The roots of Russia's invasion of Ukraine go back decades and run deep The current conflict is more than one country fighting to take over another; it is — in the words of one U.S official — a shift in "the world order."Here are some helpful stories to make sense of it all Ukraine — It's still dark when the busload of miners arrives for the morning shift at this small city in eastern Ukraine's coal country Among the workers is 36-year-old Iryna Ostanko smiling at her fellow coal workers in the cold dawn as they walk to the mine "I used to work as an accountant," she says Also heading to the mine is Ostanko's colleague and she was a housewife until earlier this year he wasn't thrilled that I took this job," she says "But now he sees that I can do the work well Many male miners working underground joined the military early in the war and Male-dominated industries such as steel plants and coal mines lost so many workers that the industries faced massive production drops So DTEK and other mining companies advertised that the jobs were now open to women Now hundreds of Ukrainian women work underground at coal mines part of a wartime drive to keep Ukraine operating DTEK says women now make up roughly 5% of its workforce launched a similar drive during World War II as women worked to support the war effort in factories and shipyards She recalls how her father would return home from work the coal dust lining his lids like thick eyeliner "I saw how tired my dad was when he came home," she says "But it's also the most important work here We live in a region where no industry is more stable than coal." she was nervous to tell her father when she applied I told him in a trembling voice that it looks like I got the job and would start training underground," she says Ostanko and Medvedenko check in with the mine manager where they change out of street clothes and into protective suits They walk along the mine's subterranean pathways They're in charge of coordinating the transportation of equipment and cargo around the mine Medvedenko climbs into a compartment along the track checks the dials on a dashboard and turns on an engine Her husband and other miners who have not joined the military or been conscripted have helped her learn the job quickly "We are all doing what we can to survive this terrible war," she says The men working underground say they have now gotten used to working alongside female colleagues says he wouldn't like it if his own wife worked there They should stay home and raise children." Still "The women who work here do their job pretty well Val and the other men operate heavy machinery like jackhammers and a combine that digs out coal Female coal workers focus more on logistics and are not assigned heavy labor two women working on the surface of a large mine were killed after a Russian attack Russian forces have repeatedly targeted Ukraine's coal country The industry produced about 7 million metric tons in the past year roughly a third of what it produced before Russia's full-scale invasion A couple of strikes in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region last year trapped miners underground for a few hours but they got out safely works at the repair shop at the Ternivka mine she says she's often been the only woman at the repair shop I've gotten really good at my job and I don't want to brag but I think I'm better than the men," she says "The thing about her is that she's focused," he says "I'm happy to see women finally working underground here," Riabova says "I don't know if I would like to do it myself She says she hopes Ukraine keeps underground mining jobs open for women after the war "This country needs women to rebuild it," she says The underground coal workers finish their six-hour shift in the early afternoon Iryna Ostanko waits in a nearby park for the bus though he's away to assist on another coal mine for a few days She remembers how he came to her home when he was 12 Andrii has been working at the coal mine since he was 18 With a new conscription drive on the horizon she worries that more miners will be drafted "I know that if he's called up to join the army she passes a giant DTEK billboard celebrating the new face of Ukraine's coal miners One of the faces on that billboard is hers Hanna Palamarenko and Tania Burianova contributed reporting from Ternivka Become an NPR sponsor Covid-19 took her mother and her husband two years ago Russian artillery took her father and her oldest son this spring “I’ve immersed myself in my work,” she says 480 metres under the outskirts of Ternivka The whites of her eyes glow in the surrounding darkness the site of one of the war’s most vicious battles was a dance teacher at a boarding school for impoverished children with her former house and hometown destroyed This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Dancer in the dark” Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents George Simion will face Nicusor Dan, a mainstream candidate, in a run-off There are five luxuries it can no longer feasibly afford Friedrich Merz’s career is one of unforced errors and puzzling missteps. But he is serious about Europe Both Donald Trump and Ukraine’s diplomats will consider it a success more and more of the country’s men have been called on to defend their country’s sovereignty This has meant substantially greater numbers of women are drawn into nontraditional jobs in coal mines “I used to work as an accountant,” coal miner Iryna Ostanko opened up.” She works day shift at the coal mine in Ternivka a small city in eastern Ukraine’s coal country “wasn’t thrilled that I took this job,” she said but now he “puts up with it.” Ostanko’s father was glad to hear she had got such a good job one of a number of industrial companies run by one of Ukraine’s richest people both machine operators working 870 feet underground symbolize how much the war has changed Ukraine’s workforce a decades-old law prohibited women from working in “harmful and dangerous conditions,” including underground jobs in the mines Within a few months after Putin’s invasion Kyiv lifted the ban as the shortage of workers grew Many male miners volunteered for the army at the onset of war with more joining or being conscripted since Steel plants and coal mines faced growing shortages of workers and production fell sharply as coal bosses try to keep up wartime production Moscow’s intensified drive to seize the entire Donbas the heart of Ukraine’s historical industrial region is putting significant pressure on Ukraine’s coal supply essential for the country’s steel works and export trade Russian forces keep pressing daily attacks on the coal mining center of Pokrovsk After many miners joined the fighting or left for safer jobs 1,000 of the most resilient and dedicated workers kept the mine operating Ukraine’s last internal source of coking coal One entrance to the mine was recently closed as Russian forces got closer then travel 6 miles through underground tunnels for two hours to get to the coal face They rode the coal conveyors out again at shift’s end was blown up to prevent advancing Russian troops from using it she passes a giant DTEK billboard celebrating “the new face of Ukraine’s coal miners.” One of the faces is hers.