When reporting from Ukraine's front line, the facts don't always tell the whole story | Charlotte Higgins

When reporting from Ukraine’s front line, the article argues that facts alone often fail to convey what wartime life feels like. Charlotte Higgins describes returning from a month in Ukraine after traveling regularly since 2022, covering the conflict through culture, including how artists shape future memory, and how language, history, and identity are implicated. She recounts incidents in places such as Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, and the Mykolaiv region, including a woman killed by drone shrapnel in Odesa and the Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv catching fire after a drone hit it. The piece explains that while reporters must discipline emotion, feelings still play an epistemic role that can later surface in private recollections. It contrasts frontline experience with headlines about success and memes.