Tonight, Russia and Ukraine are feeling the strain of their brutal two-months-old war. Once again, the Kremlin latest advance is being slowed by fierce resistance. And for Ukrainians, this is what victory looks like. This is Kharkiv, today back in Ukrainian control after being pounded by Russian strikes. The war and its losses, proving unimaginably costly for all.

A glimmer of hope for the Mariupol steel mill, Ukrainian media is reporting that twenty civilians that have been evacuated to safety. But many more remain trapped inside. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President has warned that the country’s nuclear facilities remain at high risk. It was thirty-six years ago this week, an explosion at Chernobyl blew one-thousand-ton lid right off reactor number 4, killing thirty-one people. Decades later at a memorial honoring the dead, these are the survivors, now not of one catastrophe but of two. They targeted nuclear facilities with tanks and repeatedly launched low altitude missiles directly over nuclear reactors. Take Chernobyl, which Russian forces captured for a month. Local media says those who are rescued from Mariupol steel plant were all injured women and children now many more injured soldiers remain trapped inside, some suffering from gangrene and amputations without enough bandages to go around.

Covid infections are rising again in every corner of the country. Cases are up fifty two percent over the last two weeks. Hospitalizations have also increased by fourteen percent.

:::tip gangrene

• : local death of soft tissues due to loss of blood supply. 沥青路

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:::tip amaputation

• : removal of body parts. 截肢

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