Vacation From War

This story captures ten days of a Ukrainian summer camp, rare days of calm that offer a fleeting sense of safety and childhood amid the ongoing war.

On the last day of July 2025, Russia launched an attack on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, one of the bloodiest ones that year: 300 drones and eight missiles killed 31 people. On the same day, 700km away in a camp near the city of Suskovo in western Ukraine, 30 Ukrainian children were roasting marshmallows and playing cards.

Many check their phones one extra time this particularly bloody Thursday. Are their families OK? Their friends?

Most of these children live in Kyiv, but for now, they are at summer camp. During the camp's ten days, there are no air raid alarms, and no one goes to shelters even once. It's the longest period without an alarm or attack for many of these children since February 2022.

It's the Ukrainian couple, Tetiana and Alex Svatenkova, who have welcomed the children to the summer retreat. During the camp's 10 days, there are no air raid alarms, and no one goes to shelters even once. It's the longest period without an alarm or attacks for many of the children since March 2022. The camp is placed in the mountains, which makes it a more difficult target for attacks from drones.