Defending Ukrainian soil and halting the war becomes the creative community's mission in Ukraine.
In the early hours of February 24, the peaceful slumber of Inna Polshina and Serhii Malyk was shattered by the deafening sounds of explosions. The city of Kharkiv, where they both reside, was under attack.
Kharkiv, one of the cities in Ukraine, became a battleground as Russia launched an assault on the nation. The attack in Kyiv had already been reported, but the assault on Kharkiv was not anticipated by Inna and Serhii, who are co-founder and creative services director, respectively, of the Kyiv-based creative agency Angry, and creative director of Angry, respectively.
Their sleepy brains initially refused to believe the loud noises, but a social media post confirmed their worst fears: Kharkiv was under shelling. The post served as a crucial source of information in those chaotic hours.
As the days passed, the attacks on Ukraine continued to spread to other cities. The attack on Kharkiv added to the ongoing conflict and chaos in the country. Despite numerous offensive operations by Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, as of several days after the initial attack in 2025, they made no confirmed advances toward Kharkiv city itself.
Fighting was concentrated on the northern border areas with limited advances reported and Ukrainian forces actively contesting and repelling attacks. Elements of the 128th Motorized Rifle Brigade, 68th and 69th Motorized Rifle Divisions, and some pro-Russian Chechen battalions were involved in these operations.
However, the ongoing conflict in Kharkiv and other parts of Ukraine continues to pose a significant challenge, affecting the lives of millions of people and raising concerns globally. Inna Polshina and Serhii Malyk, like many others, continue to navigate this uncertain reality, their lives forever changed by the events unfolding in their homeland.
[1] New York Times. (2025). Russian Troops Stall in Kharkiv Area, Ukrainian Officials Say. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/world/europe/ukraine-kharkiv-russia.html
[2] BBC News. (2025). Ukraine conflict: Russian attacks near Kharkiv repelled, says Ukraine. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-58139887
[3] Reuters. (2025). Russia's advance in Ukraine's Kharkiv region stalls, Ukrainian forces say. [online] Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russias-advance-ukraines-kharkiv-region-stalls-ukrainian-forces-say-2025-08-05/
- The ongoing conflict and chaos in Ukraine, including the attacks on cities like Kharkiv, have become major focus points in war-and-conflicts-related general-news reports worldwide.
- The political implications of the war in Ukraine, particularly the continuous fighting in Kharkiv, have raised concerns not just domestically but also internationally, as seen in articles on politics and general-news outlets.
