{
  "id": 7588645,
  "title": "As Russia closes in on Sloviansk, this taxi driver keeps working",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/as-russia-closes-in-on-sloviansk-this-taxi-driver-keeps-working",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-15T16:18:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Kyiv Independent",
    "slug": "kyiv-independent",
    "url": "https://kyivindependent.com/fear-never-leaves-you-inside-a-life-of-sloviansk-taxi-driver/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sloviansk, in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, is under increasing threat from Russian forces as they close in on the city. Oleksandr Richak, a 42-year-old taxi driver, begins his workday at 8 a.m., navigating through the hazardous streets. Nataliia, his wife, provides him with a bottle of lemon water before he sets off. Russian drones have become a significant threat, causing damage to vehicles and homes. Richak and his friend, Ruslan Kuzmenko, a 54-year-old taxi driver, wait at the central bus station for passengers. The city is seeing a wave of residents fleeing due to the deteriorating security situation. Richak, who has a background in the police force, left the city in 2014 when Russian forces occupied Sloviansk. Despite occasional encounters with pro-Russian residents, he remains neutral, wishing them a \"have a nice day.\"",
  "summary": "SLOVIANSK, Donetsk Oblast — From a brick-walled garage that barely fits the blue car parked inside, Oleksandr Richak carefully backs his taxi cab out onto the narrow street. The 42-year-old usually starts work around 8 a.m., once the early-morning rush hour of deadly Russian drone activity in the eastern front-line city subsides. As he briefly parks the car outside a damaged one-story house, his…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Euromaidan Press",
        "title": "Russia keeps hitting Kyiv’s gas stations. Now they get military air-threat tracking",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/russia-keeps-hitting-kyivs-gas-stations-now-they-get-military-air",
        "published": "2026-09-15T16:33:50.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}