The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak

Home
Notes
Chat
Archive
Leaderboard
About
Human costs add up as Polish truckers blockade Ukraine
As the hours drag on in a 40+ mile line, Taras can’t help but think about his daughter and their growing bills. Meanwhile, Myroslava brings us to an…
 • 
Alessandra Hay
, 
Tim Mak
, and 
Myroslava Tanska-Vikulova
11
Saved by a Journalist
A Journey Through Lifesaving Friendship and Ukraine's Unheard Stories
Published on Ron Actual • 
What are we doing wrong?
Take your best shot. For the first time, The Counteroffensive is opening up comments to everyone, free or paid, to get a better sense of our readers…
 • 
Tim Mak
232
The Ukrainian nuns occupying Putin’s favorite church in Jerusalem
The Kremlin desperately wants control of it, and to kick out the Ukrainians praying inside. And Myroslava reflects on the sense of betrayal that many…
 • 
Iryna Matviyishyn
, 
Joseph Roche
, 
Tim Mak
, and 
Myroslava Tanska-Vikulova
29
The Great Ukrainian Cheese Heist
How cheese was transported out of a country at war, jumping over bureaucratic hurdles, making it to the World Cheese Awards in Norway. And Alessandra…
 • 
Felicity Spector
, 
Tim Mak
, and 
Alessandra Hay
14
Most Popular
View all
The First Substack Dedicated Exclusively to War Correspondence
 • Tim Mak
65
NEWSFLASH: Russia wracked by rebellion; Putin denounces “treason” in emergency speech
 • Tim Mak, Christopher Allbritton, William Glover Weiss, and Ross Pelekh
31
The Russian mines slowing Ukraine’s counteroffensive, and those fighting to neutralize them
 • Ryan McBeth and Tim Mak
24
How to talk to your Republican uncle about Ukraine
 • Tim Mak
50
Sign up now to receive intimate, human-first dispatches from the war.

Recent posts

View all
The other Russian war the world forgot
Due in part to Russian intervention, the Syrian Civil War has gone on for more than a decade. Reporting from the Turkish-Syrian border, we talk to…
 • 
Tim Mak
 and 
Alessandra Hay
15
What it feels like to lose a limb in war: “When I woke up, there was no shock. I knew.”
Thousands of Ukrainians have lost limbs. We visited the Superhumans prosthetics center, which restores function, and also hope. And Ross finds he can't…
 • 
Myroslava Tanska-Vikulova
, 
Tim Mak
, and 
Ross Pelekh
14
The liberation of Kherson, and what it cost one teenager
A year ago this weekend, Kherson was freed. Chipka turned 19 as the war began. He helped liberate the city, but combat with the Russian army engulfed…
 • 
Myroslava Tanska-Vikulova
 and 
Alessandra Hay
16
She dealt art to Russians… then realized a dark truth about the money.
Nika was an art dealer, working with many wealthy Russians. We examine why she abandoned the industry. And, we talk to a teacher in Zaporizhzhia about…
 • 
Alessandra Hay
 and 
Myroslava Tanska-Vikulova
10
A dangerous new phase of the Ukraine war
The mood in Kyiv is strained, as reality sets in: the war will not end in the near future, the counteroffensive will not achieve a large breakthrough…
 • 
Tim Mak
, 
Myroslava Tanska-Vikulova
, and 
Ross Pelekh
56
The commander raising a Crimean battalion to take it back from the Russians
Crimea, with its strategic location, is a central focus in this war. In this issue from Kyiv and Istanbul, we examine the profound connections that…
 • 
Joseph Roche
, 
Tim Mak
, and 
Alessandra Hay
11
When speaking Ukrainian can get you killed
Every year the country holds a dictation contest, to test listeners on their knowledge of Ukrainian. In today’s issue we explore the deep emotional…
 • 
Myroslava Tanska-Vikulova
, 
Tim Mak
, and 
Ross Pelekh
21
© 2023 Tim Mak
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing