Born Then2022–2025
Life during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Be born in a place it hit, a few years before it began, and see what it did to five ordinary lives.
What it meant for ordinary people
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, after occupying Crimea and parts of the Donbas since 2014. Millions of Ukrainians fled abroad, mostly women and children, while men of military age were barred from leaving.
Deaths: tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers and many more Russian soldiers, by most estimates; exact totals are uncertain.
How hard it hits each person in the game (risk of death, of being conscripted, of leaving) comes from scholarly estimates.
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