After months of war, Ukrainians brace for winter: A photojournalist’s dispatch

It’s a daily ritual in central Lviv.

Family and friends gather at the Saints Peter and Paul Garrison church to pay tribute to another fallen soldier.

Today it was for Denis Metyolkin, a 39-year-old postman who rejoined the military and was sent to defend his country.

The weeping family rocks in pain beside the casket as sounds of prayers and hymns fill the sanctuary.

Afterwards, busy street life comes to a brief halt. The the casket passes in a procession to the cemetery.

Many didn’t know Denis, but all stop to pay respects.

Children hold lighted candles in memory of the victims of the Holodomor

A quiet goodbye on train platform in Lviv.

Vitaliy will begin military service, Karina will go to Germany.

They have no idea when they will see each other again.

All power is out in Mykolaiv after Russian bombed multiple power stations today.

Ludmila and Slava met one month before the Russian invasion of Kherson.

“It seems like 10 years,” said Lucy about their 10 month relationship.

They are now expecting a baby.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Kherson train station to await the arrival of the first train to the city since the liberation from Russian occupation.

Nearly one week after the liberation of Kherson, the city is barely functioning.

No electricity, no running water, people are hungry and in need of medicine.

Some soldiers on leave take time to stop at the central plaza to sign autographs and give out hugs.

War crimes investigations, mine clearance, passport checks continue as the Ukrainian troops push east towards the frontline.

The villages north of Kherson sustained some of the heaviest damage as the Ukrainian Army battled to retake the city last Friday.

One rural village had less than 25 people left.

The landscape is pockmarked with cluster bomb cassettes sticking out of the ground like some new crop.

The danger of mines if very real.

A Ukrainian tank platoon was stopped in their tracks after one hit a mine that blew it off the road.

Mine clearance will be going on for months and years to come.

Heavy Russian bombing destroyed the city-wide water and electrical systems in Mykolaiv, a riverfront town important to the Ukrainian shipping industry.

Drinking water must be hand carried from local distribution spots – most homes go without heating.

It will be a long time before the city recovers fully, but for now, people are breathing a sign of relief.

With the surprising retreat of Russian troops from Kherson, celebrations broke out in Kyiv and other cities around the country.

Leaving the celebrations for a six-hour train ride to Odesa and on to Mykolaiv, a riverfront town important to the Ukrainian shipping industry.

Driving north out of Kyiv, signs of war remain, including checkpoints, bunkers and burned-down buildings.

The village of Borodyanka, which I visited in April as mass graves were being uncovered, has come back to life despite devastating damage along Center Street.

Mothers stroll with baby carriages while children play in the shadow of ruins. Coffee huts, food stalls and barber shops are open for business even as the power goes off and on due to shortages.

With winter on its way, many residents are busy sealing broken windows and doors to keep out the cold.

But everyone stops what they are doing as a funeral procession for a local soldier killed in action moves slowly down Center Street. They kneel along the curb to pay respect to yet another fallen soldier, father and friend from their community.

The residents of Borodyanka have lost so much, but say they will rebuild the city they love.

Darkness comes early in Kyiv at this time of year, along with the cold, long nights. The city is home to some 3 million people, many who have come seeking safety from the war.

Most leave work after dark, and often take their time heading home, stopping at the surprising number of restaurants open around town.

It’s not what you would expect in a country at war, but Ukrainians pride themselves on not letting the war define their existence.

Life goes on as normally as possible.