The White Angels: Evacuating Civilians from Ukraine’s Grey Zone

In Ukraine’s northeast, where Russian drones circle overhead and artillery tears apart entire villages, a small group of police officers known as the White Angels carry out one of the most dangerous missions of the war: evacuating civilians who cannot escape on their own.In this episode of The Observer Show, photographer and correspondent Robert Spangle embeds with the unit as they race through the shattered outskirts of Sumy. Their task: reach the elderly and infirm before the next barrage or loitering drone arrives. What begins as quiet countryside becomes a gauntlet of bombardment, panic, and split-second decisions as the team navigates collapsing neighborhoods and residents who must choose—stay and risk death, or flee everything they’ve ever known.