A Year of War in Ukraine

On the front lines in Ukraine, journalists confront risks to report on the war. But with several killed or seriously injured in the past year, media advocates have mobilized to offer training and equipment. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Kyiv, Lviv and the front lines in the Donbas region of Ukraine.

Camera: Yan Boechat.

Over the past year of war, Russia has occupied and lost vast swaths of Ukraine, and it now appears to be attempting to retake some of the same territory. Families remaining in the areas under fire say the losses they have already suffered have been enormous. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Ukraine’s Kherson Oblast, just north of Crimea.

Camera: Yan Boechat.

A full year of daily strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine has left people numb, saying they barely hear the sirens. Even far from the front lines, locals say everything about life in Ukraine is different. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Dnipro in Ukraine.

Camera: Yan Boechat.

As both Ukraine and Russia step up military force in eastern Ukraine, Russia appears to be close to surrounding Bakhmut, a city that has been the site of fierce battles for months. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Bakhmut.

Camera: Yan Boechat.

The town of Lyman in the Donetsk region was occupied by Russian forces between May and October 2022. It has been severely damaged, and those locals who have not left are doing what they can to get through the winter. Yaroslava Movchan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.

Camera: Arthur Shagalin.

The Avtushenkos spent the past year living in war-torn Ukraine, but with a new baby on the way, the family left the country to start anew in Texas. Deana Mitchell has the story.

A year after Russia invaded Ukraine, millions of civilians remain displaced by the fighting. Some are still in Europe, but some are in the United States. For VOA, Svitlana Prystynska visits with a young Ukrainian refugee family in the western U.S. state of Colorado.

Camera: Volydumyr Petruniv.

Nearly a year ago, tens of thousands of Ukrainians sought refuge in the United States as Russian troops invaded their country. Mike O'Sullivan spoke with two Ukrainian families in California about their lives one year later.

One year on from Russia’s invasion, most free transport for those escaping war has been discontinued.

One year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, refugees fleeing the violence have settled around the world. For VOA, Deborah Bloom take us to meet a refugee mother and daughter in the U.S. Pacific Northwest state of Oregon.

The European Union has opened its doors to millions of Ukrainian refugees since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — even as member states tighten restrictions against economic migrants and asylum seekers from elsewhere. That includes France, which unveiled new immigration legislation last week. For VOA, Lisa Bryant reports from the Paris suburb of Evry-Courcouronnes.

Millions of Ukrainians fled into Poland in the first months of Russia's invasion. A year on, the chaotic scenes at the border have eased - and many Ukrainians now cross back and forth from their home country. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the border town of Przemyśl, Poland is braced for a new influx of refugees as the fighting intensifies in eastern Ukraine.

Videographer: Henry Ridgwell.

Many Ukrainian refugees say they have learned to cope with war, 12 months after Russia’s invasion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine unleashed a wave of repression against independent journalism inside Russia, forcing many journalists to seek refuge in neighboring Latvia. One year on, their hopes of returning to practice their profession in Russia are few. Jonathan Spier narrates this report from Ricardo Marquina in the Latvian capital, Riga.

Russian narratives calling the invasion of Ukraine a "special military operation" are being heard in some countries, thanks to a Russian disinformation campaign targeting specific areas of the world. VOA’s Virginia Gunawan reports. VOA's Ukrainian Service contributed to this report.

Camera: Laurentius Wahyudi, Naras Prameswari, AP, AFP, Zoom (with license).

Residents of Kherson, Ukraine, focus on the small things.

A year after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the first German-made tanks should soon arrive on the front line to support Kyiv’s forces. Over the past 12 months, Germany and other European nations have tried to respond to the return of large-scale land warfare to the continent. Critics say they haven’t acted fast enough, as Henry Ridgwell reports from Berlin.

Poland has led refugee response and is also the main conduit for western arms into Ukraine.

The European Union is marking the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with more sanctions against Moscow. Previous sanctions have targeted commodities like oil, gas, coal, steel, cigarettes, vodka and gold. But one key Russian export is expected to be off the EU’s list once again: diamonds. For VOA, Lisa Bryant went to the world’s diamond trading capital of Antwerp, Belgium, to find out why.

Ukraine has pursued legal action against Moscow since 2014 without success. Is this time different?

The U.S. Congress has appropriated more than $112 billion in aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded one year ago. VOA congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson looks back at the scope of that assistance and reports on what happens next. VOA footage by Rob Parsons.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was in Estonia on Thursday, where the United States and NATO allies have increased force numbers as part of a push to deepen defenses across NATO’s eastern flank. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb gained exclusive access to US soldiers in Estonia, as she crisscrossed the country to learn more about its defense

Camera: Mary Cieslak

Video Editor: Mary Cieslak.

Securing the skies has been a primary concern in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began, and for NATO countries bordering Ukraine and Russia, it is a job that is shared. Fighter pilots from Italy, Germany, the United States and others rotate through countries on the alliance’s eastern flank to keep constant watch for any threat crossing into NATO air space. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb caught up with members of the Italian Air Force as they practiced how to intercept threats entering Romania.

Videographer: Mary Cieslak.