The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak

The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak

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The ‘Red Beaches’ of a Taiwan invasion
These are where Taiwan believes China could land troops. We visit them — and embed with the Taiwanese military — to explore topography, military…
 • 
Tim Mak
, 
Clara Preve
, and 
Elaine Lin
How Holodomor famine still scars Ukraine food habits
Nearly a century after a famine that killed millions, Ukrainians still carry out practices shaped by that trauma, especially as Russia’s treatment of…
 • 
Veronika Romanova
 and 
Mariana Lastovyria
13
When your hallway becomes a bomb shelter
With U.S. intel warning of “unrelenting” Russian attacks this week, we’ll be sleeping in the corridors. Myroslava shares how it feels to hide there, and…
 • 
Myroslava Tanska-Vikulova
 and 
Mariana Lastovyria
19
NEWSFLASH: Russia's revenge
What it felt like overnight in Kyiv as the Russian dictator lashed out in response to Ukraine's sneak attacks on military targets. This morning, we…
 • 
Tim Mak
, 
Anastasiia Kryvoruchenko
, and 
Mariana Lastovyria
17
Art through the eyes of wartime children
For children, art can be a therapeutic coping mechanism to help process fear. They help children maintain a connection to home, whether under fire or in…
 • 
Myroslava Tanska-Vikulova
 and 
Veronika Romanova
14
NEWSFLASH: SBU explosion damages Kerch bridge
Another covert mission: the bridge between Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea has been a symbol of the war – not to mention a vital logistics link for…
 • 
Mariana Lastovyria
, 
Yelyzaveta Tkachenko
, and 
Tim Mak
10
NEWSFLASH: Russian airfields burning after massive, covert Ukrainian assault
After days of Ukraine getting pounded by drones/missiles, a secret Ukrainian attack launched from Russian territory struck 4+ airfields, part of a wider…
 • 
Clara Preve
, 
Mariana Lastovyria
, and 
Tim Mak
31

May 2025

How Ukrainian linguists prepare the country’s spies
While Ukrainian diplomats in Istanbul pretended not to understand Russian during negotiations, the Ukrainian special services exploit that knowledge in…
 • 
Mariana Lastovyria
13
Stolen youth: how Ukrainian students pass exams in bomb shelters
Yes, a Russian drone crashed into a university dormitory this weekend. No, exam period isn’t cancelled. Our interns: still writing.
 • 
Zoriana Semenovych
, 
Artem Moskalenko
, and 
Veronika Romanova
17
Inside Ukraine’s secret, hidden apartment concerts
In the USSR, everything was behind closed doors — even music concerts, as they were considered a threat to the regime. Veronika attends one of the…
 • 
Veronika Romanova
 and 
Mariana Lastovyria
13
NEWSFLASH: Ukraine and Russia hold largest exchange of prisoners since 2014
390 prisoners of war for each side were released on Friday, as part of the largest agreement between Ukraine and Russia since the war began. About 1000…
 • 
Artem Moskalenko
, 
Veronika Romanova
, and 
Myroslava Tanska-Vikulova
9
The Ukrainian roots of Mixed Martial Arts’ most feared Russian fighters
The career of the former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is often seen as an icon of Russian power, can actually be traced back to…
 • 
Yelyzaveta Tkachenko
, 
Veronika Romanova
, and 
Anastasiia Kryvoruchenko
8
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