After a classmate was killed in his hometown of Bakhmut — the longest and bloodiest battle in Russia's war on Ukraine — a rescue worker volunteered to evacuate people from the front lines.
Russia has claimed victory in the invasion's longest battle, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the fight for Bakhmut was not over. "We are not throwing people (away) to die," he said.
Built largely with Western donations, the spa-like retreat provides soldiers with counseling, aromatherapy and more. But most soldiers are there for no more than a week.
Photographer Natalie Keyssar recounts the work of The Angels of Salvation, a group of volunteers dedicated to bringing aid to and helping to evacuate civilians in Ukraine's Donetsk region.
