The Civilian Battlefield – Kyiv’s First Responders - Photo Essay
In his latest photo essay, journalist and photographer Christopher Skelly steps inside Kyiv’s most perilous moments, capturing the men and women who hold the city together as missiles and drones fall from the night sky. His images reveal not only the scale of destruction, but the unwavering resolve of those who run toward the danger. Through Skelly’s lens, we witness the frontline of a war fought far from the trenches—inside the streets, homes, and lives of ordinary citizens.
Kyiv has endured some of its most devastating attacks, with nights seeing over 400 drones and dozens of cruise missiles sent to strike the city. Collectively, these attacks resulted in multiple civilian deaths and dozens more injured, a number that would’ve undoubtedly been higher if not for these brave men and women. Clad in Kevlar and body armor, and armed with hoses and gurneys, they are the First Responders of Kyiv. These firefighters and medical professionals put their lives on the line, morning and night, to save their city and people from ruin. They are the last line of defense and the unsung heroes of the war.
They rush to impact sites amid incoming enemy ordinance (Shahed drones, cruise missiles, and glide bombs), and once on site, the risk increases exponentially. Russia consistently targets first responders with a method referred to as “Double Tapping,” where they deliberately hit an already impacted building. This degree of danger is something few emergency workers have ever had to train for.
Multiple strikes hit the city simultaneously, they strikes by severity and dividing their efforts. Firefighters may work to extinguish flames from midnight well into the afternoon, rotating off one at a time, if at all. This enables rescuers to evacuate victims and get them to a higher echelon of care.
In Kyiv, the frontline isn’t decided by a line of trenches or fortifications, but by schools, hospitals, and apartment buildings. A war within a war, and these first responders are its warriors. When nightly bombardments of Ukraine’s capital city threaten the lives of millions, they are the only ones standing between death and life.
