Ukrainian cyclist Danylo Chernomortsev had just turned 16 when Russia began its full-scale invasion of his country in February 2022. His hometown, the southern city of Mykolaiv, was battered by the invading force’s artillery from day one. “A lot of Russian machines and tanks came to Mykolaiv, tried to surround the city and take it. We watched so many tanks go past our house,” he says.
Russia failed to seize Mykolaiv, but for the past two-and-a-bit years, the city has remained one of Vladimir Putin’s key targets. Ordinary people have paid the price – including one of Chernomortsev’s closest friends Petro Ivanov. “Seven months after the war, my friend, who was 16 like me, was coming back from school when a Russian missile killed him in the centre of the city. No one can replace him.”
