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Connections
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
Connections

An inside look at the war on Ukraine

By Evan Dawson,
Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published February 5, 2026 at 4:27 PM EST
Two people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a man at left has short dark hair and is wearing a white button-down shirt; a woman at right has long blonde hair and wears a beige blazer over a white shirt.
1 of 7  — Elena Dilai with host Evan Dawson on "Connections"
Elena Dilai with guest host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Thursday, February 5, 2026
Gary Pudup / WXXI News
A man wearing a hat and bulletproof vest stands outside.
2 of 7  — Mikhail Gershteyn
Mikhail Gershteyn
Provided
A city street in Kyiv, Ukraine
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A city street in Kyiv, Ukraine
Mikhail Gershteyn / Provided
A city street in Kyiv, Ukraine
4 of 7  — 20260202_160140.jpg
A city street in Kyiv, Ukraine
Mikhail Gershteyn / Provided
People in line in Ukraine for clear drinking water.
5 of 7  — 1000033059.jpg
People in line in Ukraine for clear drinking water
Mikhail Gershteyn / Provided
The aftermath of war in Kyiv, Ukraine.
6 of 7  — 1000032555.jpg
The aftermath of war in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Mikhail Gershteyn / WXXI News
Buildings in Kyiv, Ukraine
7 of 7  — IMG_20260130_083838_418 (1).jpg
Buildings in Kyiv, Ukraine
Mikhail Gershteyn / WXXI News
WXXI News

What is it like to document Russia's war on Ukraine...in Ukraine?

Our WXXI colleague Mikhail Gershteyn is in his native country, covering the latest on the ground.

From partial blackouts to missile and drone attacks, he joins us from Khmelnytskyi to give us a firsthand look at the war and how it's affecting Ukrainians.

Our guests:

Connections
Evan Dawson
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
See stories by Evan Dawson
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams