It was an unequivocal warning from an intelligence source that the war would start that night. Emma remained in Kyiv, part of our team covering the initial Russian attack on the capital. Four years later, millions of Ukrainians have been forced to adapt to the grim reality of living in a war zone. Behind-the-scenes intelligence gamesView image in fullscreen President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the media in Bucha, outside Kyiv in 2022. Two totally different starting pointsView image in fullscreen A poster of Putin being used as target practice in Ukraine’s Luhansk region in early 2022.

Source: The Guardian February 25, 2026 20:05 UTC