Ukrainian families and utility workers grapple with frontline combat and nearby missile threats
Andrij, a 48‑year‑old electrician in Kherson, says he cannot leave his 76‑year‑old mother, who suffers from a severe form of multiple sclerosis, and continues to fix the city’s electrical grid after artillery and drone attacks. When power outages occur, water pressure drops, leaving many without water and prompting the use of public water stations or generator‑powered pumps. Repair teams are dispatched immediately after attacks subside, and Andrij praises the dedication of utility staff, including gas‑plant workers.
Meanwhile, Yevheniy Borysenko, a 35‑year‑old artilleryman with the 43rd Separate Artillery Brigade, is stationed in the contested Donetsk region, seeing his wife Alina and their two daughters in Boryspil only during brief home‑leave periods. Recent Russian drone and missile raids have struck apartments near their home, underscoring the danger that reaches far beyond the front line.
How this was covered
- The two sides describe this in almost entirely different words
Why it matters
The story illustrates how ordinary Ukrainians keep essential services running and cope with family separation while war threats affect daily life across the country.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTCenter coverage highlights ordinary Ukrainians’ perseverance and personal stories of daily life amid war, while right-leaning coverage stresses the escalating hardship, danger and criticism of resilience narratives.
CENTER
Center coverage emphasizes ordinary families’ perseverance and the personal toll of war on daily life.
RIGHT
Right coverage stresses growing civilian hardship, danger and skepticism toward heroic narratives.
The right emphasises
- “For Ukrainians, a Bad Peace Beats a Worsening War”
- “cocktail of drones, ballistic missiles and guided aerial bombs” - “Russian Roulette”
- political battle over the narrative of victory
How this story developed
- Sep 17 Humanitarian collapse grips Russian-occupied Oleshky as food, medicine and evacuations halt
- Sep 25 A Ukrainian artilleryman’s wife and their two daughters live in Boryspil while he serves on the front in Donetsk, facing both battlefield danger and increasing missile attacks on their city.
- Sep 26 Russia has refused ICRC‑facilitated evacuations for Oleshky residents.
- Sep 28 The last ground convoy reached Oleshky on May 26, and no further deliveries have been reported.
- Oct 11 Recent Russian drone and missile raids have struck apartments near the family’s home in Boryspil.
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