the men and women who for many years belonged to what is probably the world's most dangerous terrorist organization and many of whom are of foreign nationality?
(...)
With Support from Shaveen Mohammed & Shalaan Albello.
"My heart is broken and the pieces are scattered around Europe"
"My heart is broken and the pieces are scattered around Europe" - Their children left Syria to seek refuge abroad. Aisha Mohammed and Omar Khalil stayed behind like millions of other parents. What will become of them?
For Zeit online - Written by Bartholomäus Laffert.
The morning after the explosion is quiet. Flocks of white doves circle over the neighborhood in Hassakeh, the largest city in northeastern Syria. The smoke has cleared. (...) Only the puddle-sized soot stain on the street behind the school wall testifies to the fact that there was an attack on a military vehicle here yesterday.
A block away, Aisha Mohammad*, 53, kneels on the floor of her first-floor apartment. In front of her: a cookie jar with the inscription "Kernafa Luxury". She has spread the contents out in front of her. Memories of the children who have moved away.
(...)
With Support from Shaveen Mohammed & Shalaan Albello.
When water becomes a weapon
For Greenpeace Magazin - Written by Bartholomäus Laffert.
Northern Syria is withering. Global warming is hitting the region very hardly, at the same time Turkey is cutting off the flow of the Euphrates River, the country's lifeline. Climate change and conflict form a dual crisis of the kind that could affect millions of people worldwide.
Hassakeh
It's been four years since the fresh water disappeared from Hassakeh. Since then, oil tankers and fire trucks have been turned into water trucks, and now set out every morning at sunrise to boreholes outside the city to fill their containers with water. Then they go from house to house. Each family gets 5,000 liters per ration, no matter how big it is. They have to live on this for ten days, sometimes three weeks. Some days the water tastes like chlorine, other days bitter. Either way, people say, the water makes them sick. (....)
With Support from Shaveen Mohammed & Shalaan Albello.
A big thank you to the support from The Global Health Security Call from the European Journalism Centre (EJC). Without which, this elaborate research would not have been possible!
Rojava before the Turkish elections
In Rojava, in northeastern Syria, the autonomous Kurdish administration is not only still defending itself against ISIS, but also against ongoing attacks by Turkey. The Turkish elections are therefore also about the future of Rojava and the question: Is there a chance of peace?
For Taz die Tageszeitung - Written by Bartholomäus Laffert.
"The explosion tore us from our sleep," says Wadha Mohammad Kasim, 47, blue patterned headscarf and purple knitted skirt. On the seat mats in front of her are her eight children, five daughters, three sons, the oldest, Iwan, just turned 19. One of the family members is missing: their father.
His portrait, larger than life, hangs on the wall. A man in a white polo shirt, thick glasses with thin black rims, a birthmark above the right corner of his mouth. We had a modest life, but a good life," says Wadha Kasim. "But since Turkey murdered him, our life has become a disaster." Fayz Ebdulah died on November 20, 2022, killed by Turkish missiles. (...) "When he left, he said, stay in the house, it's cold outside. I'll be back soon." Wadha Kasim's voice falters as she recounts what happened. A single tear rolls down her cheek. Her husband did not return that night. And neither did he come back the next morning.
With the Support from Shaveen Mohammed & driver Shalaan Albello.
Rojava before the Turkish elections: Hoping for Erdoğan's End
For WOZ - written by Bartholomäus Laffert
Turkey is repeatedly shelling targets in northeastern Syria in order to wear down the Kurds. The parliamentary and presidential elections in Turkey on May 14 will therefore also be about the future of the autonomous regions.
The sky over the town of Derik in northeastern Syria, which the Kurds call Rojava, where Syria borders Turkey and Iraq, is silent. Nothing can be seen except for a few fleecy clouds and a zeppelin soaring from a U.S. military base. Zaher Aldin Chalil, 56, whom everyone here just calls Abu Hoger, stands on the roof terrace of his house, his eyes squinted because of the low sun, pointing into the distance where snow-white peaks of the Çiyayê Cûdî mountain range rise out of the green landscape. "They came from there to kill my wife."....
With the Support from Shaveen Mohammed & Shalaan Albello.
Why nature also suffers from the war
For NZZ am Sonntag - written by Andrea Jeska
Ukraine is home to some of the last primeval beech forests in Europe, a Unesco-recognized World Heritage Site.
They are still intact. But the war is endangering their existence.
A loss of biodiversity already existed before the war.
Now, an already tense situation is worsening and also preventing improvements, as all relevant activities and investments have virtually ceased.
Photo essay: On the road in southern Kurdistan
For Tagebuch
In the shadow of the war in Ukraine, NATO member Turkey attacks Kurdish areas in northern Iraq in May 2022.
An insight into the region.
The Kurdish people have been persecuted, hunted and murdered throughout history. What has always served as a glimmer of hope in dark times is the dream that the Kurdish people have the freedom to live their culture, speak their language and build a community according to their ideals. In small regions of the Middle East, the Kurdish movement has succeeded in achieving this. One of these regions is South Kurdistan, located in northern Iraq. The autonomous region of Kurdistan has its own government and a standing corps, the Peshmerga. However, the Kurds are not always united among themselves either.
Within the autonomous region of Kurdistan lies the politically independent Kandil Mountains, known as the retreat of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization by many Western states. The area, which covers around 50 square kilometers, is organized according to the principles of democratic confederalism - a concept by Abdullah Öcalan, which is also the guiding political concept in the northern Syrian areas of Rojava. Turkey has repeatedly attacked the region militarily since 1992. Officially, the Turkish military targets PKK locations. However, the attacks also regularly result in civilian casualties. Local activists say that the dominant Kurdish parties here, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), are collaborating with the Turkish state. This is why Kurdish youths organize protests on the ground time and again.
