People play football on a football pitch in the town of Izium, in the eastern Kharkiv region on July 29, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In Izium, Ukraine's scarred gateway to the eastern front, residents are trying to hold on to normal life as Russian forces move closer. The city was occupied for six months at the start of Russia's 2022 invasion with the fighting leaving deep physical and psychological scars. Now, months of grinding advances have brought the Russian troops to within 30 kilometres (18 miles) of the city again. (Photo by Roman PILIPEY / AFP via Getty Images)