Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on Aug. 20, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. Imagine getting married anywhere in the world – not in a registry office or a church, but with just a smartphone and the Ukrainian app, Diia. Roman Lozynskyi and Svitlana Kisilova became the first Ukrainian couple to marry online, thanks to Diia, an ap

Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on June 27, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. When the explosions hit the thermal power plant, senior machinist Ihor* was at home, preparing for his shift. Living close to the plant, he heard the explosions clearly. Unlike most, Ihor moved toward the explosions. "One day you come in and see everyt

Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on April 29, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. While most Ukrainians take shelter during Russian attacks, Ukrainian soldier Kostiantyn Chernyshov heads toward the drones. In a war of advanced technology, Kostiantyn's tools would be more at home in World War II: he shoots down Russian drones with a

Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on April 11, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. On more than one occasion, I've gotten under the covers utterly exhausted from a day spent working, ready – begging, really – for a good night's rest. And as I begin to drift off to sleep, the air raid alarm goes off, indicating another potential Russi