What does war look like beyond the headlines? The War in Ukraine Showcase brings together powerful stories from across Europe that explore the human, social, and cultural impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. From life on the front line and forced displacement to resilience, identity, love, grief, and solidarity, the articles reveal how war reshapes everyday lives far beyond the battlefield. Through cross-border journalism and personal testimonies, the showcase highlights both the devastating consequences of war and the extraordinary strength of those living through it. Together, these stories offer a deeper understanding of a conflict that continues to transform Ukraine and Europe alike.
Citráková reflects on the 61st Venice Biennale as a stage where contemporary art and geopolitical crisis collide. Amid protests, strikes, and institutional scandals, the exhibition reveals how deeply today’s art world is entangled with war, nationalism, censorship, and the collapse of cultural neutrality.
Author: Viktória Citráková
Medium: Kapitál
Original title: Príďte kvôli umeniu, zostaňte kvôli geopolitickému kolapsu. Politický rozmer 61. Benátskeho bienále
Photographer Sitara Rajh lives and works in Ukraine - sometimes right on the front line. She actually writes down all the words, sentences and fragments of thought published here in a little book that accompanies her on almost all her research trips. On JÁDU she offers a personal insight into her everyday life in a country at war.
Author: Sitara Celina Rajh
Medium: JÁDU
„Wie gewöhnt man sich überhaupt an Krieg?“: Tagebuch einer Kriegsfotografin
Whilst professional football teams represent Ukraine abroad, back home in villages and small towns, football is often not just a sport, but also a form of mutual emotional support. Vasyl, a coach and veteran, explains how amateur football brings people together in small communities across the Odesa Oblast and provides them with a sense of belonging.
Author: Yevhenii Nazarenko
Medium: JÁDU
Original title: Грати, аби жити: як ветеран відроджує футбол в українському селі
What is it like when life brings you together with someone who was driven from their home by an occupation? When you spend hours traveling just to see a loved one? And why do some people return to danger while others flee from it? In this reportage from Kyiv at Christmas, I try to convey what life is like in the Ukrainian capital for those who have been affected by the Russian invasion for more than four years now, and I explore how to maintain resilience in the face of war. Is it even possible to understand the chasm between Prague and Donetsk? And to bridge it?
Author: Maja Rysová
Medium: Revue Prostor
Original title: Překročit propast mezi Prahou a Doněckem. Kyjiv jako průsečík perspektiv
Based on interviews with young Lithuanians, the text explores how living near a potential frontline shapes identity, fear, and everyday life. It captures different coping strategies—from military preparedness to emotional distancing—while highlighting “total defence” as both practical readiness and psychological resilience in a Europe marked by war.
Author: Viktória Citráková
Medium: Kapitál
„Užívam si zdravé telo a mier, ešte kým trvajú.“ Pohľady mladých ľudí z Litvy na vojnu
They build houses, keep them tidy, care for the sick, and keep Czech industry running. Ukrainian residents are indispensable to Czech society—but only until they grow old. Instead of enjoying their retirement, seniors face an indifferent system that lacks respect for their dignity. Yet examples from Finland and Poland show that a lifetime of work can be rewarded more fairly.
Author: Roman Berežanský
Medium: Revue Prostor
Ukrajinští penzisté a penzistky v Česku čelí obtížnému stáří
This opinion piece argues that Europe is often wrongly perceived as weak and indecisive in the face of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The author contends that Europe has in fact undergone significant transformation and now possesses substantial political, economic, and military leverage. The key challenge is not a lack of capacity, but a lack of strategic decisiveness. The article explores tensions between European and American approaches to security, critiques narratives coming from Moscow, Washington, and Kyiv, and calls for Europe to more assertively define and execute its own strategy in the conflict.
Author: Filip Rudnik
Medium: Kultura Liberalna
Original title: Europa ma karty w wojnie z Rosją. Czas zdecydować, jak je rozegrać
This personal essay by a Ukrainian author living in Poland explores experiences of migration, identity, and belonging in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The author recounts her journey from Lviv to Warsaw, her initial hesitation about settling abroad, and the circumstances that forced her to leave Ukraine in February 2022. The text reflects on Polish-Ukrainian relations, everyday solidarity, cultural proximity, and challenges of integration. It highlights both emotional and practical aspects of displacement, including language barriers, bureaucratic hurdles, and evolving perceptions of Ukrainians in Polish society.
Author: Nataliya Parshchyk
Kultura Liberalna
Original title: Pytają mnie, czy Polacy jeszcze lubią Ukraińców. Ja tu mam drugi dom
This article examines how the war in Ukraine has reshaped the political meaning of contemporary art at the Venice Biennale. It focuses on the controversy around Russia’s planned return to the 61st Biennale despite its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the protests against that decision, and the Ukrainian project Security Guarantees, which reflects on the collapse of international security assurances such as the Budapest Memorandum. The article also discusses Open Group’s anti-war installation Repeat After Me II, presented at the Polish Pavilion in 2024, where displaced Ukrainians reproduce the sounds of war from memory. More broadly, the piece argues that art can no longer be separated from geopolitics, violence, solidarity, and questions of cultural representation in Europe.
Author: Nataliya Parshchyk
Medium: Kultura Liberalna
Original title: Gwarancje bezpieczeństwa? SSHHHHHSSSSSSSHHHSSSSH – tak leci rakieta
Culture and Identity
Alina Otzemko by the cenotaph of her husband, fot. Y. Surkova
A reported feature on how Russia’s war against Ukraine has disrupted traditional burial and mourning practices. Through cases such as empty graves (cenotaphs), destroyed cemeteries, missing bodies, improvised memorial rituals, and the emergence of “death doulas, ” the article shows how Ukrainians are creating new forms of remembrance under conditions of occupation, displacement, and mass loss. It combines personal testimony, social observation, and reflections on memory, grief, religion, and public commemoration.
Author: Yulia Surkova
Medium: Kultura Liberalna
Original title: Jak wojna zmieniła rytuały żałobne w Ukrainie
Pavel Talankin is an ordinary man who had the opportunity to document the military indoctrination of elementary schools in Russia mandated by the state. A teacher whose former students went to war against Ukraine. A Russian who decided to take action and secretly smuggle his recordings into Europe. Interview with "Mr nobody against Putin".
Author: Ella Katrovasová
Medium: Jádu
Original title: Ruská opozice, propaganda a kolektivní zodpovědnost
After Aleksandra Veresova (24) crossed the border, the war followed. She and around 30 percent of Ukrainian refugees have been affected by war-induced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Now living in Denmark, Aleksandra tries to balance adapting to Danish society and dealing with trauma.
Why would a young woman, with the whole world of possibilities ahead of her, put a 30-kilogram backpack on her shoulders and go sleep in the forest? Or maybe it’s not as scary as it sounds?
Author: Jana Vorontsova
Medium: NARVAMUS
Original title: «Нельзя думать, что ты не справишься»: зачем женщины идут в эстонскую армию?
As the full-scale war continues into its fifth year, for some Ukrainian women sex is becoming the only commodity they can offer in exchange for survival. But in war, where is the line between free choice and coercion?
Authors: Sigita Vegytė, Denis Vėjas
Medium: NARA
Original title: Už išgyvenimą kare jos moka kūnais
When many men go off to war, women take over jobs that were previously dominated by men. This is how gender equality is being born in Ukrainian factories. Men used to dominate the fields of metallurgy, logistics, mining, agriculture, defense, IT, and construction. After the Russia’s full-scale invasion, these sectors began to face labor shortages. Women are stepping in to replace them.
For the whole world, Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine has long been associated with war, shelling and the constant threat of Russian occupation. But for thousands of Ukrainian couples, this city just 15 kilometres from the front line has become a place of meeting and parting, of grief and love.
Author: Yulia Surkova
Medium: JÁDU
Original title: Краматорськ — місто побачень | Кохання на лінії фронту
