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DISPATCHES
Welcome to Dispatches, where we share compelling stories from our projects around the world and offer a behind-the-scenes look at our creative process, featuring insights from journalists in the field.
Baba-Yaha: The Drone That Haunts the Russian Front
As night falls over the abandoned villages of eastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian drone team readies their “Vampire,” a modified hexacopter capable of long-range strikes and resupply missions. Russian troops have given it a name drawn from Slavic folklore — Baba-Yaha, the dread crone. In the open steppe, where light disappears and artillery is constant, this legend has returned in the shape of a machine.
Squall Unit: Prison Soldiers Fighting for Ukraine
By Robert Spangle
Drawn from prison cells and thrown into Ukraine’s bloodiest battles, the men of Squall fight at the most dangerous points on the Eastern Front — assaulting trenches, holding ground under fire, and seeking redemption in war.