Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014, keeping diaries has become an essential way of documenting wartime experiences and witnessing the historical rupture. This monthly project collects sketches from the INDEX community members (or “narysy” in Ukrainian) from their time in Lviv, their observations during fieldwork across the country, memories, and reflections that offer a glimpse into daily life in Ukraine.
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This is a hauntingly typical story of a Ukrainian woman living a full life amidst constant shelling, nightly descents into the underground, and the grim calculations of exactly what, and how many, missiles are headed for her city today.
How important is it to tell the story of Ukrainians as a nation at war without losing sight of individual tragedies, losses, love, joy, heartbreak, destitution, despair, and resistance against all odds?
This essay examines two characteristic responses of the Western left to the war in Ukraine—responses that, while often justified by moral concern, cause deep moral and intellectual confusion with real political consequences: the peacenik and the anti-imperialist.
Emmet Brett (a pseudonym used for the author's personal safety) — is a British veteran of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In this text, he shares his reflections on the war and the recruitment process from the perspective of a foreign volunteer veteran.
The INDEX board member, and political scientist Mariia Shynkarenko shared her thoughts on the role Maidan played for our future, and what we've learned along the way.
In her narys, ‘To Know Donbas’, Dr Channell-Justice shares memories of cities she has never visited herself, yet knows intimately through the interviews with locals during ethnographic research of the region and studies of internal displacement in Ukraine.
By Iryna Zaporozhets, a member of the NGO "Civilians in Captivity." After Russian forces abducted her father, she became active in advocating for the rights and release of unlawfully detained Ukrainian civilians.
Eva Peek, Victoria Amelina Fellow 2025 at INDEX and Dutch journalist, writes about the emotional and existential complexity of her time in Ukraine.
A text by the Raphael Lemkin Society, dedicated to the jurist who coined the term genocide — a reminder of why naming and recognising mass crimes remains essential for justice today.
INDEX’s Veteran Fellow Yevhen Shybalov argues that only honest, uncensored testimonies of those who fought can prevent future generations from inheriting dangerous myths instead of real knowledge.
Oleksii (Nemo) Palyanychka keeps diaries between theatre criticism and army service, searching for words amidst chaos and silence.
Maria Banko collects recipes and air-raid siren recordings, turning ordinary actions into a way to endure constant tension.
