Фотограф і художник Владислав Краснощок, представник нової хвилі Харківської школи фотографії, продовжує документувати російсько-українську війну. На початку повномасштабного російського вторгнення він знімав ситуацію у рідному Харкові та їздив разом із волонтерами на лінію фронту. Він працює над авторськими проєктами, теми яких об’єднуються у велику хроніку війни. Влад розповів про особливості зйомки війни на плівку, про документування роботи бригади армійської авіації та судмедекспертів, а також чому важливо продовжувати працювати над темами, які не одразу можна публікувати в медіа.
— Коли ви почали документувати повномасштабну війну? З яких кадрів усе починалось?
— Документувати війну — це була моя, здавалось, нездійсненна мрія. Проте я не думав, що війна взагалі колись буде в Україні, що можна буде її познімати. Але війнонька прийшла в наш дім і я почав її фотографувати.
Мені потрібно було зробити акредитацію, щоб фотографувати війну. На початку повномасштабного російського вторгнення людину, яка знімає на фотоапарат чи мобільний телефон, хотіли просто вбивати. Усі думали, якщо ти зняв локацію — все, туди одразу прилетить щось… Я починав зі зйомок протитанкових їжаків, руйнувань у рідному місті, російської техніки, яка горіла тут, у Харкові. Фотографував усе, що можна було тоді взагалі спробувати знімати.
Я не думав про користь від цих зйомок. Для мене це було важливо у сенсі документування історії, створення архіву. Я розділив для себе цю війну на окремі аспекти: знімаю одну тему, потім переходжу до наступної та зберігаю знімки у себе в архіві. Можу повертатись до тем, які в мене вже були відзняті, щоб отримати кращі кадри. Коли працюватиму над книгою, то до кожної з тем просто виберу картинки, які візуально сильніші. Інколи просто намагаюся з собою змагатися, щоб зняти найкращі кадри.
— Окрім фотографій, які документують повномасштабне вторгнення, ви пишете тексти, які є щоденником військового фотографа. В одному з таких матеріалів ви згадуєте про поїздку в Сєвєродонецьк. Розкажіть, будь ласка, які кадри ви звідти привезли?
— Спочатку виїжджав на зйомки завжди з волонтерами чи друзями, у яких був хоча б якийсь доступ до місць, де можна було хоч щось зняти. Волонтери привозили місцевим чи військовим необхідні їм речі, а я їхав з ними і паралельно пробував фотографувати. На початку повномасштабної війни таким чином мені вдалось потрапити в місто Лисичанськ, а потім в Сєвєродонецьк. Там уже почались місцеві бої і я був здивований, що волонтери взагалі туди поїхали. Коли там було дуже небезпечно, ці люди повезли в Сєвєродонецьк корм для кішок. Там така була обстановка, що знімати, здавалось, взагалі неможливо. Усе пройшло дуже швидко. Поїздка була радше для того, щоб запам’ятати свої відчуття та все, що там відбувалось.
Звісно, декілька кадрів зробити вдалося. Проте у мене була лише одна думка — як звідти швидко виїхати, поки цілі мости. До речі, мости у той же день зруйнували, але ми встигли вибратись до цього. Інакше довелося б плисти разом з камерою річкою Сіверський Донець, а потім довго іти кудись пішки.
— Наскільки важливо і можливо не повторювати себе самого?
— Думаю, що повтори є у кожного фотографа. Якщо ж говорити про зйомку війни, то уже всі повторюються і зняти щось таке, що ти сам чи хтось інший ще не знімав, дуже важко. Зараз, мені видається, всі застопорилися. Усі можливі теми вже у всіх були, і фотографи, певною мірою, знімають «штампами». Наприклад, якщо є загиблі після прильоту по місту, то у кадрі будуть: якась ковдра, рука, нога, манікюр, а на задньому плані частини зруйнованих автомобілів, хтось лежить і навколо дим… Всі фотографи це знімають. Я не кажу, що цього не потрібно робити, навпаки, важливо документувати. Утім, набагато складніше зняти щось нове, сюрреалістичне, не схоже на жоден кадр, який ти чи хтось інший уже зробив.
Я не часто знімаю прильоти по Харкову. Не завжди маю можливість поїхати, коли зайнятий іншими справами чи роботою. До того ж мені не потрібно робити новини чи знімати репортажі, які треба швидко віддати агенції чи редакції. Коли маю внутрішнє відчуття, що треба знімати наслідки ракетного удару, тоді їду та працюю на місці прильоту.
— Які аспекти повномасштабної війни вам було б цікаво відзняти?
— Як на мене, вартісні кадри можна зняти усюди, де опиняєшся. Єдине, складно отримати дозвіл на зйомку в певних місцях. Є бажання фотографувати багато різних тем, але не завжди до них є доступ. Звісно, є журналісти та фотографи, у яких немає з цим проблем. Проте більшість українських документалістів мають складнощі.
Мав нагоду познімати судмедекспертів у роботі. Але ж це така закрита тема: нічого з відзнятого матеріалу поки не публікую і, можливо, не буду публікувати взагалі. Це радше зйомка «в стіл». Ймовірно, через декілька років це можна буде десь показати, а деякі кадри з цієї роботи увійдуть до моєї майбутньої фотокниги або ж стануть окремою фотокнигою. Інколи так трапляється, коли довго тему копаєш і досліджуєш, робота над нею може вилитись у книгу.
— Ви зараз знімаєте бригаду армійської авіації. Розкажіть, будь ласка, коли розпочали роботу над цією темою?
— Армійську авіацію знімаю вже протягом року і бачу, що матеріалу назбиралося стільки, що також буде окрема книга. Коли маю час, пишу запити й цікавлюсь, чи можна до них приїхати.
Познайомився з бригадою через пілота і капітана Дмитра. Я підписався на його сторінку в інстаграмі й запитав, чи можливо колись познімати хлопців. Дмитро з’ясував у своїх командирів, як це найкраще зробити і який запит потрібно написати. Я приїхав до пілотів, познайомився, знімав, подружився з ними й почав потрохи збирати матеріал. Потім з’явилась думка зробити окрему історію про армійську авіацію.
Спочатку хлопці сприймали мене з осторогою. Потім, коли побачили фотографії, які я для них роздрукував, почали довіряти. Набагато легше фотографувати, коли ти занурюєшся у певне середовище, коли тебе не сприймають за чужинця. Тоді ти знімаєш наче зсередини системи, тебе ніяк не соромляться, роблять свою справу, і ти робиш свою справу — фотографуєш. Люди перестають тебе помічати, і цю невимушену атмосферу потім можна побачити на знімках.
Фотографую підготовку бортів, зарядку ракет, як пілоти йдуть на завдання та повертаються. Іноді мені цікаво познімати і їхній побут. Декілька разів мав можливість політати з хлопцями, коли отримував на це дозвіл. Цікаво також поїхати з авіанавідниками на місце пострілу і дізнатись, як усе відбувається, пропрацювати цю окрему тему.
— Як часто друкуєте для пілотів фотографії?
— Коли маю можливість, завжди намагаюся скинути хлопцям фото. Мені також важливо, щоб вони передали ці фотографії командирам і сказали, які знімки можна публікувати, а які поки ще полежать у столі.
Нещодавно я зробив набір листівок саме зі зйомок армійської авіації. Друкував їх у Харкові, дизайн зробила моя приятелька. Я відібрав сорок фотографій та написав історію, яка є на кожній листівці. Відвіз пілотам набори, щоб у них була ця пам’ять. На листівках зробив QR-код, з допомогою якого люди могли б задонатити кошти для бригади. Важливо, щоб для хлопців була користь від моїх фотографій.
Листівки можна придбати або ж відразу з QR-коду перевести гроші для пілотів. Інформацію про це викладав у себе в соцмережах. Упевнений, що 90% листівок придбають люди, які працюють з темою повномасштабної війни та загалом цікавляться фотографією.
— У розмові ви часто згадуєте про фотокниги. Чому саме цей медіум для вас важливий?
— Книга — це те, що залишиться і після війни, і після того, коли нас не стане. Це спосіб зберегти пам’ять. Зараз ці сусіди гатять КАБами, ракетами, і книга — це можливість врятувати відзнятий матеріал. Якщо прилетить в будівлю, де перебувають фотографії та негативи, то архів може зруйнуватись, пропасти. Утім, якщо є книга, то буде і пам’ять. Це такий елемент зберігання історій про те, що було. Коли людина купить книгу і, якщо фотографії образні, цікаві, то вони дають уявлення про те, що відбувалось у певний час. Звісно, всі теми повномасштабної війни сфотографувати й умістити в одну книгу неможливо, як би ти не намагався.
Я нещодавно подумав, що не всі відзняті аспекти війни взагалі можуть увійти до книги. Окремі знімки можуть візуально вибиватися із загальної картини. Можна щось фотографувати під час війни, але на картинці ти не бачиш цього зв’язку з війною. Тобто цей кадр можна було б зробити і до повномасштабної війни, і після — на ньому немає якогось візуального маркера. Наприклад, коли знімаєш військовополонених — це може бути схоже на зйомку людей в тюрмі, які відбувають покарання. Цю тему складно зобразити так, щоб вона була зрозуміла з самої лише фотографії. Я б хотів, щоб на фотографіях, які увійдуть до моєї майбутньої книги, був цей взаємозв’язок з російсько-українською війною.
Також, щоб зберегти свій архів, передаю фотографії в Музей Харківської школи фотографії (MOKSOP). Мій давній друг Сергій Лебединський вивіз за кордон більш як дві тонни негативів, фотографій. Це також один з аспектів зберігання цієї історії про війну. Коли передаю фотографії Сергію, вони потрапляють у Європу, де поки безпечно. У Музеї постійно відбуваються різні події, виставки, і це також один зі шляхів нагадування про те, що в Україні триває війна.
— Чи можливо підтримувати інтерес до подій в Україні за допомогою фотографій?
— Це одна із ліній підтримки, яка працює. Потрібно, щоб люди бачили фотографії, зняті під час повномасштабної війни. Не скажу, що це основна складова інформації про війну, але, попри все, одна із. Нещодавно на місці прильоту в Харкові, хтось із військових чи поліцейських намагався прогнати пресу. Один із фотографів сказав, що не піде, оскільки це потрібно документувати та показувати світові, щоб нам продовжували надавати зброю та забезпечили ефективну ППО. Звісно, я розумію, що є закриті локації для зйомки, але в цьому випадку той фотограф був правий.
— Наскільки війна у кадрі може бути естетичною? Зйомки війни для вас — це документування подій чи все ж таки мистецтво?
— Я дивлюсь на зйомку з художньої точки зору. Фотографам новин потрібно якомога жорсткіше показати події, щоб це мало вплив на людей, щоб нам допомагали фінансово та зброєю. Натомість мені важливо, щоб ці кадри були цінними з художньої точки зору та залишилися в історії. Інколи мені можуть закидати, що, мовляв, Краснощок естетизує війну. Я дуже спокійно до цього ставлюсь. Я взагалі не думаю, романтизую я війну чи ні. Для мене головне завдання — це зробити візуально робочу картинку, яка б зачіпала глядача. Важливо, щоб у фотографа була візуальна мова, впізнаваний стиль. Якщо зараз дивитись на фотографії війни, то 90% кадрів дуже схожі між собою, у них схожа мова. Інколи дуже складно за картинкою визначити фотографа, який її зробив.
Візуальна складова для мене дуже важлива. Намагаюсь робити таку картинку, в якій би все об’єдналося й вилилось у таку образну річ. Коли приїжджаю зі зйомки, перше моє почуття — що знову хуйні нафоткав. Проявляю плівки, швидко сканую і мені одразу нічого не подобається. Це відбувається, оскільки немає часового проміжку від зйомки до моменту друку фотографій. Око замилилось і все мені виглядає поганим, не збігається з моїми відчуттями тих подій, бо я це бачив ще вчора. Потрібно, щоб пройшов час і щоб я усвідомив, що сфотографував.
Іноді показую відзнятий матеріал друзям, щоб почути їхній відгук про картинки. У них свіже око, вони не були там, де я знімав, і вони можуть побачити щось нове. Насамперед мені важливий їхній відгук впродовж перших днів з часу, коли я все надрукував. Через місяць чи пів року я можу сам оцінити свої знімки. Я відпочив від ситуації й точно бачу, які кадри варто обрати. Навіть якщо я виберу лише два кадри з цілої зйомки — це вже плюс.
Трапляється, що маю підряд декілька зйомок і перші плівки не встигаю надрукувати. Коли з’являється вікно у зйомках, можу спокійно переглядати свій архів. Я беру папір формату А4, позначаю на ньому номер папки, кількість кадрів, які хотів би надрукувати. Якщо раніше користувалися так званими контактними відбитками, то зараз я просто дивлюся скани плівок і відбираю кадри. Потім обираю день для роботи в темній кімнаті й працюю над знімками.
— У чому особливість зйомки війни на плівку? Чи допомагає така форма документування уникнути фотографічних «штампів»?
— Особливість зйомки на плівку в тому, що я повністю контролюю весь процес — від проявки до друку. Мені це подобається. Ще один плюс у тому, що плівка — це фізична річ. Якщо будуть масштабні блекаути, то у мене принаймні залишаться негативи та фотографії. Також фотографії, зроблені з плівки, та негативи можуть бути документами для доказу воєнних злочинів. Ніхто не скаже, що це фейк. Зйомка на плівку — це те, до чого я звик і з чим мені цікаво працювати.
На зйомку я беру стільки плівок, щоб мені вистачало, щоб я про це взагалі не думав. Якщо день насичений, відбувається багато всього, то гарантовано використаю десять плівок. Коли навколо умовно спокійно, я не спішу, довше обдумую кадр, і плівок йде менше.
Інколи мої фотографії порівнюють із кадрами Другої чи Першої світової війни. Це були війни, котрі знімали на чорно-білу плівку, і такого порівняння, мабуть, не уникнути. Натомість коли фотографуєш на кольорову плівку, виникають асоціації з нашим часом і тут можна експериментувати. Я постійно щось додаю та змінюю у зйомках на плівку. Спочатку я фотографував на звичайний формат, потім перейшов на панорамний формат, а згодом — на середній. Намагаюсь жонглювати форматами плівки, кольором, пробувати різні способи друку, і мені завжди цікаво те, що роблю. У мене завжди є можливість змінювати форму роботи з плівкою та друком фотографій.
Спосіб документування не дозволяє уникнути повторів чи «штампів». Можна однаково добре знімати і на цифру, і на плівку. Головне, на що звертаєш увагу, коли фотографуєш. Мені важливо зробити кілька добрих кадрів, які б міг додати до свого архіву, а потім — до книжки. Намагаюся, щоб повторів було якомога менше. Для мене зйомка війни — це такий марафон, який треба пробігти й зробити якісні картинки. Інколи складається враження, що застопорився на плато, рухаєшся на одній площині і нічого нового більше не в змозі зробити. Потім з’являється цікава тема, а з нею і відчуття, що йдеш далі, продовжуєш підійматися вгору.
— У вас вийшла книга «Больнічка» — сюрреалістична розповідь про роботу медиків, сповнена жорсткого лікарського гумору. Зараз ви знімаєте серію світлин про роботу судмедекспертів. Скажіть, будь ласка, наскільки ця зйомка є продовженням «Больнічки»?
— Нова серія фотографій — це щось на кшталт «Больнічка афтепаті». Наче і продовження цієї теми, але картинка зовсім інакша. Зйомка судмедекспертів також дробиться на менші теми. Навіть сама робота судмедексперта дуже різнопланова. Коли я знімав ексгумацію в Ізюмі, це вже була робота судмедекспертів. Спочатку — на цвинтарі, а потім — у секційному залі. Фахівці готують тіла до видачі рідним і близьким, виїжджають на прильоти, вбивства, самогубства. Якщо цю тему глибоко копати, то з’являться великі об’єми для зйомки і може народитись історично вагомий проєкт. Звісно, тема дуже закрита, але її важливо зняти для історії, для архіву.
Я працював щелепно-лицевим хірургом, і це допомагає при зйомці судмедекспертів. Я розумію, що відбувається у той чи інший момент. Мені легше сприймати побачене, абстрагуватись від запаху, у мене немає внутрішнього шоку і я спокійно ставлюсь до роботи медиків. Коли багато знімаєш на таку тему, вона також стає чимось повсякденним. Намагаюсь знайти красу в цьому всьому процесі, у роботі цих людей. Лікарі запитують, що я хочу тут зняти, і дивуються, що в їхній роботі є також своя естетика. Познімав місяць, другий, роздрукував фотографії, зробив альбом і подарував судмедекспертам. Вони дивились і були в захваті, вони побачили, що це дійсно красиво. Спочатку деякі лікарі не хотіли, щоб я їх знімав, а потім запитували, чому їх немає на фотографіях.
На зйомках судмедекспертів бачив дуже багато різного. Часто це тіла військових, котрі ще вчора працювали, а сьогодні вже лежать на столах. Ловлю себе на думці про те, які ж ці хлопці здорові. Натомість вони вже зовсім не здорові, їх просто немає. Помітив якось татуювання на тілі — обличчя Христа. Виявляється, Ісус — мертвий. На столах лежать люди з різними причинами смерті: хтось повісився, когось вбило током, а поруч — обгорілий танкіст. Звісно, неможливо потім про це не думати.
— Розкажіть, будь ласка, про книгу, над якою зараз працюєте.
— Книга буде називатись «Documentation of the war». Зараз я відбираю світлини, які невдовзі надішлю дизайнеру свого видавництва. Хочу вибрати щонайменше 100–150 світлин, які точно повинні бути в книзі. Планую включити у видання свої тексти, проте ще не знаю, чи вони будуть лише англійською, чи англійською й українською мовами. Мені важливо, щоб зберігся зміст і художній стиль написання. Завдяки підтримці УКФ купив матеріали для зйомки й мав можливість фотографувати різні аспекти російсько-української війни. Я працюю тут, на своїй землі, і мені дуже хотілось би нашої перемоги.
Над матеріалом працювали:
Дослідниця теми, авторка тексту: Катя Москалюк
Більдредактор: В'ячеслав Ратинський
Літературна редакторка: Юлія Футей
Менеджер сайту: Владислав Кухар
Перше вересня. Вулиця біля станції метро «Академіка Павлова» в Харкові. Понад десять вибухів (точно почнемо рахувати їх замість овець, коли не зможемо заснути) — зо десять хвилин після них. Цей знімок зробив фотограф Георгій Іванченко. Тої миті, коли пролунали вибухи (уже хтось рахує), він сидів у харківській кав’ярні й одразу ж виїхав туди, прямуючи на дим. На місці вже працювали медики, і вони вже потрапили під повторний російський обстріл, коли надавали допомогу потерпілим харків’янам.
Неможливий, аби охопити його вповні, але цілком очевидний день війни, і руйнівні обставини, у яких час не зупиняється, але мить сковує око. Троє медиків. Двоє котять ноші, на яких лежить їхній колега — він чи говорить до одного із них, чи оглядає свою поранену ногу. Чоловік, який тягне ноші попереду, видається, уже готується затягнути їх всередину швидкої, а той, який позаду, можливо, слухає пораненого. Знімок видається спонтанним і стрімким: люди ніби рухаються через увесь кадр прямісінько в розчинені двері швидкої, яка от-от має рушити, і поки дивишся на них, то тільки й чекаєш удару дверей, зачинених у знервованому поспіху.
У той день уламки поранили двох медиків. Медик на ношах — це лікар-анестезіолог Дмитро Піддубний, пізніше його ногу прооперують. Його колегу 21-річного Євгена Юрка, студента п’ятого курсу медичного й фельдшера швидкої, поранило в голову. Харків’яни збирали гроші на лікування хлопця, але за кілька днів Євген помер у лікарні.
Це — перше вересня. День, коли українські діти пішли до школи, зокрема й у Харкові. Бо так є, коли постійно живеш у війні: скільки би не нарахували вибухів, діти підуть до школи чи вчитимуться вдома (багато дітей у Харкові вчиться в метро), дорослі вийдуть на роботу, й усі вони ляжуть спати в себе вдома, хоч ніхто їм тут нічого не гарантує. Тими, цими чи іншими днями діти повертаються до навчання і у різних країнах світу. І на котромусь уроці, наприклад, уроці права, вони дізнаються, що після Другої Світової війни цивілізований світ побудував такий лад, який обов’язково їх захистить.
Перше вересня — День знань. Наприклад, знань про те, що Женевська конвенція передбачає безумовний захист медиків. Чи про те, що держава, яка утримує військовополонених, має заохочувати їх до «інтелектуальних та розважальних занять». Або про те, що обстріли міст, розстріли й позасудові страти можна засудити дуже по-різному: гостро, різко, сміливо, рішуче, категорично, твердо й ще усіляко.
Текст: Віра Курико
Фото: Георгій Іванченко
Українська асоціація професійних фотографів у партнерстві з Ukraїner продовжує цикл публікацій важливих фотографій минулого місяця, що стосуються ключових подій в Україні.
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У серпні 2014 року під містом Іловайськ розгорнулась одна із найзапекліших битв для українських військових у війні на сході. Українське командування вирішило взяти штурмом зайняте проросійськими бойовиками місто, розташоване за 43 км від Донецька. Натомість операція обернулася трагедією. Бої тривали майже місяць. У «Іловайському котлі» загинуло близько 400 українських військових, ще стільки ж отримали поранення різного ступеня тяжкості, а близько 300 — потрапили у полон. Бої за місто стали переломними у ході російсько-української війни: замість наступу ЗСУ перейшли до оборони. Відтоді 29 серпня — це День пам’яті захисників України, які загинули в боротьбі за незалежність, суверенітет і територіальну цілісність України.
Фотограф Максим Дондюк став свідком подій в Іловайську. Він перебував на передовій та відзняв ключові моменти штурму окупованого міста, життя та загибель українських військових.
У 2014 році Максим Дондюк фотографував події російсько-української війни по обидва боки фронту. Він знімав у Слов’янську, Краматорську, Луганську та Донецьку, оскільки тоді журналісти та фотографи без проблем перетинали лінію вогню. «У той час усі їздили, тому що навколо був хаос. На блокпостах просто перевіряли документи», — пригадує Максим Дондюк. Невдовзі його разом з журналістом Саймоном Островським захопила група «Стрєлка». Хлопцям одягнули мішки на голови та розстрілювали холостими патронами. «По голосу я зрозумів, що допитував нас Стрєлков. Вранці нас усіх звільнили, крім Островського. Можливо, хотіли заарештувати лише його, а я просто був у машині з Саймоном. У мене були фейкові документи, була легенда і мене, зрештою, відпустили», — розповідає Дондюк.
Згодом, коли знімав по інший бік фронту, біля Мар’їнки, потрапив під вогонь українських військових. «Подумав тоді, якщо мене вб’ють на боці сепаратистів, то потім вважатимуть зрадником. Для мене важливо було фотографувати, оскільки й по той бік фронту опинилось багато українців, наших громадян. Спочатку все було розмитим, сюрреалістичним і я намагався зрозуміти ситуацію», — говорить Максим Дондюк.
Улітку 2014 року пресслужба АТО влаштовувала для журналістів та фотографів престури. «Пригадую, привозили різні телевізійні канали, і дівчатка в рожевих шортах стояли на фоні палаючої техніки і розповідали про війну. Якщо ж поглянути на карту бойових дій, то ми були щонайменше за 20 кілометрів від фронту. Я втомився від цієї ситуації і почав шукати можливості працювати з українськими військовими, — розповідає Максим. — Друзі поділились зі мною контактами командира батальйону «Донбас» і він дозволив нам з колегами приїхати». Відтак Максим Дондюк, Олександр Глядєлов, Макс Левін та Маркіян Лисейко стали свідками ключових подій Іловайська.
Максим Дондюк поїхав разом з військовими на штурм міста. «У військових в машинах було мало місця і вони сказали тягнути нам сірники. Саші попався короткий, і перший раз я поїхав один, — пригадує Максим. — Перший штурм, 10 серпня, був невдалим. У цей день загинуло четверо українських бійців. Довелося повертатись, оскільки диверсійна група намагалася підірвати позаду нас акведук, і ми б тоді потрапили у засідку».
Назад українські військові повернулися по дорозі вздовж посадки. У їхню броньовану машину поцілили з РПГ, і хлопців, які були там, евакуювали, виносили на ношах. «Наш снайпер ліквідував бійця з гранатометом і ми пішли далі. Ми рухалися вздовж посадки, а вороги стріляли в нас. Це для мене було таке дуже неприємне відчуття — коли йдеш по асфальту, дивишся на посадку і не розумієш, що буде далі», — говорить Максим.
Потім була ще одна спроба увійти в Іловайськ. Цього разу Максим Дондюк їхав разом з Олександром Глядєловим. «Пам’ятаю, що був прорив фронту з боку РФ. Ми бачили, як наближаються гаубиці і їде частина військ, — пригадує Максим Дондюк. — Ми не доїхали, провели ніч у якомусь дитячому садочку».
18 серпня усе склалось добре. У самому Іловайську не було надто сильного опору, військові заїхали з іншого боку і ввійшли у місто. «Ми заїжджали околицями через різні маленькі села. Усі вони були зруйновані, скрізь по дорозі була спалена техніка, лежали роздуті тіла сепаратистів — ніхто їх не забирав», — розповідає фотограф. Іноді українські військові натрапляли на «дружній вогонь». Ситуація була напружена і бійці виходили один на одного з різних кутів, стріляли, а потім з’ясовували, хто ж перед ними. «До Іловайська ми йшли цілу добу, дуже повільно. В одному з сіл потрапили під мінометну дуель. Дорогою були короткі бої, коли стріляв гранатомет. Постійно потрібно було то лягати на землю, то знову йти. Наші військові захопили декількох полонених. Бачив перед собою щойно вбитих ворогів, які виходили на дорогу і стріляли в нас, — розповідає Максим. — Під вечір, ближче до темряви, ми заходили в Іловайськ. Нас посадили у броньовану машину. У водія вистрілив снайпер. Нам пощастило, що скло витримало два постріли, націлені прямо в голову».
Коли українські військові в'їхали в Іловайськ, на зустріч їм з підвалів вийшли цивільні. Люди думали, що їх вже звільнили та обіймали військових. У них була критична ситуація — залишилися без медикаментів, їжі, води. Бійці відразу почали їм допомагати. Максим Дондюк разом із військовими зупинився у школі. Бійці розташувались у спортивному залі, по класах. Там у підвалах також мешкали цивільні, переважно жінки з дітьми.
«Коли знімаєш у дуже інтенсивній атмосфері, коли навколо постійно війна, то починає вмикатися підсвідомість. Як у людей, котрі вивчають східні єдиноборства і під час бою діють автоматично, оскільки часу міркувати просто не існує, — говорить Максим Дондюк. — Доводиться бігти разом із солдатами й робити фотографії. Не завжди виходить встати та скомпонувати потрібну композицію. Усе настільки швидко, що просто немає можливості подумати. Усе залежить від бекграунду, досвіду та здатності працювати в таких умовах».
Максим Дондюк був в Іловайську разом із фотографом Олександром Глядєловим. «У мене ще не було досвіду роботи в умовах бойових дій і я намагався кудись бігти, де міг загинути із вірогідністю сто відсотків. Утім Саша мене завжди стримував, і я йому дуже вдячний за це. Він казав, що давай спершу подивимось, почекаємо і нас рятувала його витримка», — пригадує Максим. Він додає, що це проблема всіх молодих фотографів, яким видається, що вони ніколи не будуть пораненими, і тим більше не загинуть. «Перше поранення отримав під час зйомок Революції Гідності, друге — у 2022 році, — розповідає Максим Дондюк. — Розумію, що наступне поранення може бути складнішим від попереднього. Стаю стриманішим, можливо, завдяки досвіду, через вік, або через розуміння того, що в умовах війни ти нічого не контролюєш».
Максим Дондюк пригадує один із ранків в Іловайську, коли вони з бійцями заварили каву та вийшли у двір школи. «Ми стояли з кавою, спілкувалися, хтось курив. І раптом по нас прилітає ціла серія пострілів з АГС (автоматичного станкового гранатомета — прим. ред.), прямо у натовп. Я стою з цією чашкою кави, а біля мене щось пролітає, частина військових падає, стогне від болю, кричить. Я бачу, що Саші в ногу потрапив осколок, — каже Максим Дондюк. — Усвідомлюєш, що тебе не поранило не через те, що ти такий чудовий хлопець. Так сталось випадково, просто тобі цього разу пощастило, а комусь — ні. Я почав розуміти, що взагалі не контролюю ситуацію на війні. Тільки здається, що можна її контролювати. Чому в мене жоден уламок не потрапив, а в Сашу потрапив? Чому когось навіть не зачепило, а хтось отримав важкі поранення або загинув? Хто це вирішує?».
Максим Дондюк працював разом з Олександром Глядєловим декілька днів. Потім Олександра евакуювали з іншими пораненими і Максим залишився сам. «Нам сказали, що ми поїдемо з військовими на одну чи дві доби. Бійці швидко зачистять місто і ми повернемось назад в Курахове. Я взяв із собою лише невеличкий тактичний рюкзак і спальник. Я навіть не брав зарядку для техніки. Зрештою, там все одно не було електрики, — пригадує фотограф. — У нашу школу було багато прильотів, і під час одного з них, коли я біг з камерою, мене притиснули до стінки і об’єктив розсипався. Він був механічний, я його склеїв скотчем і продовжував знімати. Камера розбита, батарейки сіли, пам’яті на флешках майже не залишилось. Кожного вечора я видаляв фотографії і міг знімати декілька кадрів на годину».
Школу в Іловайську, де були українські військові, постійно обстрілювали з усіх можливих видів зброї. Максим пригадує, як сидів у підвалі школи і думав, витримає вона чи ні. Після першого прицільного обстрілу, військові забрали в жінок мобільні телефони. Бійці зрозуміли, що хтось із жінок точно не на їхньому боці. Після масових обстрілів школи, військові почали розходитись містом і шукати різні помешкання й хати для ночівлі. «Був дуже спекотний серпень і я не мився вже десь тиждень. Військові зробили в полі саморобний душ, до якого доводилося йти під час обстрілів. Ідеш і думаєш, помитись чи не помитись. Було страшно, і коли були прильоти, доводилося з душу відразу бігти до хати», — розповідає Дондюк.
У той час за Іловайськом розгорталася справжня трагедія. Фронт «посипався», підходили російські війська і поступово відрізали можливості для відступу. Водночас Києві готувались до військового параду на честь Дня Незалежності. «Коли у нас з’являвся інтернет, ми з Олександром Глядєловим активно писали у фейсбуку про ситуацію в Іловайську. Ми зрозуміли, що перебуваємо в оточенні, й вирішили надати цій ситуації розголосу. Ми там були єдиними фотографами», — говорить Максим Дондюк.
У Максима вже не працювала камера, сіли батареї, і він не міг продовжувати знімати. 23 серпня військові посадили його в машину і сказали, що вивезуть разом із пораненими. Фотограф пригадує: «До цього з Іловайська виїжджала така сама машина і її рознесли прямим влучанням з танка. У нас забрали зброю, а пораненому бійцю дали пістолет та гранату. У хлопця був перебитий хребет, він лежав, і я просто його підтримував, щоб його не дуже трусило на вибоїнах дороги. Він сказав мені, що ніякого полону не буде — якщо машину захоплять, то він її підірве. Отак ми проривалися десять кілометрів під мінометним обстрілом. Коридор повністю не закрився, і ми проїхали крізь якусь щілину».
Максим Дондюк одразу після повернення пішов провідати в лікарню Олександра Глядєлова. «Коли Сашу поранили, він опинився у машині для евакуації. Потім його перевели в іншу машину. Так сталося, що всі його плівки були складені в один футляр і під час пересадки загубились. До мене потім підійшов військовий і сказав, що знайшов плівки, — пригадує Максим Дондюк. — Коли я виїжджав з Іловайська, окрім своїх матеріалів, віз ще Сашині. Я думав, якщо не виберусь, то не залишиться ніяких фотографій, не буде жодної згадки про те, що відбулося і як воювали хлопці».
Максим провідував Олександра у лікарні в Дніпрі, коли Україна святкувала День Незалежності. «Я прийшов до Саші, приніс йому плівки. Він дуже зрадів і ми вирішили це відзначити. Я вийшов у магазин і почув вибухи — це був святковий феєрверк. Я одразу стрибнув у кущі, ліг на землю. Тиждень під обстрілами вплинув на психіку», — розповідає Максим Дондюк.
«В Іловайську ми потоваришували з хлопцями, оскільки разом жили, весь час спілкувалися. Вони постійно намагались дати нам автомат, щоб ми могли себе захистити. Ми відмовилися й сказали, що в нас є камери. Вони жартували, що ми ще більше їбануті, ніж вони. У наших військових дуже часто був прямий контакт із ворогом, — пригадує Дондюк. — Мені видається, що найважливіші фотографії — це фотографії хлопців, котрі загинули, котрі не вийшли з Іловайська». Максим пригадує бійців з підрозділу розвідників, з якими постійно спілкувався. Вони виїжджали на пожежній машині, яку спалив прямим влучанням постріл із танка. Дуже тяжко тепер дивитися на ці фотографії.
Максим Дондюк розповідає про добровольця із позивним «Франко». Він був із забезпеченої родини, жив в Америці й приїхав, щоб допомагати українським військовим. «Я пам’ятаю, як його поранили, як йому надавали першу допомогу. Він помирав просто на очах, зі стогонами. Він розумів, що помирає. Дуже боляче усвідомлювати, що вже немає людини, з якою ти ще вчора жартував», — говорить Максим. Фотограф додає, що військові не дозволяли знімати своїх вбитих та поранених, тому вони з Олександром Глядєловим допомагали вивантажувати закривавлені тіла загиблих.
Фотографії Максима Дондюка з Іловайська фактично ніде не публікувались. Декілька видань одразу запропонували видати матеріал, утім Максим відмовився. Публікація знімків могла поставити під загрозу життя українських військових, які потрапили в полон. Було лише декілька виставок за кордоном із надрукованими фотографіями. Через дев’ять місяців, коли усіх військових звільнили, публікація знімків у новинних медіа вже не була актуальною.
Сьогодні у вільному доступі є книга про Іловайськ із фотографіями Максима Дондюка, Олександра Глядєлова, Макса Левіна та Маркіяна Лисейка. 29 серпня кожного року фотографи зустрічалися зранку із військовими, а ввечері збиралися своєю компанією. Якось у розмові вирішили, що було б добре зробити книгу про Іловайськ. Перед початком повномасштабної війни Макс Левін отримав бюджет на книгу від Міністерства культури та інформаційної політики України. Книгу потрібно було видати до кінця 2022 року. «На початку грудня я приїхав до Олександра Глядєлова із жорсткими дисками, на яких були фотографії Макса Левіна, Маркіяна Лисейка та мої. Ми довго не могли знайти фотографії Макса, усе ніяк не вдавалось зустрітися з Маркіяном, — розповідає Максим Дондюк. — Я місяць жив у Саші й ми працювали над вибором фотографій, підписами та текстами до книги. Нам поталанило знайти хорошу дизайнерку, яка одразу зрозуміла наш задум, та домовитись із друкарнею». Максим пригадує, що ночував в Олександра в спальнику на підлозі, так само як і у школі в оточеному місті, цілий день дивився фотографії з війни і часто зранку не міг зрозуміти, де він перебуває — у Сашиній квартирі чи знову в Іловайську.
«Ми залишилися живими там, де загинули інші. Ми пам’ятаємо і не можемо дозволити пустити це в забуття», — так звучить епіграф до книжки про Іловайську трагедію. Максим додає: «Ця книга для нас — це пам’ять про всіх, хто загинув в Іловайську, і пам’ять про Макса. Я відкриваю книгу і згадую хлопців, їхні імена та позивні, їхні жарти й усмішки. Важливо, щоб залишилася пам’ять, щоб було місце для розповідей про героїчні вчинки наших українських військових».
Над матеріалом працювали:
Дослідниця теми, авторка тексту: Катя Москалюк
Більдредактор: В'ячеслав Ратинський
Літературна редакторка: Юлія Футей
Менеджер сайту: Владислав Кухар
В рамках грантової підтримки документальних фотографів від UAPP ми ділимось документальними проєктами фіналістів, які отримали грантову підтримку в попередньому сезоні. Цього разу ми презентуємо проєкт «Unicorn батальйон» українського документаліста Саші Маслова.
Нагадуємо, що до 28 серпня триває набір кандидатів на менторську та мікрогрантову програму від Української асоціації професійних фотографів, деталі участі читайте за посиланням.
Нижче розповідь ведеться від імені Саші Маслова.
Дощового червневого дня в центрі Києва прапори прайду, України та Європейського Союзу мокли під дощем. Близько 500 людей зібралися на Прайд-марш, що тривав лише годину й охопив приблизно сто метрів. Місто Київ та поліція надали дозвіл на проведення маршу, але обмежили його до півтора міського кварталу, посилаючись на питання безпеки.
Це не був типовий Прайд, який жителі Нью-Йорка, Берліна чи Амстердама очікували побачити на вулицях своїх міст. Перші два ряди учасників параду складалися з військовослужбовців та ветеранів, які тримали плакати із закликами до ЄС та інших партнерів України надати більше зброї. Інші плакати закликали припинити російський геноцид українців, забезпечити системи розмінування та звільнити захисників «Азовсталі» — військовополонених, яких утримують у Росії та піддають тортурам. Лунали гасла за рівність, за законопроєкт про легалізацію цивільних партнерств та захист прав ЛГБТК+-спільноти.
Тепер поруч зі своєю нареченою Діаною Гарасько Марія уособлює стійкість і непокору, пройшовши через шалені випробування на фронті та зіткнувшись із навальною гомофобією.
Марія Воля, 31 рік, і її наречена Діана Гарасько, 25 років, стояли в перших рядах, тримаючись за руки. Для Марії, військовослужбовиці 47-ї бригади, цей момент став довгоочікуваним.
Минулого року, 24 жовтня 2022 року, Марія здалася. Вона говорила телефоном з Діаною й сказала, що вирішила покінчити з життям. Вона планувала зробити це шляхом передозування Гідазепамом, селективним анксіолітичним бензодіазепіном, який зазвичай призначають для лікування тривожності та панічних атак.
Діана й Марія зустрічалися всього кілька тижнів. Пройшло близько трьох місяців з того часу, як Діана, цивільна волонтерка з Білої Церкви, написала Марії в Instagram, відповідаючи на одну з історій з брудних окопів під Бахмутом. «Як ти? Хоча, мабуть, це дурне питання, враховуючи твої обставини», — йшлося в повідомленні. Після кількох тижнів листування в інтернеті Діана приїхала до Краматорська й зробила пропозицію на першому побаченні.
Тепер вона слухала хрипкий голос Марії, яка промовляла своє останнє прощання. Діана в паніці набрала номер командира Марії. На щастя, він відповів на дзвінок. За кілька хвилин медики поспішали до Марії.
Через три тижні після спроби самогубства я вперше зустрів Марію. У кімнаті для відвідувачів у відділенні гострої психіатрії для жінок великого лікарняного комплексу за межами Дніпра вона сиділа за столом із пластиковою скатертиною, одягнена у флісову куртку з райдужним значком, не зовсім розуміючи, як вона тут опинилася.
«У мене більше немає дому, у мене немає жодних прав. За що я борюся?» — запитала вона мене. Її розчарування виникло через відчуття неприйняття і нерозуміння з боку її людей та країни навіть після майже десяти років служби.
Марія пішла доброволицею в армію у 22 роки, коли побачила, як Росія захоплює Крим і розпалює війну на Сході України. Її рідне місто Маріуполь було ненадовго захоплене проросійськими сепаратистами, і його звільнення стало однією з важливих перемог українців улітку 2014 року. Після підписання контракту вона швидко помітила ознаки сексизму серед солдатів навколо неї. Чула фрази на кшталт «війна — не місце для жінки» і бачила, як чоловіків-солдатів командири сприймали з більшою довірою та повагою.
Дівчина хотіла довести свою спроможність. Повна ідеалізму, Марія боролася за право бути направленою на фронт. Зрештою її відправили до Пісків як радіоспеціалістку у складі 56-ї бригади, де відбувалися одні з найзапекліших боїв за Донецький аеропорт.
Після активної служби вона залишилася в армії й була дислокована у своєму рідному місті в складі 56-ї бригади до зими 2022 року. Саме тоді Маріуполь став місцем жорстокого протистояння між оточеними українськими військами та масивною, панівною силою загарбницької російської армії. Після важких втрат її підрозділ разом із військовими з 36-ї морської бригади та 1-го морського батальйону забарикадувався на заводі «Ілліча». Вони намагалися прорвати оточення і покинути місто. Перша спроба з використанням бронетехніки провалилась. Друга спроба, цього разу пішки, вдалася. Вони змогли обійти російські патрулі та блокпости непоміченими й неушкодженими і вибратися з обложеного міста незадовго після півночі 12 березня.
Їх було 45 солдатів, які мовчки йшли посеред ночі. Попереду був важкий шлях через ліси й степи Донецької області, щоб дістатися підконтрольної Україні території. Без мобільного зв’язку, з обмеженими запасами і без інформації про те, де саме знаходиться лінія фронту, вони рухалися крізь крижану пітьму.
Група ночувала в покинутих будинках, полювала на зайців і готувала курей, яких крали з безлюдних ферм. Вони розділилися на три групи по п’ятнадцять осіб, щоб уникнути виявлення, — одну групу пізніше захопили росіяни. А групу Марії російські солдати помітили на восьмий день їхнього маршу, коли вони намагалися перетнути річку поблизу села Старомайорське, за кілька кілометрів від підконтрольних Україні територій на той час. Відбулася перестрілка, і Марія отримала поранення в ліву руку. Але переправа через річку вдалася. Через п’ять годин після бою вони дісталися Великої Новосілки та українського блокпоста.
На межі непритомності з накладеним джгутом на руці Марію доставили до лікарні. 21 березня дівчина сиділа на лікарняному ліжку, її знімала на відео подруга Настя: Марія усміхалася й казала, що не може дочекатися поїхати в Дніпро і замовити їжу на виніс у McDonald's.
Але McDonald's у Дніпрі був закритий, як і більшість інших закладів. Країна боролася з масштабним вторгненням сусідньої держави, яка жадала захоплення територій, а постійно змінювана лінія фронту горіла. Україні потрібні були її солдати, і Марію знову відправили на передову, цього разу під Бахмут у Донецькій області.
Попередній досвід змусив Марію переосмислити багато речей, і вона вирішила відкрито говорити про свою сексуальність. Її поранення та усвідомлення того, наскільки все навколо неї крихке, змусили її більше не зважати на думку інших людей.
Марія зізналася у своїй гомосексуальності перед побратимами, а потім почала публічно розповідати про свій досвід, як бути квір-персоною в армії. Її пости в соціальних мережах про життя в окопах під Бахмутом привернули увагу як прихильників, так і критиків.
Гомофобні коментарі й повідомлення накопичувалися і настільки переповнювали її, що призводили до депресії. Вразливість дівчини через нещодавній досвід у Маріуполі, камінг-аут і повернення на фронт підштовхнули її до спроби самогубства. «Я більше не могла з цим справлятися. Навіть не хотіла намагатися...» — сказала вона.
Отримавши підтримку Діани, Марія потроху одужала і нещодавно перевелася до 47-ї бригади. Тепер вона служить на східному фронті, але взяла відпустку, щоб відвідати Київський Прайд. За день до маршу Прайду в Києві вона зустріла групу молодих людей, здебільшого підлітків, які тримали плакати на підтримку «традиційних цінностей», і почала з ними в дискусію, знімаючи себе на відео. Наступного дня під час Прайду вона тримала за руку свою наречену, не зважаючи на всіх, хто не схвалював її спосіб любити когось.
Коли промови завершились, а прапори й плакати згорнули, натовп почав розходитися. Не більше ніж за п’ять кварталів, на вулиці Хрещатик, кілька сотень людей — переважно молоді чоловіки в чорних футболках і худі — виходили з іншого зібрання на підтримку «традиційних цінностей». Дізнавшись про місце проведення Прайду, вони бігли й намагались прорватися до учасників Прайду, зіштовхуючись із поліцією. Цим молодикам було байдуже, що вони збираються битися з людьми, які активно захищають свою країну.
До війни більшість українців загалом мала несхвальні погляди на гомосексуальні союзи, але опитування показують, що громадська думка значно змінилася під час повномасштабного вторгнення. Останнє опитування, проведене Національним демократичним інститутом і опубліковане в лютому 2024 року, показало, що понад 70 відсотків позитивно відповіли на запитання: «Чи повинні ЛГБТК+-люди мати ті самі права, що й інші?». У 2019 році цей показник був нижчим за 30%.
Однак українське законодавство значно відстає. Незважаючи на багаторічну кампанію різних правозахисних та ЛГБТК+-організацій, а також на тиск з боку ЄС, Верховна Рада України досі не ухвалила закони про злочини на ґрунті ненависті, які включають акти проти геїв чи трансгендерних людей. Окрім того, жоден гомосексуальний союз не визнається законом, а Конституція України визначає шлюб як союз чоловіка та жінки.
Інна Совсун, 39-річна народна депутатка України від партії «Голос», намагається розв'язати найнагальнішу проблему для гомосексуальних пар під час війни, особливо тих, хто служить, — ухвалити закон, який надасть їм ті самі права, які, за українськими законами, мала б традиційно одружена пара. Одна з найнагальніших потреб ЛГБТК+-військовослужбовців у воєнний час в Україні — базове юридичне визнання їхніх партнерів або подружжя як членів сім’ї.
Наразі гомосексуальна пара, або будь-яка інша не гетеросексуальна пара, не має жодних юридичних прав як одиниця. Для військових сімей це має особливе значення у випадках смерті, зникнення безвісти, потрапляння в полон або серйозного поранення. Ваш партнер, з точки зору закону, для вас є чужою людиною, і отже, не може приймати юридичні, медичні, посмертні чи інші рішення, які в момент кризи мав би гетеросексуальний партнер.
Законопроєкт під номером 9103 був зареєстрований у Верховній Раді України у березні 2023 року, але досі не дійшов до голосування у залі парламенту. Він пройшов кілька важливих етапів, отримавши схвалення міністра юстиції та Міністерства оборони. Однак через півтора року з моменту реєстрації досі не зрозуміло, коли цей законопроєкт буде винесено на голосування, якщо взагалі буде. Наразі він, здається, безнадійно застряг у Комітеті Верховної Ради з питань правової політики, який повинен дати законопроєкту юридичну оцінку та вирішити, чи передавати його до парламенту, іншого комітету, чи взагалі відхилити.
Інна Совсун написала цей законопроєкт спільно з юристкою Марією Клюс, чий близький друг Петро Жируха є бісексуалом і служить в українській армії. Петро входить до невеликої групи українських військовослужбовців, які відкрито і публічно заявляють про свою сексуальну орієнтацію.
Петро, 28-річний музикант із класичною освітою, ніколи не уявляв, що опиниться в армії. Однак він відчув необхідність захищати свою батьківщину від російської агресії й добровільно записався до лав в ЗСУ після початку вторгнення.
Спочатку його сексуальна орієнтація не викликала проблем, але з появою гомофобних жартів Петро відчув, що йому потрібно адаптувати свою поведінку, щоб вписатися в нове оточення. Він сміявся з жартів і намагався бути частиною колективу. Якось командир сказав, що сподівається, що в його підрозділі немає «таких людей». Петрові стало недобре. Іншим разом один із солдатів його підрозділу сказав, що він би «вбив педераста», якби побачив такого.
Батьки Петра не знали про його сексуальну орієнтацію, як і його товариші по службі. Але в якийсь момент молодий чоловік втомився приховувати цю частину своєї ідентичності й наважився на камінг-аут. «Я обрав цю гетеро-маску і змушений був змінити свою мову, поведінку... Я більше не хотів цього робити», — каже він. У червні 2022 року, після чотирьох місяців служби, Петро зізнався людям зі свого підрозділу. Реакція була погана. Були погляди й перешіптування. Солдати не хотіли стояти з ним у черзі на душ чи сидіти поруч. Але поступово, розмова за розмовою, все змінилося. Той солдат, який казав, що «вбив би педераста», якби побачив, після зустрічі з Петром сказав, що тепер не зробив би цього. Він пояснив, що раніше ніколи не зустрічав гея.
Марія Клюс, подруга Петра й заступниця Інни Совсун, хвилювалася за нього. Петро думав, що подруга втратила сон через його камінг-аут. А одного дня Марія зателефонувала Петрові й розповіла про законопроєкт, над яким вони з Інною працюють. Хлопець був шокований. Він не міг повірити, що хтось готовий робити таку титанічну роботу, щоб захистити його та інших представників ЛГБТІК+. Хоча законопроєкт охоплює широкий спектр і приносить користь будь-якому цивільному партнерству, він сприйняв цей жест дуже особисто й захотів підтримати його, як тільки зможе.
На той момент про його сексуальну орієнтацію знали лише його товариші по службі, і спочатку Петро планував це так і лишити. Але після телефонної розмови з Марією він вирішив ініціювати державну петицію на підтримку законопроєкту. Це означало поставити своє ім’я на документі, який розкриє його сексуальну орієнтацію всім. «Якщо не зараз, то коли?» — запитав він себе.
Однак батькам Петро так і не розповів. Розуміючи, який вплив і публічність цей жест може мати, він знав, що його ім’я стане відомим, і не хотів, щоб батьки дізналися про це з новин. Петро зателефонував батькові й попросив увімкнути гучний зв’язок. Після короткого обміну новинами він сказав: «Мені треба розповісти вам щось дуже важливе», і зробив паузу, перш ніж сказати, що йому подобаються як чоловіки, так і жінки. Мама одразу закричала: «Петре, Боже мій, я думала, хтось помер!». А батько спокійно сказав, що завжди потисне йому руку, незалежно від того, хто йому подобається.
Серце Петра піднялося. Все його доросле життя він боявся цього моменту, і ось він настав — величезний камінь упав йому з душі.
За допомогою Неурядової громадської організації він створив петицію на підтримку законопроєкту №9103 і зареєстрував її на сайті Президента. Такі петиції не мають юридичних наслідків, але вони мають на меті продемонструвати підтримку з боку громадськості. Після того як петиція набирає 25000 підписів, вона потрапляє на стіл президента, який пише свої рекомендації та коментарі. Коли петиція з’явилась в інтернеті, почалася соціальна медіаістерія. Телефон Петра почав світитися кожні кілька хвилин — десятки повідомлень і дзвінків зі словами підтримки, вдячності та іноді недовіри. Тепер Петро зробив камінг-аут на всю країну.
«Я був вільним», — пригадує той час Петро. Солдат, який хотів «убити педераста», сказав, що підпише петицію.
Представники армії намагаються уникати теми прав ЛГБТК+, ніби це інфекційне захворювання, і коли обставини вимагають розв'язання будь-яких питань щодо геїв або трансгендерних військовослужбовців, Міністерство оборони та представники армії зазвичай намагаються все заперечувати. У примітці про не підтримку законопроєкту №9103, яку Міністерство оборони опублікувало незабаром після його запровадження, спочатку зазначалося, що «інформація про тисячі військовослужбовців, які не можуть офіційно оформити свої стосунки з одностатевими партнерами, викладена в пояснювальній записці до проєкту закону, потребує додаткового вивчення через відсутність відповідних даних у Міністерстві оборони України».
У ході цього додаткового вивчення, яке багато ЛГБТК+-активістів назвали незграбним і жахливим, Міністерство оборони вирішило провести дослідження, опитавши деяких військовослужбовців, фактично запитуючи: «Ви гей?».
«Анкета для вивчення питань сексуальної орієнтації, необхідності реєстрації цивільних партнерств і питань у цій конкретній сфері» — друкована форма, що містить сім запитань про гендерну дискримінацію в підрозділі, де служить респондент; сексуальні переваги у виборі партнера; і питання про те, чи потенційно зіткнеться респондент, який перебуває у стосунках з особою своєї статі, з «проблемами» зі спадщиною, якщо його поранять, уб'ють або оголосять зниклим безвісти.
Максим був одним із військовослужбовців, які отримали цю анкету. З того, як він описав процес анкетування, постає картина відсутності освіти, емпатії та елементарної скромності в людей, які це анкетування проводили.
Максим, не відкритий гей у лавах Повітряних сил України, розповідає, як одного ранку старший офіцер у його підрозділі роздав анкету без будь-яких пояснень. Атмосфера була така, що з’явились образливі жарти на адресу гомосексуалів. Декілька авіаторів відмовились заповнювати анкету. Пізніше Максим побачив одну анкету, що лежала на столі, у ній великими буквами було написано «Я НЕ ПЕДИК». Офіцер повернувся пізніше, щоб зібрати анкети, іноді він заглядав у ці анкети, беручи їх у пілотів. «Це було знущання з анонімності», — згадує Максим. Пізніше той самий офіцер повернувся з кількома додатковими анкетами, стверджуючи, що їх треба заповнити для виконання норми. Кількох авіаторів саме не було — отримали поранення чи пішли у відпустку — а командування вимагало точну кількість анкет. «Хто хоче допомогти з тестом на гомосексуалізм?» — запитав офіцер.
Неясно, якою була подальша доля цього опитування та чи призвело воно до якихось результатів. Орган, відповідальний за питання рівності в Збройних силах України, — Департамент гуманітарної підтримки Міністерства оборони України — не відповів на численні спроби зв’язатися з ними щодо цієї статті. Після спілкування з чотирма співробітниками МО, жоден з яких не захотів говорити відкрито, і після перегляду документів Міністерства онлайн я не знайшов жодної офіційної програми, присвяченої боротьбі з дискримінацією ЛГБТК+-персоналу чи освіті військовослужбовців з питань ЛГБТК+. Міністерство оборони має гарячу лінію для сексуального насильства і насильства загалом, а також механізми для його розгляду.
Відкритий гей-співробітник Міністерства оборони, який також не захотів говорити відкрито, сказав, що особи, відповідальні за питання рівності та гендеру, часто не мають базових знань про все, що виходить за межі інструкцій Міністерства.
Водночас ця ж людина сказала мені, що вони розуміють — є набагато нагальніші питання для країни в умовах війни, і якщо проблема для Збройних сил не досить критична і не потребує термінового вирішення, її часто відсувають на задній план.
Питання щодо ЛГБТК+-спільноти в Україні вже створювали певні проблеми для чинного уряду. Недавнє рішення Європейського суду з прав людини стосувалося двох українців, Андрія Маймулахіна та Андрія Марківа, які стверджували, що український уряд відмовив їм у таких же правах, як і гетеросексуальним парам. Пара спільно проживає з 2010 року, але не змогла зареєструватися як домогосподарство. Згідно з їхнім поданням, вони намагалися зареєструватися як подружжя сім разів, але всі заявки були відхилені. Після російського вторгнення в лютому 2022 року пан Маймулахін приєднався до Національної гвардії й прослужив рік, перш ніж звільнився через проблеми зі здоров’ям.
Український суддя в Європейському суді Микола Гнатовський проголосував на користь позивачів. На своє виправдання український уряд використав законопроєкт №9103, стверджуючи, що Україна вже імплементує необхідні закони для захисту одностатевих пар. Однак суд відхилив цей аргумент, зазначивши, що законопроєкт ще не став законом. Рішення Європейського суду тепер є серйозною проблемою для українського уряду. Окрім відшкодування, яке вони мають виплатити парі, це тепер серйозний виклик на шляху до бажаного членства в ЄС.
Але від брюссельських судів до київських урядових коридорів і до брудних окопів під Авдіївкою пролягла велика відстань. Поки законодавці, генерали та судді зважують, ЛГБТК+-українці, які служать, стикаються не лише з відсутністю визнання з боку закону, а й із серйозною дискримінацією. Їхні історії й особисті страждання часто зникають у безодні нескінченних смертей і руйнувань, що стрясають країну кожен день. «Це не на часі», — звучить у коментарях соціальних мереж від критиків. «Це не на часі», — повторюють законодавці в Комітеті з правової політики, згідно з протоколами останніх засідань щодо законопроєкту №9103 у липні 2024 року. Попри те, що законопроєкт перебуває на розгляді понад рік, він досі не був проголосований.
Але для таких людей особисті травми відсутності визнання чи поваги до їхньої особистості надзвичайно актуальні. До того ж ці питання присутні постійно.
Геннадій Апрозимов, 25-річний бісексуальний білорус і солдат Міжнародного легіону, перетнув український кордон теплої липневої ночі 2020 року. Він мав документи, що свідчили про в’їзд до країни для медичної процедури. Упакувавши невелику кількість речей — капці, шампунь та кілька пар білизни — він взяв з собою лише один рюкзак.
П’ять днів тому, коли Геннадій був вдома у Мінську, йому подзвонили з найближчого поліцейського відділку і попросили з’явитися на «дружню розмову». Він знав, що це означає. Декілька його друзів, які ходили на такі розмови, отримали погрози ув’язнення, якщо продовжать будь-яку «рецидивістську» діяльність, а декого вже ув’язнили.
Білоруська влада посилювала тиск на будь-яку форму опозиції після тривалих антиурядових протестів у країні цього літа, одного за одним кидаючи активістів за ґрати. Журналістів, студентів, лікарів та професорів коледжів затримували у їхніх квартирах або на вулиці, починаючи з тих, хто був найбільш помітним.
Геннадій був активним учасником протестів, і в кількох публікаціях у соціальних мережах він зазначався як організатор; хлопець знав, яку роль для нього вже підготувала білоруська влада. Тому зібрав сумку і з допомогою BYSOL, організації, яка допомагала білоруським дисидентам виїхати з країни, вирушив до Києва.
Нова домівка підійшла Геннадію. Через кілька місяців він перестав лякатися чорних вантажівок і людей у поліцейській формі. Він знайшов місце для проживання і продовжив свою активістську діяльність із Києва. Хлопець оточив себе людьми з діаспори, яка значно зросла після нової хвилі репресій у Білорусі. «Я продовжував боротися за Білорусь», — говорить він про той період у Києві.
Але Геннадій не планував боротися за Україну. Український уряд продовжував загравання з диктатурою Лукашенка, і хоча багато білоруських емігрантів опинилися в Києві, шукаючи захисту від режиму, тут не було безпечно. Безвізовий режим і м’яка безпека дозволили російським та білоруським розвідслужбам практично безперешкодно діяти в Києві. У серпні 2021 року один з найактивніших білоруських активістів, Віталій Шишов, був знайдений повішеним у лісі неподалік від свого дому. Смерть була класифікована як вбивство, і злочин досі не розкрили. У 2022 році Денис Стаджі, білоруський журналіст, критично налаштований до білоруського режиму, який жив в Україні з 2018 року, був побитий, катований і накачаний наркотиками впродовж кількох днів у власній квартирі в Києві. Коли Денис перестав відповідати на дзвінки дружини, вона приїхала до Києва з їхнього сімейного укриття на заході України й знайшла його непритомного, зв’язаного та загорнутого в пластикові пакети, за крок від смерті. Їхню квартиру перевернули догори дриґом, а електронні носії інформації вкрали. Підозра впала на білоруських агентів, але українська поліція не арештувала нікого у зв’язку з нападом і катуванням.
Геннадій бачив війну в Україні як початок визволення Білорусі. У березні 2023 року він записався до Міжнародного легіону, частково мотивований думкою про те, що він здобуде досвід для продовження боротьби за визволення Білорусі від диктатури, коли настане час. Після трьох місяців підготовки його направили на північний кордон з Росією, а потім він приєднався до боротьби на Східному фронті.
Геннадій був відкритим з людьми щодо своєї сексуальної орієнтації. Це викликало проблеми в минулому — особливо конфлікти з його релігійною родиною. Але в структурі армії він відчував, що небезпечно відкрито говорити про цей бік свого життя. Склад Міжнародного легіону — це здебільшого іноземні добровольці, в основному американці і європейці, які в середньому мають прогресивніші погляди, з українськими командирами, які значно консервативніші і, за словами Геннадія, іноді відкрито гомофобні. «Я намагаюся уникати цієї теми взагалі, — розповів мені хлопець, — я не хочу бути застреленим у спину».
Це здається надто драматичним страхом, але в середовищі, яке звикло до насильства і де гомофобія — поширене явище, бути геєм справжня загроза. У війні ти покладаєшся на людину поруч для свого добробуту і часто для збереження власного життя.
Отже, крім бути мужнім і подавати приклад, для військовослужбовця, відкритого щодо своєї сексуальної орієнтації, це часто означає носити мішень на спині.
Коли Геннадія перевели на новий пост у грудні 2023 року, новий заступник командира батальйону помітив на його формі нашивку з єдинорогом — символікою об'єднання «Українські ЛГБТ+-військові за рівні права», і запитав його: «Що це за фігня в тебе на одязі?»
Геннадій утримався від коментарів. Його життя залежало від рішень, які цей командир прийме в майбутньому.
Нашивки з єдинорогом стали об’єднавчим символом та ідентифікаційною ознакою ЛГБТ+-спільноти серед військовослужбовців Збройних сил України. Їх зробило об'єднання "Українські ЛГБТ військові за рівні права" — громадська організація, яка бореться за права квір-членів Збройних сил України, як відкритих, так і прихованих. Вона налічує близько 400 членів, з яких менше чверті є відкритими. Віктор Пилипенко, засновник організації та перший відкритий гей в українській армії, — на передовій захисту тих, хто вирішив відкритися, і тих, хто ще не готовий це зробити.
Ці нашивки не несуть жодного специфічного значення, крім того, що свідчать про відкритість щодо своєї сексуальної орієнтації. Однак вони відкривають двері як для союзників, так і для гомофобів. Носячи такі нашивки на формі, ці солдати приймають певний рівень ризику стати мішенню.
«Я знаю, що в армії є геї, які не зацікавлені в приєднанні до нашої групи, можливо, тому що не знають про нас або не хочуть потенційної небажаної публічності», — каже Віктор. Бувши відвертим сам, він отримав численні публічні атаки, переважно від представників консервативних груп, правих організацій, коментаторів, а також членів духовенства.
Найновішим скандалом стало відкликання нагороди, яку Українська православна церква вручила кільком членам підрозділу Віктора з 72-ї механізованої бригади за «самопожертву і любов до України», а потім відкликала медаль, заявивши, що Філарет «не знав про гріховні тенденції» одного з лауреатів. Потім було зазначено, що «Патріарх Філарет і Українська православна церква без винятку займають принципову негативну позицію щодо гріха Содому і засуджують пропаганду так званих одностатевих шлюбів». Після цього ганебного повороту з медаллю кілька членів 72-ї бригади повернули нагороду, більшість з різкою публічною критикою церкви.
Це не перший і, ймовірно, не останній випадок непорозумінь і напруги через розділення в українському суспільстві з питань ЛГБТК+. Віктор став мішенню не тільки для критиків всередині країни, але й для російської пропаганди, яка має звичку зображати гомосексуальність як один з отруйних плодів зловісного Західного світу.
Влітку 2021 року, навіть до початку повномасштабного вторгнення в Україну, риторика Ольги Скабєєвої, російської пропагандистки й коментаторки на російському ТБ, справила особливе враження, коли вона оголосила у своїй програмі, що «Президент Володимир Зеленський, за порадою американського лідера Джо Байдена, відправляє “колони українських гомосексуалістів на Донбас”». Це було засновано на ранішій заяві на фейсбук-сторінці об'єднання "Українські ЛГБТ військові за рівні права", де говорилось: «Ми запрошуємо мотивованих ЛГБТК+-людей, військовослужбовців, спеціалістів, а також людей, дружніх до ЛГБТК+-спільноти, які хочуть підписати контракт з одним з мотострілецьких підрозділів Збройних сил».
Оголошення одразу було підхоплене правими й консервативними силами в Україні та в підсумку потрапило на російське телебачення. Так виникла абсолютно вигадана історія про «Батальйон єдинорогів».
Віктор знову був жорстко розкритикований в Україні як «агент Кремля», що одночасно підливало масла у вогонь безперервної пропагандистської машини Москви. Ні «Батальйон єдинорогів», ні рота, дружня до ЛГБТ, так і не були створені, але Віктор продовжував свою боротьбу. Він згадує слова одного командира, з яким служив, який сказав йому: «Якщо гомосексуали створять свою частину і назвуть її батальйоном єдинорогів, то я їх прийму». У відповідь на критику і вигадки був створений логотип ЛГБТ-військових (LGBT Military), що зображає єдинорога.
Боротьба Віктора є частиною боротьби інших членів спілки. Одним з найяскравіших став випадок колишнього матроса Павла Лагойди.
Павлові 23 роки, і зараз він живе в Києві. Хлопець — один з найактивніших членів Спілки ЛГБТ-військових, але, як і Віктора, його переслідували і піддавали репресіям за свою відкритість. Так само як і Віктор, він страждав через своє бажання бути відкритим.
Після того як його мати виключила Павла з родини через його камінг-аут, хлопець вступив до Військово-морських сил. Це сталося у вересні 2021 року, коли йому було лише 19. Велика війна нависла над Україною. Через кілька місяців, коли ракети сипались на міста і села по всій країні, мати зателефонувала Павлові: «Я приймаю тебе таким, яким ти є, — сказала вона плачучи, — просто повернись додому живим». Павло дивувався, чому саме війна і його служба змусили матір оцінити його і прийняти його, але тепер Павло мусив йти на війну.
За словами Павла, проблеми з його командиром, лейтенантом-майором Леонідом Бондаренком, почалися незабаром після того, як той дізнався про сексуальну орієнтацію хлопця. Павло розповів, що його викрили інші матроси в його каюті, коли він залишив телефон розблокованим і відкритим на листування з колишнім. Повернувшись до каюти, хлопець побачив своїх товаришів по службі, вони сміялися. «Так ти, блін, п**ар?» — усміхнувся один з них до Павла.
Незабаром про це дізналися всі, включаючи його безпосередніх керівників. Лейтенант Бондаренко не тільки дозволяв іншим солдатам бити Павла, але й сам став кривдником. Спочатку це було у вигляді насмішок про його сексуальність і вербального домагання, але згодом це переросло в фізичне насильство.
Перше побиття сталося під час нічного чергування весною 2022 року, коли лейтенант Бондаренко підійшов до Павла й усно відчитав його за те, що він дивився на телефон. Павло розповідає, що між ними зав'язалася сварка, лейтенант Бондаренко повалив його на підлогу і побив. Друге побиття сталося пізніше, у листопаді, на очах у свідків — цього разу через сварку щодо найкращого способу розвантаження вантажівки. Командування Бондаренка не змогло ігнорувати це і перевело Павла, але не покарало Бондаренка.
Листування між Павлом і його командиром нестабільна. Пан Бондаренко називає Павла «соціопатом» і говорить, що його слід вивчати для медичних журналів через його «хворобу». Павло відповідає ненормативною лексикою й погрозами подати до суду на нього і на частину. Потім розмова переходить у рівний тон в обговоренні звітів і питання про переведення й демобілізацію. Без відповіді лишаються повідомлення і дзвінки спочатку з боку Павла, потім з боку пана Бондаренка.
Судячи з телефонних і паперових розмов між ними, здається, що пан Бондаренко не хоче, щоб Павло кудись переходив, і насолоджується своєю владою над підлеглим, завдаючи йому регулярних витончених тортур. Він посилає його на безглузді завдання, на різні медичні та психологічні обстеження, але не дозволяє йому перевестися або змінити контракт. Павло говорить, що його направили на дві психіатричні експертизи, де лікарі без обстеження встановили діагноз, який класифікував його як «непридатного до активної служби». Лейтенант Бондаренко каже, що психіатричні оцінки це не його ініціатива, вони були проведені незалежно, оскільки матрос Лагойда намагався перевестися на контрактну службу і змінити підрозділ.
Павло пізніше подав апеляцію через Міністерство оборони і його направили на обстеження в Київ, де рішення скасували й визнали хлопця здоровим і придатним до активної служби. Адвокат Павла підтверджує його розповідь.
Лейтенант Бондаренко стверджує, що ніколи не бачив остаточного діагнозу психіатричної оцінки, яку Павло отримав після апеляції, хоча в приватному листуванні з Павлом він визнає, що бачив результати, одночасно звинувачуючи Павла в тому, що вони підроблені.
Лейтенант Бондаренко також сказав мені, що моряк Лагойда був поганим і непокірним солдатом, і його били не за те, що він був геєм, а за загальне ставлення та поведінку. Лейтенант також звинуватив підлеглого у сексі за гроші з іншими моряками. Сам не заперечував, що бив його.
Навесні 2024 року президент Зеленський підписав закон, що дозволяє демобілізацію всіх призовників, які почали обов'язкову службу до лютого 2024 року. Павло в цей час безрезультатно намагався змінити частину. Він скористався можливістю й подав документи на звільнення. Через місяць, покидаючи свою базу, він показав середній палець. Він звільнився від тирана.
Булінг, переслідування та навіть фізичне насильство не рідкість в армії. У багатьох випадках доля вразливої людини під чиїмось командуванням залежить від того, як командир справляється з ситуацією. За відсутності освіти з теми LGBTQ+ серед рядового складу Збройних сил України, часто все зводиться до того, чи дозволить командир зловживання, або, як у випадку Павла, сам буде їх чинити.
Але так буває не завжди.
Олександр Жуган, 39 років, та Антоніна Романова, 38 років, зустрілися в ясний і теплий вересневий день 2014 року. Один з тих осінніх днів, коли ще намагаєшся зловити останні відтінки зникомого літа. Це була інша ера в Україні. Про це свідчило те, що вони познайомилися через російський сайт знайомств, який все ще був доволі популярний в Україні, навіть коли Крим був анексований, і вже розпочалася війна на Сході України.
Антоніна нещодавно переїхала до Києва з Криму, де після активної участі у проукраїнських протестах потрапила до списків для арешту. Один з її друзів-активістів, Олег Сенцов, порадив їй покинути півострів. Вона це зробила, в той час, як Олег залишився, а пізніше був арештований і ув'язнений на п'ять років за сфабрикованими звинуваченнями у тероризмі.
Олександр не був у святковому настрої того вечора. Він повертався із зустрічі, на якій розраджував друга, бо його дитині діагностували складну форму аутизму. Антоніна була одягнена в старомодну в'язанку куртку поверх светра. Олександр подумав, що вона має смішний вигляд. Вони прогулювалися з великими стаканами з їжею на виніс, пили лате і говорили. Як з'ясувалося, у них дещо спільне: діти з інвалідністю, їхня байдужість до розбитої інфраструктури Києва та любов до театру і мистецтва. Вони розмовляли про складне дитинство Антоніни, численні операції, які вона пройшла в дитинстві, та її шлях з втраченого дому в Криму до столиці. Вони сиділи біля групи підлітків, захоплюючись їхньою музикою з переносного динаміка. Вони сіли на останнє метро додому.
Через десять років Антоніна й Олександр ділять кімнату в занедбаному будинку за кілька кілометрів від активного фронту. Це була довга подорож від їхнього першого побачення в той теплий київський вечір. За їхніми плечима — експериментальна театральна трупа, яку вони започаткували, п'єси й вистави, які вони ставили разом і окремо, нескінченні вечірки та довгі ночі після прем'єр. Їхнє життя було насиченим: викладання, виступи, кохання. Вони отримали маленьку квартиру разом і були щасливі.
З цієї квартири вони дзвонили своїм акторам, щоб скасувати виставу 24 лютого взимку 2022 року.
Велика війна прийшла у їхнє життя. Тієї ночі Антоніна спитала: «Приєднаємося?» і Олександр неохоче погодився. Наступного дня вони підписували свої імена в листах волонтерів у місцевій територіальній обороні. Там були чоловіки й жінки різного віку — деякі виглядали так, ніби прийшли прямо з роботи; хтось приніс свої речі в валізі, кремезний чоловік у капелюсі ковбоя, а один хлопець приніс мисливську рушницю.
Дивлячись на цю різнорідну публіку, Олександр подумав: «Якщо вони можуть це зробити, ми теж можемо».
Страх не бути зрозумілим, безумовно, був. «Я думав: будуть ці бойові м'ясники, а я — маленький театральний викладач» — говорить Олександр. Але на їхнє здивування, їхній статус як квір-пари був сприйнятий з розумінням. Вони були відкритими з початку їхньої служби, і чутки поширилися. До того часу, коли їх відправили на південь після кампанії в Києві, їхні командири й товариші по службі вже знали, що «ці геї» служать з ними.
Наприкінці травня 2022 року їхню роту відправили до Миколаєва. Антоніна з Олександром відзвітували на ранковій лінійці, де представився новий старший сержант. «Я знаю, що серед ваших є геї», — рикнув він. Серце Антоніни впало. «Мене не хвилює! Якщо ви хороші солдати, проблем не буде». Він додав: «Я не потерплю жодної дискримінації».
Без офіційної політики щодо одностатевих пар з боку Міністерства оборони такі питання залишаються на розсуд командирів нижчого рангу. Деякі, як той старший сержант, розглядають це як потенційну проблему серед свого складу і ставлять все на свої місця з самого початку, але найчастіше це лягає на плечі таких людей, як Олександр та Антоніна, щоб навчити своїх товаришів по службі питанням ЛГБТК+.
«Це не наша робота навчати їх», — каже Олександр. Але коли він починає говорити про ЛГБТК+-спільноту в інтернеті, то стикається з критикою, часто від військових, що він використовує свою форму для пропаганди ЛГБТК+цінностей. І це його дратує. «Я б мав набагато ширшу платформу десь ще, щоб боротися за рівні права, — зазначає Олександр, — а моя мета в армії така ж, як і в усіх інших тут: виграти цю війну».
Таким чином, кожен індивідуальний досвід є відмінним і залежить від освіти та упереджень командира. Антоніні й Олександру пощастило на кожному етапі їхньої служби. У червні 2022 року їм представили нового командира, який спитав Антоніну, які займенники йому слід використовувати при зверненні до неї. «Це було його перше питання до мене, — згадує Антоніна, — я була вражена».
Антоніна є небінарною особою, яка використовує займенники «вона/її». Вона та Олександр надзвичайно близькі, хоча вони припинили стосунки приблизно рік тому. «Ми були разом 10 років, пройшли через вогонь і воду, — говорить Антоніна. — Я впевнена, що ніколи не матиму більш тісного зв'язку з кимось іншим у цьому житті».
Вони сидять разом у тьмяному приміщенні так, як сиділи десять років тому на холодному асфальті, слухаючи, як підлітки грають музику, з лате у паперових стаканчиках на тому теплому київському вечорі. Активний фронт, де вони були кілька годин тому, знаходиться всього за коротку поїздку від них. Вони повторять цю поїздку незабаром після мого від'їзду, не як пара, закохані або старі друзі, а як два військовослужбовці Збройних Сил України, що вирушають на чергове завдання, борючись за свою країну і за своє право бути такими, якими вони є, для себе та для майбутніх поколінь. Попри труднощі, які вони пережили, їхня любов допомагає їм триматися. Вона бореться за них так, як вони борються за свою країну.
Любов також підтримувала Анну Кажан протягом всього її життя. Анна медикиня у 47-й бригаді і людина, яка більшу частину життя йшла всупереч загальній течії. Її позивний Кажан не просто так. Їй подобається як звучить цей позивний, ба більше — подобаються самі кажани. Анні зараз 31 рік, і вона вивчає нічних крилатих створінь зі своїх ранніх 20 — здобула диплом бакалавра з молекулярної біології та біотехнології й закінчила магістратуру з вертебральної зоології. Вона була на 4-му семестрі в Генті, Бельгія, вивчала тропічну біорізноманітність та екосистеми, коли почалося повномасштабне вторгнення. Ця подія змусила її повернутися в Україну і вступити до армії, про що вона ніколи б не подумала раніше.
Якби у словнику була ілюстрація для лівого активіста в Україні, то це, мабуть, була б саме Анна. З підліткового віку вона активно долучалась до лівого руху рідного Харкова. Брала участь в організації анархістського сквоту (який також допомагав розміщувати активістів ЛГБТК+, а також переміщених осіб з анексованого Криму та східних регіонів України у 2014 році), була співзасновницею Харківського Прайду, організації, що захищає права ЛГБТК+ в Україні, та брала участь в організації першого Прайду в Харкові у 2019 році.
Той перший Прайд був переломним моментом у її житті. На площі Свободи в центрі Харкова вона стояла серед близько 2000 інших активістів, які прийшли підтримати захід. Навколо них були поліцейські у щитах і ряд вантажівок, які відокремлювали їх від іншої групи людей — правих активістів з різних організацій, включаючи Freikorps, «Національний корпус» і «Традицію та порядок». «Кожен Прайд ці праві хлопці використовують як тренувальний захід, — говорить Анна з часткою чорного гумору. — Вони збираються разом, зустрічаються, розважаються і показують, на що здатні».
І того дня вони були здатні на багато насильства. Вони вступили в сутички з поліцією та активістами ЛГБТК+, один підліток отримав важкі ушкодження в сусідньому парку, і кілька людей були заарештовані. Це зробило хвилі в українських медіа, посольство США в Україні видало заяву-засудження, а Amnesty International написала публічну заяву.
Через чотири роки, коли Анна вже була в 47-й бригаді, вона зустріла Костю, який служив у її медичному підрозділі. Костя також був на площі Свободи у 2019 році, тільки він був на іншому боці барикад. Захоплений правими поглядами, він був частиною Freikorps — праворадикальної групи, яка того дня воювала з поліцією і полювала на учасників параду. Костя й Анна розмовляли, намагаючись зберігати безпечну відстань. Ці розмови стали регулярними. Костя був інтелектуалом, який писав вірші, що різко контрастує з іншими правоорієнтованими людьми, яких Анна зустрічала у своєму житті через службу.
Одного разу, намагаючись підсумувати одну з цих розмов, Костя вказав на бойову карту, що висіла на стіні їхнього медичного штабу. «Це єдине, що має значення зараз», — сказав він.
Вони обговорювали інцидент з однією із засновниць Харківського Прайду, Анною Шаригіною, яка публічно висловилася проти перейменування вулиці в Харкові на честь Георгія Тарасенка, який був членом Freikorps і загинув під час боїв біля Харкова в березні 2022 року. Тоді Шаригіна написала у фейсбуці, що Тарасенко був відомою правою фігурою і насильницьки переслідував активістів ЛГБТК+ кілька разів. Її пост також викликав питання — ким мають бути люди, яких українці увічнюють в пантеоні героїв цієї війни, і що можна списати чи пробачити тим, хто віддає своє життя за захист країни.
Це був тонкий пост, який спровокував жваву, але складну дискусію, наповнену ненавистю та погрозами, а також словами підтримки пані Шаригіної. Легко зрозуміти її мотивацію — люди на кшталт Георгія Тарасенка були загрозою для неї самої. Він не просто був проти одностатевих шлюбів чи рівних прав для ЛГБТК+-людей — він чинив насилля, переслідував її та людей, за яких вона боролася. Але Георгій Тарасенко також загинув у боротьбі з росіянами, що вдерлися в їхнє місто, щоб окупувати його і зробити частиною Росії, де будь-яка активність ЛГБТК+ тепер криміналізована.
В умовах воєнного часу в Україні армія стала відображенням самого українського суспільства; це країна в країні — зі всіма своїми складнощами і внутрішніми конфліктами, багатьма голосами й таборами. Десятки тисяч людей з усіх верств життя добровільно вступили, були мобілізовані та призвані за останні два з половиною роки. І так само як в українському суспільстві, в Збройних силах України люди ЛГБТК+ є меншиною — меншиною, яку легше цькувати і дискримінувати, але яку потрібно захищати.
Анна Кажан не погодилася з фейсбук-постом своєї колишньої колеги, з якою вони організовували Харківський Прайд у 2019 році. Але вона знає, що таке бути загроженою, критикованою та сперечатися через те, ким вона є. Нещодавно вона опинилася в машині з черговим прихильником крайньоправої ідеології по дорозі до медичної бази Азовського підрозділу. Її колишня дівчина працювала там і організувала візит. Анна жартувала, що це ЛГБТ-спільнота приносить крайніх правих на базу «Азову». Вони говорили про проблеми й цінності. Вони сперечалися та жартували.
«На наступному Прайді ми скинемо заряд з дрона на вас», — сказав правий хлопець сміючись. «Ми встановимо глушилки», — відповіла Анна. І потім настала тиша. Вони обоє знали, що можуть не дожити до наступного Прайду. Вони продовжували їхати.
Над матеріалом працювали:
Дослідник теми, автор тексту: Саша Маслов
Переклад: Маруся Маруженко
Літературна редакторка: Юлія Футей
Менеджер сайту: Владислав Кухар
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Фотографка зі Львова Марта Сирко створила серію світлин з українськими ветеранами, які втратили кінцівки на війні. Свій проєкт «Скульптурний» авторка присвятила мистецтву за мотивами давньогрецьких статуй. Сьогодні Українська асоціація професійних фотографів публікує розмову з авторкою та її світлини.
— Марто, ким ви самі себе позиціонуєте? Хто ви?
— По суті, все життя я займаюся фотографією, тому позиціоную себе як фотограф. Також я захоплююсь історією мистецтва, зокрема викладаю історію мистецтва.
— Розкажіть, над якими проєктами ви працювали до повномасштабного російського вторгнення?
— Так склалося, що впродовж десяти років я фотографувала весь час у стилі ню. Я працювала з тілесністю. Але десь із 2019–2020 років до мене прийшло глибше усвідомлення тілесності й прийняття. Тіла́ людей дуже різноманітні. Оце модне слово «diversity» прийшло і до мене, тож я почала вивчати його з допомогою фотографії. Я фотографувала старших людей оголеними, зокрема своїх бабусю з дідусем. Вони не мали вибору і погодилися на зйомку, але тільки через те, що їм подобалося, що я роблю. Мені здається, я естетизую будь-яке тіло, до якого доторкаюся. Можливо, це вплив Ренесансу чи бароко. Я намагаюся будь-яке тіло подати більш живописно й естетично. Навіть якщо це документалістика, я все ж хочу додати якусь ноту арту.
Також я знімала різні проєкти з дітками з синдромом Дауна. Це теж був для мене виклик. Коли я задумувалась про материнство, у мене виникало багато внутрішніх питань, і таким чином утворився проєкт, який називався «Сонце всередині». Зараз, до речі, дійшли до того, що вже не можна називати діток з синдромом Дауна «сонячними». Я з цим погоджуюсь. Мені подобається те, що я зараз бачу в суспільстві стосовно інклюзії: ми вчимося правильно говорити, мислити та співіснувати між собою.
Для себе я відкрила багато моментів. Наприклад, люди не могли прийняти те, що я фотографувала жінку, на їхній погляд, із надлишковою вагою. Вона займалася спортом, їй подобалось її тіло, вона жила щасливо, проте її повнота людям муляла око. Мені було цікаво, чому люди на це так реагують. Потім я знімала жінку, яка мала величезні рубці та розтягнуту шкіру після народження дитини і, наприклад, до неї було значно позитивніше ставлення. У мене виникало багато питань також щодо фемінізму і його розвитку в Україні. А потім сталася велика війна.
— Люди, які приходять до вас на фотосесії, впевнені в собі чи вразливі? Ваші фотографії допомагають їм якось по-іншому подивитися на себе? Можливо, прийняти себе?
— У мене завжди була більша емпатія до жінок, тому що так склалося, що у нашій культурі, все-таки існує певне ставлення до зовнішності. Люди живуть з комплексами. Я не думала, що буду з цим якось пов'язана і працювати ще й психологічно: намагатись розкрити людину під час зйомки й акцентувати на красивих частинах її тіла, естетично привабливих. Ніколи не думала, що буду пояснювати жінці, що вона красива й у неї немає проблем. Мені зустрічались жінки, яких довелось переконувати: «Ти просто зустріла не ту людину. Вона зламала тобі психіку, а ламати було нічого, бо в тебе все добре. З тобою все гаразд! Ти занадто придираєшся!». Під час фотосесій я завжди намагаюся підтримати своїх героїв, пояснити їм, що все гарно. Загалом мені завжди дуже хочеться сказати, що всі люди красиві, щоб вони спокійно жили.
— Можливо, вам згадається якась історія героя чи героїні, коли людина побачила власні фотографії й змінила ставлення до себе?
— Я пам'ятаю, що я знімала старшу жінку, і їй не сподобались фотографії, але вони не сподобалися їй не з технічної точки зору. Вона пояснювала, що дівчата в інстаграмі, яких я фотографую, виглядають не так. Для мене це був переломний момент. Я зрозуміла, що мені потрібно максимально акцентувати на реальності, на тому, якою людина є. Відтоді багато що змінилося. Наприклад, у мене була ситуація, коли дівчина з четвертою стадією сколіозу хотіла влаштувати собі зйомку на пам'ять перед операцією з виправлення хребта. Вона хотіла запам’ятати, як вона виглядала. І їй сподобалися роботи, вона їх публікувала. При тому, що у нас заведено приховувати такі моменти. Мені здається, що це абсолютно нормально. Ми всі різні.
— Як виникла ідея проєкту «Скульптурний»?
— В останні місяці перед вторгненням росіян я співпрацювала з атлетами. Мої роботи були представлені на виставках, і люди питали: «Це справжня людина чи скульптура?». Це відклалося у моїй голові. Тому я можу сказати, що до проєкту «Скульптурний» мене вело багато стежок. Тобто він не з'явився нізвідки.
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У проєкті «Скульптурний» беруть участь усі люди, які постраждали внаслідок повномасштабного вторгнення. Вони проходять реабілітацію та протезування у центрі Superhumans. Більшість із них — ветерани, але є також одна цивільна жінка з Соледару. Вона найстарша серед цих моїх героїв. Проєкт ще не завершено, але я на цьому не акцентую уваги. Я не шукаю героїв сама, особисто. Проте зараз, наприклад, ми знімаємо документальне кіно про героїв. І через те, що проєкт, по суті, переріс у нову форму, потрібно працювати з новими історіями. Все більше людей отримують поранення, і не всім вдається адаптуватися. Їм у центрі дуже допомагають психологічно. Це неймовірна робота лікарів, які там працюють. Чесно зізнаюся, я не хочу завершувати цей проєкт лише через те, що я в кожну історію занурююся, і кожна історія унікальна, кожна людина розповідає її по-різному, сприймає поранення інакше, і це впливає на її подальше життя.
— Розкажіть про вашого першого героя, який погодився на зйомку. Якими були ваші очікування щодо цієї зйомки і як потім все повернулося?
— Мій перший герой — це теперішній «Холостяк» Олександр Будько. У нього життя гарно понеслось і закрутилось! Він, до речі, один з меншої кількості хлопців, які повністю роздягнулися. Багато хто, наприклад, не хоче знімати білизну, тому ми це прикриваємо тканиною. Тобто ідея полягає в ототожненні з грецько-римськими скульптурами, які в більшості своїй, не всі звичайно, але мали драперію. І драперія була основним елементом будь-якої мармурової чи ще якоїсь скульптури.
Сашка ми знімали всього 15 хвилин, бо це було у період блекаутів. Попри це, наша коротка співпраця переросла у довготривалу дружбу та підтримку. З багатьма зі своїх героїв я далі спілкуюсь, дізнаюся як справи. Хтось уже понароджував дітей, хтось одружився, і так далі. Хтось швидше це зробив, навіть, ніж я. Сашко неймовірно талановитий хлопець, який просто рве всіх навколо і будує собі неймовірно гарну кар'єру. Йому і нам, як суспільству, це потрібно, тому що він якраз і доносить людям: «Алло! Інклюзивність! Добрий день!». Своїм прикладом він робить більше, ніж я це робила своєю нішевістю лише у колах, які цікавились мистецтвом. Це все-таки була невелика частина людей.
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— Чи трансформується сприйняття своєї травми у ваших героїв після фотосесії? Про що вони говорять?
— Захар, втратив дві руки, око і ногу. І це він мені розказує про прийняття та стоїцизм, позитивне мислення і взагалі про життя. Це останній герой, якого я знімала. Захар лікувався у Німеччині. Він розповідає, що не всюди комфортно було на кріслі колісному їздити. Хоча там є комфортні міста і місця. А у нашій країні… Так, я розумію, що це все питання фінансування. Доступність — це дуже важлива річ, тому що неймовірна кількість людей отримала поранення за два з половиною роки.
Можливо, я це так гостро сприймаю, тому що ця проблема була близька моїй сім’ї. Мій дідусь, бувши сліпим, не міг нікуди вийти. При тому, що ми жили в будинку для сліпих. Зараз кажуть у будинку із людьми з порушеннями зору. І він не міг вийти без супроводу іншої людини. Особливо старіючи, він взагалі не міг виходити. Я пам'ятаю його стан, коли ти відчуваєш себе немічним і тягарем для когось. Тому що ти не можеш це сам зробити і тобі треба весь час просити когось допомогти. Це дуже складний момент — пересилити себе і попросити про допомогу. Мій дідусь дуже нервувався через це. Хоч ми були його сім'єю, ми його любили, але він почувався винним, бо йому доводилось постійно про щось когось просити. Тому тут ще стоїть питання, як сім'я все сприймає і реагує. Членам сім'ї теж зараз важко, тому що на них дійсно більше обов'язків припадає. Це величезна проблема, про яку мало говорять. Мені закидають, що я познімала гарні фоточки і поїхала. Так, я познімала, але я хоча б своїми роботами нагадала про це.
— Марто, що далі? Чи можете ви говорити вже, що плануєте робити з цим проєктом «Скульптурний»?
— Проєкт розширюється теж природним шляхом. Я знаходжу через реабілітологів цивільних людей, яких я фотографую. Ми говоримо про різні види ушкодження, травми, втрати. Також ми знімаємо документальне кіно з режисером Сашком Брамою. Ми хочемо розказати історії героїв. Цей фільм буде перекладений на англійську мову. Я вважаю, що його дуже треба бачити міжнародній аудиторії. Ну і на фініші, хотілося б, щоб вийшла книга або виставка, але в якомусь прийнятному просторі. На мій погляд, те, як люди дивляться на роботи, роздруковані в правильному приміщенні, більше впливає на їхній емоційний ряд і на те, як вони запам'ятають ці роботи. Це навіть з дипломатичної точки зору дуже важливо.
— Яку фотографію ви ще мрієте зробити? Або, можливо, яких героїв ви ще хотіли б відзняти?
— У мене бажання просто далі робити фотографію. Я дуже часто розчаровуюся в тому, що зараз швидкоплинний контент і багато хто не цінує фотографію. У мене мета — просто її робити, щоб надалі в мене була аудиторія, яка б дійсно зупинялася і мала час на те, щоб поглянути на роботу й замислитись. Зараз дуже важко втримати погляд. Насправді в нас інформаційне поле настільки насичене та засмічене, що, буває, щось дуже цінне просто губиться в цьому потоці. Так, ти губишся і ти мусиш грати за тими ж правилами, бо інакше не виходить. Ти теж маєш створювати відосики, планувати контент, щоб хоча б якось докричатись до аудиторії роботами, на які потрібно трішки більше часу.
Марта Сирко — 29-річна фотографка зі Львова, мистецтвознавиця за освітою. Вона займається концептуальною фотографією, своїми фотопроєктами досліджує тілесність.
Інстаграм Марти.
Над матеріалом працювали:
Дослідниця теми, авторка тексту: Віра Лабич
Більдредактор: В'ячеслав Ратинський
Літературна редакторка: Юлія Футей
Менеджер сайту: Владислав Кухар
Матеріал створено за підтримки The Fritt Ord Foundation.
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP), in collaboration with Ukrainischer Verein Mainz e.V. and photographer David Yampolsky, realized a photo exhibition dedicated to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It was presented on May 14, 2022, at the Gutleut gallery in Mainz, Germany. The Kyiv Photography School and the National Society of Photo Artists of Ukraine also joined the organization of the exhibition.
"...Images of ruthless devastation, the horrific war of Russia against Ukraine. 'It was an order, sorry,' — written on the wall in Bucha. Before and after, they shot houses with tanks, raped and tortured women and children. Another order?..."
The exhibition features works by photographers Mstyslav Chernov, Kostyantyn Sova, Volodymyr Ogloblin, Oleksandr Zvir, Max Levin, Mariana Kushnir, Yevhen Maloletka, Serhiy Mykhalchuk, Yurko Dyachyshyn, Oleksiy Furman, and Sasha Maslov.
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New York (USA)
A photo exhibition dedicated to the upcoming FRONTLINE project of PBS and the Associated Press. The exhibition featured the works of Ukrainian documentary filmmakers, members of the UWPP and Pulitzer Prize winners Mstislav Chernov and Yevhen Malolletka.
"There were no funerals. There were no public gatherings to honor those who died during Russia's incessant attacks on the port city of Mariupol, which has become a symbol of Ukraine's fierce resistance. Only mass graves reminded us of the city under siege."
The world would not have seen any of this if it were not for the team of Associated Press journalists Mstislav Chernov and Yevgeny Malolletko, who were in the city when the invasion began. They stayed in Mariupol even after it became one of the most dangerous places on earth. For more than two weeks now, they have been the only international media in the city and the only journalists able to transmit video and photos to the outside.
Thanks to their work, the world learned about the bloody atrocities committed by the Russians during the capture of the city, including the attack on the Mariupol maternity hospital, which became a symbol of the brutality of this war.
In early August 2024, columns of Ukrainian military equipment crossed the border with the Russian Federation in Sumy region. Reports of a breach of the border appeared on August 6, 2024 in the Kremlin media, which claimed that the Armed Forces entered the Sudzhansky district of the Kursk region. On August 12, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky confirmed the operation of the Defense Forces in the Kursk region, emphasizing that its goal is to liberate the border territories of Ukraine from Russian troops who regularly shelled the Sumy region.
Photojournalist Vyacheslav Ratynskyi for 10 days he documented the situation on the border regions of Sumy, recording the evacuation of the local population, the columns of Ukrainian vehicles heading to the territory of the aggressor state, the consequences of shelling by Russian cabs, and also explained why he himself did not go to Russia with the Ukrainian military.
Vyacheslav Ratinsky was shooting Khmelnytsky NPP when he learned about the offensive of the Armed Forces on Kurshchina. He hesitated whether to go to the Russian-Ukrainian border in Sumy region to document the historical event.
“I thought it would be a situation similar to the march of the RDC (Russian Volunteer Corps — ed.) in the Belgorod region. They will come and go. But every day events began to develop more and more actively, and I decided to look for a way to get there,” says Vyacheslav. “My colleague from Reuters, who was also going to go there, contacted me. Together we went to the border villages with the NGO “East SOS”, which was engaged in the evacuation of the local population.”
The Russians are shelling Ukrainian border villages daily with guided air bombs. There were a lot of people willing to leave that morning.
“In the morning we were called from East SOS and said that there were two buses - 40 people wanted to leave after the shelling of Kabul. We asked permission to join them because we were worried that they would not miss us ourselves. However, “East SOS” refused, as the priority was to remove civilians. We were offered to go by our own transport to also help with the evacuation of people. We left and successfully crossed all the checkpoints,” Vyacheslav recalls.
During the evacuation of civilians, the work of Russian artillery was heard. People converged on the evacuation site with pets and small bags. Some were drunk.
Vyacheslav hoped to shoot only the evacuation of civilians, so the fact that he managed to communicate and capture the military was a great success: “When we saw the military, we were very happy. It was a pleasant surprise, because there were times before when we negotiated with the command about work, for example, in Robotyne in the South, but at the checkpoints we were not missed any further.”
The photographer admits that, apart from a large number of military equipment and well-equipped soldiers, he has not seen the Ukrainian military in such a high mood for a long time: “They go to fulfill their mission, they win!”
During these 10 days in Sumy region, Vyacheslav met many people and recorded many stories. About one of the episodes he remembered, the photographer said: “We drive along the highway and see a large SAU, we decided to overtake it. Just set the sun, the rays of light broke through the dust on the road. On the howitzer sat a stocky bearded guy waving at us into the camera. We stopped, and one of the soldiers said, “Everything is fine! Moving forward! Kursk NPP will soon be ours!” Their positive attitude was felt in the air. However, later other military said that the situation in Kurshchina had become more complicated.”
During these days, Western media actively published photos of Vyacheslav from Sumy region — the Armed Forces of Ukraine appeared on their front pages.
“This is good, because the Ukrainian army is again appearing in the Western media as a strong army,” Vyacheslav shares. - The military themselves said that they were encouraged by the Kursk operation. After all, for a long time we heard only sad news: about death, failure, suffering. And this attack reminded them themselves that they are capable of more! It really lifted the spirit of the boys.”
The military explained that the official work of journalists near the border is prohibited: they can neither mention nor comment on any actions of the military, in particular in the Kursk region. However, photojournalist Vyacheslav Ratinsky says that he still managed to get to the border territory of Sumy region: “Although we wrote a request, we did not receive any answer. At least the command knew we were here. Work seemed to be banned, but they did not interfere, for the first time I see this. We worried every day that we could be detained, stripped of accreditation or punished in some way.”
The next day, the photographers again decided to go to shoot the military. They tried to find volunteers to accompany them, but to no avail, so they went at their own risk. The trip went well, but one day they and a colleague were detained and searched, forced to remove the footage.
“We passed through checkpoints where we were not even stopped, not once during these days we had our documents checked. Except for one episode when we almost had our equipment taken away.”
Vyacheslav emphasizes that he worked very carefully so as not to harm the Defense Forces:
“I always shot so as not to harm the military. The main thing for me was and remains to do no harm. I would not like my photos to be able to identify the area where the Armed Forces are moving, or what roads they are driving on.”
“We worked quite confidently and openly, as Ukrainian troops advanced far beyond the border,” the photojournalist says. “There were no FPV drones, artillery or mortar shelling in these villages, so we felt relatively safe. However, the threat was posed by numerous CABs. There were many of them, and it always caused fear. A loud sound that cannot be forgotten. We have seen the consequences of airstrikes in these settlements: houses destroyed, farms bombed.”
“We were the first journalists who got to the checkpoint on the state border and filmed the Ukrainian military there,” explains Vyacheslav. “If we wanted to, we could press on the gas at the checkpoint and go straight to Russia, and probably no one would have stopped us. But we were held back by several reasons.”
First, Vyacheslav's car did not have any identification marks, so the Ukrainian military could take it for an enemy DRG and destroy it. Secondly, crossing the border, even during hostilities, is illegal.
Vyacheslav says: “I remember well that in 2014, during the fighting in Donbas and the annexation of Crimea, it was painful and unpleasant for me to see how six foreign photographers from well-known photo agencies presented the project “Another Crimea”. Among them was the Russian photographer Yuri Kozyrev or Georgy Pinkhasov, whom I still respected at that time. They went to Crimea and created propaganda material about what the peninsula looks like now.
It was horrible. Ukrainian colleagues then said that this was unethical, shameful, illegal and violates Ukraine's sovereignty. I always mention this story when I think about whether it is worth crossing the border and going to Russia, even if we are officially offered. We journalists work not only to collect and disseminate information, but also to defend values, to show what is right and what is not. We cannot make decisions emotionally, even if we really want to. As a person, I too would like to go to Sudja and see what happens there, but I find it unethical.
Along with the desire to show what is happening on the territory of the Russian Federation, this issue also has a reverse side: the situation with the border crossing reflects the actions of the Russians who entered our villages and cities together with journalists, removed the tearing down of Ukrainian flags, etc. We had a discussion about this with colleagues. I was told, “What about the journalists who went into Iraq with American troops? Or a similar situation in Kosovo or Serbia in the 90s?” This question is complicated. It contains not only a professional, but also a moral dilemma. If we do not raise the relevant discussion now, at least in the professional circle, they will forget about it.”
Vyacheslav emphasizes that he had no desire to take revenge on the Russians by their own methods. According to him, Ukrainians should be morally and valuably superior to their enemies: “Only in this way can Ukrainians win. Asymmetric actions. Otherwise, why fight? What do we want to prove? That we are no different from them?!”
Vyacheslav Ratynskyi — Ukrainian documentary photographer and photojournalist. He has been working in the field of photojournalism for more than 10 years. Collaborates with international and Ukrainian news agencies and media, including Reuters, The Guardian, Le Monde, Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazine and others. He has been published in many Western and Ukrainian media, including The Time, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Telegraph, The New York Times, El Pais, Der Spiegel and others.
Participant in many photo exhibitions in Europe, USA, Japan and South Korea. His photographs have been published in several books. Vyacheslav Ratinsky works in Ukraine. In his work, the photographer explores the impact of war on society, social and political problems.
Social networks:Facebook, Instagram
On August 9, around 11:05 the Russian army shelled Konstantinovka in Donetsk region from barrel artillery. The Russians hit a local supermarket.
The number of victims of the Russian air strike in Konstantinovka reached 14 people. 44 people were wounded. About this reported in the Office of the Attorney General.
“This is terror and barbarism. No situation on the front can be an excuse for killing civilians. An investigation into the fact of a war crime has already been launched. The terrorist country should be and will be punished for everything committed,” said Prosecutor General Andrey Kostin.
According to preliminary information, the enemy struck with an X-38 missile. As a result of the attack, a large-scale fire broke out on the site: more than a thousand square meters of the shopping center were burned. At the time of the attack, about half a hundred people were there.
“This is another targeted attack on the place of accumulation of people. Police, rescuers, medics and all responsible services are working on the spot,” he said Head of staffDonetsk Regional Military Administration Vadim Filashkin. He also called on all residents of Donetsk region to behave responsibly: “If you have not yet been evacuated and remain in the region, then avoid places of mass crowds and go to shelter without delay in case of alarm. Every day you are here is a danger. It cannot be avoided, but you can at least try to reduce the risks.”
As a result of the shelling, the office of “Nova Poshta” was also destroyed. At least four private houses, shops, a car wash were damaged. Several cars burned down.
President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences to the victims. “Russia will be responsible for this terror, and we will do everything so that the world continues to be with Ukraine, supporting our protection and saving the lives of our people,” statedpresident.
At noon, around 16:00 the Russians cynically struck Konstantinovka for the second time. “This time from “Smerchiv” in the private sector. Two civilians were wounded,” Vadim Filashkin said.
We continue with a series of interviews with professional Ukrainian documentarians.
We talked about the experience of filming the war, empathy in work and the hometown of Kharkiv with Georgy Ivanchenko, Yakov Lyashenko and Oleksandr Magula.
Georgy Ivanchenko:
With photography, I began to work with the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. I deal with documentary, journalism, but for a long time I could not decide whether I was a documentary photographer or a photojournalist. First of all, I am a non-profit photographer. I am very close to the thesis of Max Dondyuk, who wrote: “Photographer in the field of journalism and documentary.”
Alexander Magula:
I never thought of myself as a documentary filmmaker. First of all, I associate myself with a journalist, because I am a journalist by education, and in my work I use primarily techniques from journalism, not from documentary. And I think that most of the photos I take are still more related to journalism. Documentary photography for me is more artistic, more thoughtful. Instead, I am more guided by journalistic techniques. But, even working in a journalistic format, I take a lot of photos, and maybe out of a hundred news photos, one becomes an important document.
Yakov Lyashenko:
I also feel more attached to photojournalism because my work is not always documentary. There are many events happening in Kharkiv region, in Ukraine, which we document, but more as photojournalists.
Alexander Magula:
The main technique of photojournalism is efficiency. Everything happens very quickly in news photos. Such a photo lives in the information stream, no matter how sad it may be, for two or three days, if the event is such that it goes beyond, then maybe a week. Therefore, yes, the main technique is to react quickly, quickly appear on the scene, and quickly return the frames to the editorial office.
Yakov Lyashenko:
I came from commercial photography. I did a lot of reportage photography, and I always liked it. In fact, what I do now has the same goal — documenting, photographing what is happening around you. I fundamentally never influence the frame, I do not tell anyone how or where to stand, where to look. This is exactly a photograph of what is really happening.
Alexander Magula:
I have been shooting since I was a child, since childhood, from the age of 12. I drew graffiti with my friends and I wanted my drawings to look good in the photo. I was not satisfied with the photos on the phone, and I began to shoot. First on the film, because that was the fashion. Gradually, it was the pictures of the drawings that ceased to interest me. I began to be interested in the creation process itself: how my friends draw, how they go to draw, how they return. And in fact, it was also a kind of reporter shooting, just from inside the process. Gradually, I came to the conclusion that graffiti is such a peculiar genre of art, where some plots are constantly repeated. My personal story is also intertwined with the journey into journalism. My family is from Donbas. When the war began in 2014, I saw that no one, for example, among my classmates, knew what was happening in the same Debaltseve. It surprised me a lot. I have this inner urge to communicate to people, to their information bubble, that something bad is going on. So I decided that I like to photograph, I decided to enter journalism and came to the conclusion that I was attracted to photojournalism. Thus, from the first year of university, I began to shoot already in this genre.
Georgy Ivanchenko:
If it is very simple, then as a child, at the age of 10, I was lured by the viewfinder of my mother's camera. She showed me sometimes, I watched. And everything somehow looked so very different than in reality, although it was broadcasting ordinary reality. That's where it all started. These are the first, perhaps, the basics, steps to acquaintance with photography. However, I started keeping my camera on my own at the age of 17. I walked, filmed something on the street, somehow understood slowly, learned that there are different ways, different animals, how and what can be shown. However, perhaps, such a moment of quintessence was the admission to Lviv Polytechnic at the Faculty of Journalism. I had high expectations that I would have mentors who could lead me into this world. Why did I like this social photo at all? This is documentary, journalism. I realized that you can not just shoot a street, where you need to catch shadows or something unusual and beautiful, but you can do something similar, but in those moments when it is a socially significant thing in the history of a family, people, city, country, world.
I was influenced by the story of journalist Gareth Jones. But I have not seen his pictures. I read the book, heard the story, saw the movie, but I didn't see the pictures. The joke is that he is the first Welshman who came and showed the whole world that there is a Holodomor in Ukraine. And it struck me that a person with a camera, with a text, could tell something from another part of the world, something socially important that no one dared to talk about. It is no longer even about photography and not about text, but about curiosity and investigation, about the direction of movement in journalism.
Georgy Ivanchenko:
When I studied for half a year at the university, a full-scale invasion began and I left Lviv to shoot. I knew I needed to take pictures. He filmed volunteers at the station for a week and then left. I looked at a lot of pictures by photographers from the Magnum agency, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Eliot Hervit, Robert Capa and others. Their photos led me to the decision that we had to go and shoot.
Yakov Lyashenko:
I have a slightly different story as I got into documentary photography. At the beginning of a full-scale war, he worked as a fixer. A friend suggested I try it. At that point, I didn't even know what fixation was. My first photographers that I helped were precisely documentarians, with work experience, and they inspired me. For example, James Nachtway. However, I realized that they come, shoot and move on. However, the war does not end, and you need to do it every day. At that point, I was just starting out and did not yet know how to work in the war. However, I gained a lot of experience with photographers.
I started working in Kharkov, because then it was one of the epicenters of events. Of course, there was a war in the Donbas and in Kherson, but I was in Kharkov, I knew the city, I knew everything that was needed to work here.
Yakov Lyashenko:
At the time of the beginning of a full-scale war, I had a creative crisis. At that time, I rarely took pictures, even took a camera in my hands. I worked a lot before that, maybe a little burned out, and the format in which I worked did not suit me anymore. I wanted to take a break. However, at the beginning of the war I started working with prominent photographers, especially such as Nachtway, and that inspired me super. I saw how it works and how it communicates with people.
I watched photographers from morning to evening, analyzed how they work, what methods they use. I'm not talking about setting up the camera, I'm talking about finding the moment, choosing a frame. I was fascinated by it and I knew I wanted to shoot. I then shot a little on the film and on the figure. Later I realized that I no longer wanted to be a fixer, but wanted to photograph and document myself.
Alexander Magula:
My family is from Debaltseve, so I have my motivation to take pictures. I decided in the first year that I wanted to shoot. Now it's even a little embarrassing to say that I dreamed of becoming a military photographer. I always thought I would go somewhere in the Donbas. When the war came to Kharkiv itself, I realized that we must be more careful with my desires, because they can become a reality.
In 2019 or 2020, I met German journalists in Berlin by chance. They told me about their experience in Syria, in Afghanistan. We have established a good contact. When the full-scale invasion began, I also had a creative crisis in photography. At that point, I barely touched the camera. Before full-scale, I worked for a year at the university as a journalist, videographer, it was a superlocal publication. I burned out, thoughts began to occur to me that I did not want to do this. A month after February 24, I received a message from a friend from Germany: “I remember our conversation and that you told me that you wanted to shoot. I'm going to Ukraine, the time has come — let's try it.” That's how we united with him. For the first six months, maybe eight months, we worked together as freelancers. Sometimes I helped him, worked with him as a photojournalist, and several times I worked for him as a fixer. I met a French photographer, with whom we are now friends.
Georgy Ivanchenko:
In fact, we did not see war until February 24. And our foreign colleagues, photographers, have such experience. They saw a lot of different surreal pictures that we see now. And so they already have a perception of war, and they apply their experience to Ukrainian realities. It works. Of course, our war is different, but wars are still similar. Our war is completely exclusive in the technologies used, unique in the number of weapons and shells.
Alexander Magula:
My first post was after two months of war. The photos were bought by the German magazine “Focus”. It was a report about Kharkov. He took a series of photographs together with a foreign journalist. This was my first publication in print, my first money earned precisely for photojournalism.
It was a portrait of the commander of “Kraken” Konstantin Nemichev, and these were the infantry positions in Cherkasy Lozova, where then there was conditionally “zero”, the front line Kharkov, North Saltovka. I had an existential crisis at the time, because these are the first days when I really saw houses burning down where I was walking, where my friends lived. When I was sent a PDF of the magazine, I looked at this: “Wow, it turned out!”. However, during the filming everything was like in a fog.
Georgy Ivanchenko:
The first material from a full-scale war that the media bought from me was from the filming of Borodianka after the occupation, where I was born. Then for the first time I worked with a journalist who needed a photographer. Journalist from Belarus, we became very friends with him, went to shoot the liberated Chernihiv region. It was important for me to share what I saw, to publish my work.
I did not think about money, but at some point one of the journalist's friends saw my photo with him somewhere on Facebook. I was given a contact by the EPA and then for the first time my photo went to the media. It was the village of Senkivka, a very authentic beautiful wooden house located 600 meters from the Russian border and the monument to the three sisters. From there, the Russians poured cassettes, and “Hurricanes”, and everything that they could. Fields in the village are sown with “cassettes”. We wanted to talk to the locals, we were looking for people in this village, and there were very few of them. We knocked on the house and no one opened it. I stood on a bench and looked at what was in the yard, and there was a big “Hurricane” just in the center.
Yakov Lyashenko:
In the beginning, when I worked as a fixer, I photographed for myself, trained, studied, watched more experienced photographers take pictures. My friend Katya arranged an exhibition for me, thank her for this. These were probably my first sold photos. These were not even publications in the media, but it was part of an exhibition in France, for which I was paid the first money. And that was interesting. I posted photos on instagram and the first publication was when Zelensky's official account posted my photos. It was nice.
The picture was from the de-occupation of Kharkiv region. It was the military who were riding on the BMP in Izyum — they smiled, rejoiced and waved at us. I made this frame and it was published. Before that, I just posted photos on social networks and said that you can take my photos, use them. It was important to me that someone saw these photos so that they were not lying on the table. After a year and a half of work as a fixer, he spent the money earned on updating photographic equipment. He also met people from the EPA and since then there have been publications in the media, in the world media.
Georgy Ivanchenko:
If the photos are from the event, they should not lie. However, I think that everyone has something “lying around”. The desire to tell about the events brings us to Kharkov. Obviously, this is the first major city on which there was such a massive blow, on which Russian troops are moving so actively. We know that Kharkov can be lost even before the start of a full-scale invasion. The attack on Kiev was a surprise for us, the attack on Kharkov was not a surprise for anyone. However, there are many internal, invisible events taking place there. I will tell you about the memories of one of those who led the defense of Saltovka. He counted 15 minutes for the first three days, that is, lived 15 minutes, lasted 15 minutes - that's cool. And it's a completely different sense of time that I don't know anything about. Nothing like that happened in my life, not even during the Russian-Ukrainian war, when my time would be reduced to 15 minutes, so that it would be an achievement, a super gift to survive 15 minutes. And photography is a visual thing that interacts primarily with time, it stops and captures it.
What was the feeling of the first months of the war in Kharkov, what was then wanted from my own photo? How was this all fixed? There are a lot of ways to tell. In the end, what makes a photo a photograph is the meaning you bring there. Then choose a composition and form in order to fix the meaning that you want to convey. The meaning of life in a city under siege, in a city on which the enemy is attacking, in which time is so concentrated, in which everything changes so much. People left, the light disappeared, people began to live in the subway. Everything was changing. And what then was desired at the level of meaning from his photograph, and how did this desired level of meaning provoke form?
Yakov Lyashenko:
All the time at the beginning of the full-scale war I was in Kharkov. Honestly, the first time was super scary. Lack of experience played a big minus. Why did fixation help this? I gained that important experience to be able to concentrate and take pictures in conditions of high stress. I remember my first trip to Saltivka with a French photographer. We just arrived after the “Grad” package was there, literally seven minutes later. I remember taking a picture of one grandmother who came out of her house engulfed in fire. Two other houses nearby also burned. She came out in a robe, in slippers, and it was, if I'm not mistaken, March. She went out, walked around the house, looked at this house. If I had experience working during the war, I could have taken a lot more pictures and better. However, now, if I look back, I understand that I did not fully realize the moment because of fears, ignorance. It was a new experience because I have never worked in places where there is constant shelling, where you can die at any moment. I didn't have the right clothes and equipment that could save lives, I didn't even have a first aid kit. My first first aid kit probably appeared closer to May.
Alexander Magula:
I have a similar story. I came to Saltivka with journalist Philip from Germany. I wanted to continue shooting, just even for myself. We went out to North Saltivka, and also filmed these poor people walking on the wreckage. I agree, if I had the experience, I could have made better shots. However, it was scary and there was no first aid kit. I only had a bulletproof vest and that's it.
We walked, filmed, filmed, met the soldiers. The soldiers began to check on us: “What are you doing here? Do you have a camera, are you a gunner or what are you shooting?” We explained that journalists work here. The soldiers told us, “Get out of here, because now there will be shelling.” Even before the full-scale war, in 2020, I went to “Desna”, received accreditation to the ATO zone. I never had to go there. Then we were told that in a combat zone, always listen to the military. If they say run away, then you have to run away. And that was just such a case. We began with such a slow step to move from an equipped position. The military began to shout at us: “We said run away, do not go, but run!” We ran a hundred meters, crossed the “Rodnik”...
The photos were published on the website of the Institute of War and Peace Reporting. It's good that they went somewhere. Because at that moment I was shooting it just for myself. And I also had the feeling that due to lack of experience, I did not do enough. First of all, I didn't make any very, very touching shots. I almost died, but it was an experience when you understand that everything is very serious and basic safety rules should not be neglected.
Georgy Ivanchenko:
My story is also about Rodnik. We passed through this place and I stopped to remove the broken house. For the first time I came under such shelling when the square of your stay covers the “Grad”. If we talk about time, then it really slows down at this point. It was very scary. After that, I realized that the military says to go for a reason.
Georgy Ivanchenko:
The first shelling he came under was in Tsvirkuny in Kharkiv region in May. Then we were winged with “lighters” or phosphorus, it is not clear exactly. There was such a whistle, such a sound, as if the blades of a helicopter were spinning. It crumbles and slowly falls, you know, like such a fireworks salute. We did not understand what was happening and quickly ran to a random grandmother in the basement. There they waited. There were six of us humans, a small basement, but then I realized something else, a little more interesting. Those people were already used to all these things, and this woman says: “Oh, now I'll put the seagulls in the house, I'll bring the seagulls.” We are like, “What?”. As a result, we stayed there for a short time, maybe up to an hour. I saw that grandmother for the first time in my life, and that grandfather. However, war and all the terrible events that happen to you catalyze, I think, absolutely all processes — both growing up and relationships between people. During the hour I spent with my grandmother, I thought that she was closer to me than some distant relative. That is, these relationships, they have contracted over time.
Yakov Lyashenko:
I caught the concentrated time with Nachtway on Saltovka. It was relatively far from North Saltovka, we were in the car with him. A hundred meters from us was a package of “Grad”. The moment you sit in the car and pour a package of “Grad”, you do not realize that it is a hundred meters. It trickles like in chess, and you do not understand whether you are in the epicenter, whether you are on the side, or if it is somewhere far from you at all. By the feeling that you are right in the epicenter. I do not wish this to anyone. I didn't think about the photos at all at that moment.
I have one photograph, taken on film, of the aftermath of the arrival of that Grad package. There were injured people, burned apartments, a destroyed house. It seems to me that I did not capture that condensed time the way I would have liked. I believe that due to lack of work experience precisely in the conditions of war, I was not able to fully recover those first few months before the de-occupation of Cirkuni and the following villages, when shelling of Kharkov decreased greatly.
Alexander Magula:
I think the first photos just have some personal value for everyone. For example, George and I looked at pictures of each other about the beginning of a full-scale invasion. At a distance you see progress in technique, composition and how you gain experience. The first photos were taken intuitively, to the touch, when you just shoot what you see. The first pictures may not be very successful, but personally for you they are valuable. For example, you will open this photo and for the viewer it will be out of context. It can be just some smoke, collapsed buildings. Photography is not something you can be proud of, but there is a story behind it.
I am reminded of two pictures. The moment I photographed the collapsed entrance. There is nothing super special about this photo. However, I know that two minutes after the picture, the package of “Grad” arrived and I was very creepy there. The second photo, which I can call more successful, is a portrait of the commander of “Kraken” in the destroyed Regional State Administration. Then a rocket flew there. The attitude towards the military was, as I felt at the time, as if towards the gods. These are the people who can protect us, on whom all hope. The portrait of this commander is my personal embodiment of the attitude towards one of those men who defend Kharkiv, on whom the responsibility lies. All people are waiting for some kind of post from him, operational information that “Kraken” liberated new villages. I remember these first de-occupied villages, which Kraken liberated with other units. People had a very reverent attitude towards the military.
Yakov Lyashenko:
As for me, Kharkiv has changed a lot. When the artillery could no longer fire on Kharkov because of the long distance, people began to return en masse to the city. Before that, Kharkiv was empty. When the Circuses were liberated, when they liberated Vilkhivka, when they liberated Ruska Lozova, then people began to return little by little. This also affected the shooting, there were much fewer topics for filming. It's true. When artillery was shelling the city every day, the districts of Saltovka, Pyatikhatka were in turmoil, people lived in the metro, someone had no water, no light, nothing; he was shooting constantly. However, Kharkiv is a big city and not everything looks like Northern Saltovka. I came home from filming, I had internet, heating and even hot water. At home it was like another world. I think it was worth fixing the “two Kharkov”. I am glad that there are areas in Kharkov that are not destroyed, which were not fired at by artillery.
Georgy Ivanchenko:
At the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, KABs arrived in Nikolaev every day. As an alarm clock — from five to nine in the morning, from five to ten CABs flew. Five-story buildings were torn down, people died. I photographed everything I saw, shot the news. We heard that something flew - we left.
Georgy Ivanchenko:
Topic selection is based on experience. You first start working with events, with socially important materials. Then you understand that something is missing, that you need to change approaches to work. I stopped being interested in purely informational photography, because these topics can be shown a little differently. And what impact does that have now? Aren't the same arrival cards enough now? And do I need them now, because there are people who do it, and it's good that they do it. You ask yourself questions, you try to change technical, visual, conceptual solutions, you think how to show the theme of war, invasion, to make it interesting. When you go to Kiev or Lviv, you can hear, for example, conversations about the exhibition. Someone says, “Oh, the photo exhibition has opened!”. The second person replies, “Oh, it's about war again.” This has already affected everyone so much that it is necessary to find solutions that would interest people in the topic of war. Unfortunately, this is such a stage now. I try to both use techniques and think more. Finding new solutions requires thinking and reading more. It can be any literature that can inspire and motivate action. Everyone finds the right path for himself.
Alexander Magula:
I would like to go back to how photography in Kharkov changed. The shelling of the city continues and people are learning to just live with it. I see more and more photos as photographers try to capture this routine in the intervals between arrivals. For example, it inspires me, it pleases me.
I don't live in Kharkiv now, but I look at photos of Sergei Korovainy, Roman Pylypey, Yakov Lyashenko. I really liked Lyashenko's series about the zoo. The routine of people living in this horror and just trying to live a normal life. I really like George's series about the family in Izyum in Kharkiv region. Such a very intimate series. It seems to me that this is how photography in Kharkov began to change, it is immersed in everyday life.
Yakov Lyashenko:
When it all started, there was a concentration of horror, and I didn't even want to film the routine. There were many events on the outskirts of the city, sometimes in the center of Kharkov: missiles arrived, artillery, “Grad” worked, and life was imperceptible. Everyone was sitting in basements, someone lived in the subway. Now people are used to it. However, I remember the period in 2022, the summer when the artillery no longer fired into the city, and the Russian military every day, like clockwork, fired S-300 missiles. We could even check the clock — at exactly 10 p.m., a rocket arrived. You look at the clock and hear an explosion outside the window. It was every day. Then they changed the time and everything repeated at 4 in the morning. You walk through the city, you see people everywhere who have not slept, because at 4 in the morning a rocket arrives.
Now sometimes I photograph everyday life in Kharkov, because it is interesting and there is something to shoot. I go, I shoot people in the zoo, on the streets of the city, and everyone reacts normally to the camera. In 2022, when it all started, it was extremely difficult to shoot because everyone was pretty aggressive about the cameras. I was attacked twice, almost smashed my car. It was possible to film the life of people in the subway. However, people did not want to communicate, let alone photos. I understand that every day hundreds of journalists come, film how they live, and people want privacy, want a normal life simply. They don't want to live in the subway, they want to live in their apartments, but they can't. At that time, it was almost impossible to shoot it. There were hardly any people on the streets.
Georgy Ivanchenko:
A series of photos about the family from Izyum in Kharkiv region has not been published. I met these people by chance a few months after the de-occupation of Kharkiv region. We stayed with them for the evening. They had no light, no water, nothing. For almost a year and a half, I visited them on the way to Donetsk region or from Donetsk region. They had a vacant apartment and we stayed there. We just talked, found some kind of common language, and I really fit into this party. These are super-cool, extraordinary people who live lives. However, I did not photograph them. I started shooting them just a few months ago, and now I understand why I photograph them, why it is important. This is the ordinary life of people who have experienced very uncool emotions, pictures and all that. People now live, work, have problems, die from common diseases, that is, life has not gone anywhere. In addition to the war there is another thing that has always been, there are these all the problems that were before that.
Alexander Magula:
Now war is still piling up on ordinary problems. When I watched this series about Raisin, I really liked it. Because what we know from the photos of Ryazum are the mass burials, the first days of exhumation. For example, it is important for me to see this life of ordinary people who have stayed to live there. Because the portrait of the city is not only news, but also the stories of the people who stayed there.
It is important to shoot people and remember the issue of ethics. When there was the last arrival on the “Epicenter”, a lot of photographers filmed the body of the deceased, which lay a little further, covered with a thermal blanket. It was important for me not to show the face of this man, to photograph him so that he could not be recognized by the photo. I do not in any way condemn the colleagues who filmed this man with an open face. Because it's about efficiency, about trying to quickly show this horror when dead people are lying in the middle of the street.
I will also tell you about the manifestation of empathy in photography. When there was a rocket attack on the Thunderstorm, my colleague from the Social Nastya Ivantsev and I were doing a story about the Mukhovaty family. My brother and sister died in a cafe, mom, dad and grandmother. It was news, but it was important for us to make this story well. We spent five days on it. I felt very sorry for this family. It was very important for me to show these people with maximum empathy, and, again, to show them up close, inside their home, when their parents left and did not return. Now these children are alone in the house. I was ready to sacrifice even the promptness, informativeness of the staff. My colleague and I were discussing how we could make this story whole. We filmed several stages: here we met them, they set pegs in the cemetery where their family will be buried. The next day, their friends, also children, came to help them dig these graves. On the third and fourth days there were the first burials. Sasha asked us not to film the burial of his parents. We understood that in order for the story to be complete, we needed to remove the burial of our parents. However, he asked and we did not shoot, we left. We decided that empathy and ethics are more important in this moment than a whole or not a whole story.
Yakov Lyashenko:
I've also been to the burials at Thunder. They took place for several days, probably more than a week, because so many people died. There were many journalists, both Ukrainian and foreign. At one point, when the body was brought in, most of the foreign journalists behaved rather badly. Everyone noticed that the “westerners” were just a dick. All Ukrainian journalists were as empathetic as possible to the feelings of relatives who experienced mourning. The main thing for foreign photographers was to make a bright shot at any price. Perhaps over time we have come to the conclusion that for us what is happening in our country is not just documentation at all costs. For all of us, this is our personal story, the history of our country, our family. Maybe that picture that Nick Ut took in Vietnam, we would have taken differently, or not done at all. Because we experience everything personally, and for foreign journalists it's just work.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Katya Moskalyuk
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
The material was created with the support of The Fritt Ord Foundation.
Yakov Liashenko— Ukrainian photographer from Kharkov. He began his professional career in 2012. After the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he worked as a fixer for well-known photographers and in parallel documented the events of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Currently, Yakov is a soldier-photographer of the special purpose battalion “Donbass” of the 18th Slavic Brigade of the NGU.
Author's social networks: Instagram, Facebook.
Heorhii Ivanchenko— Ukrainian photographer, who since February 2022 works as a freelance reporter in the field of documentary and journalistic photography.
From the first months of the invasion, he filmed for the Associated Press and the European Pressphoto Agency. Starting from Borodyan, where George was born, he continued with the front line: Nikolaev region, Kharkiv region, Kherson region. Now his attention is focused on the Donetsk region.
The turning point in his photography was almost a month spent in Bakhmut. Throughout December and January, George documented the lives of the townspeople, carrying a backpack and sleeping bag, sharing life with local volunteers, doctors, military and firefighters in the basements.
Author's social networks: Instagram, Facebook.
Oleksandr Magula— photographer from Kharkov. Journalist Social News in Kyiv. He studied journalism at Kharkiv National University named after V. N.D. Karazin. Before the war, he worked in the local media. Collaborated with the largest German-language print publications in Europe (NZZ, FAZ, TAZ, Focus, DerStandard).
Ukrainian photographer Maksym DondyukHe has been fighting the war since 2014. He visited the hottest spots, in particular the Ilovai boiler. At the beginning of the full-scale war, he documented the battles in the Kiev region, and his photos are published by the leading publications of the world. Maxim Dondyuk works on long-term author's projects, which are personal reflections on the war in Ukraine. Maxim talked about creating photos from the new “White Series”, about finding his own visual language and why every frame of it is an attempt to convey hatred of war.
— In your author's projects, in particular in the “White Series”, you show the war through the landscape. Why exactly this genre?
— I have been photographing the war in Ukraine since 2014. After a year of filming active combat actions, I decided to pause. In 2017, he traveled the former demarcation line, where he saw war, blood and murder, where he saw destroyed houses and land fought for every meter. I have traveled along this line from the Sea of Azov to the Russian border several times. All of this territory, except for a small piece near New York, is now unfortunately occupied by Russian troops.
When I arrived, all these places were not needed by anyone, they were devastated. Instead, there were already some rebuilt houses, shops, block-posts nearby. It reminded me of the condition I had and those who came back from the war. The state of inner emptiness when you come from the front and no one understands you. You ask yourself why there is still corruption, or why everyone here drinks wine when they still kill there. There is despair, as well as misunderstandings with relatives and friends.
In 2017, I filmed a series “Between Life and Death”where he showed the effects of war through the landscape. Before the war, I also used landscape photography, for example in a series about Chernobyl. For me, this is a convenient format, the possibility of a more artistic approach to photography. I am very tired of what I was doing at the beginning of my creative path, when I was working more with people. True, the full-scale war brought me back again — for the first year I actively worked with the military, documented events, collaborated with magazines. When war comes to your home, you are no longer into art. Someone takes a weapon, and someone takes a camera and does everything they can. The military is fighting Russian soldiers, and for me it was a war with Russian propaganda.
At some point I realized that I was very tired of everything I was doing at the front. It became increasingly difficult to access the footage of the fighting. I went back to landscape photography. I spent the last two winters in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions. After the project on the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, I can say freak-out about maps. In the summer I marked the objects of interest to me on the map, and in the winter I went to the shooting.
I lived in Izyum, Kramatorsk, if possible, went to the front line, but most of the time I waited for the weather I needed to shoot the “White Series”. I needed a few inches of snow, frost, so that there was no sun. It is not so often that all these parameters coincide. So I shot some objects ten, twenty times. I just took the car, drove into the fields, knowing that they were all mined. Tried to walk the trails if I noticed them. When there was no weather, I was looking for new potentially interesting locations for filming. Such a scrupulous landscape approach to the photo. For me, it is also a meditative approach, when I was alone among the field, winter and frost, such a kind of conversation with myself. For me, this series is very private.
“The White Series” about what will happen to humanity if we do not stop fighting. It just shows me what our planet might look like if we beat each other up over territory, resources, or religion. This is not only a problem of Ukraine and Russia, it is a global problem of humanity, because we cannot stop, we cannot not fight. My new series is about the hatred of everything related to war. War generates aggression, it destroys life, nature, technology.
— How connected are your projects “Between Life and Death” and “White Series”. Is one a continuation of the other?
— Separating these two series of photos is very difficult. In the end, my project on Chernobyl is also based on a similar approach. He used visual languages that are very intersecting. They are like twins. Nevertheless, the “White Series” is different, it is deeper, more powerful, I use the medium format for shooting. The idea originated in 2017, when he first traveled to places where he was in 2014 with the military. I had psychological problems and I needed to go back there, see everything again and reflect on the events of the war.
The projects “Between Life and Death” and “White Series” are related. However, for the filming of the “White Series”, I use a medium format so that the photos can be printed three to four meters in size. I see this project for exhibitions in galleries. Imagine walking into a space and noticing such an interesting landscape. At first it seems that it is something beautiful, but in fact it is our distorted aesthetic. Because visual art is often based on suffering, wars or religious crucifixions. As you get closer and closer to the photo, you already see the destruction and scars that war leaves.
I am sure that people who live abroad and have completely different problems may not understand the photos of the “White Series”. Photos will be closer for those who know what war and devastation are. This series is probably more about me and my inner worldview, how I perceive what war leaves behind.
— Why are there no people in your pictures from the “White Series” at all?
— “When I was shooting the series Between Life and Death, it was very important for me to convey the emptiness that I felt myself and that many of the guys who came back from the front felt. When you come home, and you end the meaning of life, there is no understanding of what to do next. Many soldiers return to the front again because they cannot find work, are not understood by family and friends. If the military has PTSD, it is very, very heavy inside.
In 2017, I tried to visualize the emptiness that was in me. I couldn't go back to the front and shoot again, so I went along this line of demarcation. For me, it was therapy through art. Then the war continued, but the front line did not move, and everything seemed to freeze. Now, in the “White Series”, the idea is different, since active combat actions are being waged. Now it is important for me to show what will remain of humanity. If we do not stop fighting, there will be a nuclear winter and everything will be covered with snow, everything will freeze. Destroyed houses and rusted tanks will remain in some places.
War does nothing good. I simply do not believe that war happens with any good intention, that war is fought for religion, nation, or any other ideals. Human life is more important than a piece of land. It is a very painful topic for me to hear that it is necessary to fight, to fight and to liberate everything. I would like to know how many more boys and girls have to die for this. How difficult and painful it will be for our country. How destructive war is to any country.
I only filmed the war in Ukraine. I am not a war photographer who travels to other countries. I'm not interested in that. I see the war as a person, as a Ukrainian to whom it happened. I took the camera not because I decided to film the war, but because this sworn war came to our country. I am such an idealistic humanist and it is very difficult for me.
With the pictures from the “White Series” I try to show what can happen to our world. We will all be in ruins. There are a lot of such things that I photograph in Ukraine now in other countries, such as Afghanistan, Chechnya. I cannot understand the meaning in the actions of these countries that start wars, such as the Russian Federation, the United States and others. When they come to a strange land and they need something. I can't find the answer. Instead, I walked through mined fields for months and just took pictures. Someone collects various items, someone — impressions. I collected, collected on a white background, threw away things that were once important. The tank was important, someone sat in it, this house was important, people lived there. Now everything is destroyed and devastated, like our entire country.
— The idea to create the “White Series” arose as a result of long filming of the war? How and when did you conceive her visual language?
— In this case, I decided everything before filming. I needed to buy special equipment for photographing panoramas, learn how to use it correctly. Canadian photographer Edward Burtinsky works in this style. He helped me make panoramas, and now he is very supportive of my project.
I decided to make all the photos of the series completely original, without significant post-production. It happened that the twentieth came to the monument in Izyum, and there was still not enough fog, or the sun looked out from behind the clouds. And I just stood, and I couldn't take a picture. The viewer sees one white frame. To him, it looks like someone drove in a car, took a photo and drove on. Instead, two years before this picture, I was making a map, lived in Donetsk region for two winters, traveled many kilometers to catch a few minutes of the weather I needed. If suitable conditions occurred, I quickly drove the car to several objects at once.
— In the project “Between Life and Death”, in addition to the photo, you add quotes from “Tao De Jing. The Book of Path and Dignity” by Lao Tzu. Why this book?
After 2014, I tried to find balance in myself. Initially looking for ways in Western philosophy, he lived for a while in Europe. Then I realized that my way of thinking and perceiving the world gravitates towards the eastern. Until 2021, I traveled a lot in Asia. I am fascinated by Taoism and Buddhism, I have read a lot of relevant literature, several times immersed myself in meditative practices in temples.
I really like Lao Tzu, in particular his book “Tao De Jing”. Just picked the quotes that best reflect my attitude towards the war. Lao Tzu writes very powerful things. For example, he talks about two countries that fought and one of them won. An army that has killed thousands of people should not celebrate, stage parades, or drink wine. The day of the end of the war is mournful, because no one can enjoy the fact that someone is killed. Even though the dead are enemies. I am sometimes shocked when I see people in restaurants in Ukraine watching videos of drones killing someone at breakfast and marking it with a “smiley face”. It's easiest to talk about patriotism over dinner in a safe place. I've seen war, I've been wounded twice, spent a lot of time with the military, but I still don't understand how you can enjoy killing, even enemies.
I can understand when this happens to the military. Yet it amazes me to see so much hatred in civilians who have no experience at the front. They seem to have come to the theater or the cinema. What kind of idea is it, to watch someone get killed. I saw more respect for the enemies at the front than in the towns farther from the line of contact. It's just nonsense. I am also talking about the respect that often exists on the front between militaries on different sides, even considering the fact that they are fighting.
Hatred and aggression destroys us from the inside, burns us out. We will begin to destroy not only our enemies, but also family, friends, ultimately, our country. When hatred takes hold of us, we will not be able to just stop after the war is over. We will start looking for new enemies, but this time among our families, acquaintances, inside our country.
I tried to convey the message of the pictures, supplementing them with expressions of Lao Tzu. For who will give meaning to my words. I added quotes from the book “Tao De Jing. The Book of Way and Dignity”, where Lao Tzu talks about war and how to fight when you had to do it when the enemy came to your country. First of all, a person must remain a humanist, even in times of war. Maintain humanity, and not become a beast.
— In the preface to your exhibition “Modern Ukrainian Landscape” in Lviv's “I Gallery”, curator Pavlo Gudimov writes that the silence of war is more frightening than active actions. How much do you agree with this statement?
I agree 100%. If you ask the guys in the front door what is worst for them, they will say that silence. If you ask the stormtrooper what is most terrible for him, he will say that this is an unknown on the way to combat positions. In war photos and videos, we often see action. However, this is only ten percent of the war, the remaining ninety is silence and expectation. When you are driving along the road, and no car comes across you, you subconsciously start to worry, you do not understand what could have happened. For me, during filming at the front, the silence was also the worst. When you hear the arrival and shots, you understand where to expect danger, you get certainty. The silence, on the other hand, is very heavy. Even in the city, after the air alarm, you begin to live with the thought that this time you could die. Expectation and silence are the worst in war.
My White Series photos are not an attempt to convey silence, but an attempt to convey my inner state. Art for me is not only a means of self-expression, but also a tool for deep analysis and reflection. I aim to create a space for contemplation where viewers confront complex issues, explore their feelings, rethink their relationships with the world and history; I hope to elicit emotional and intellectual feedback, inspiring deeper understanding and awareness.
— The photos of the “White Series” are visually attractive and beautiful. How aesthetic can a photograph of war be?
If you show a person the war the way a webcam shows you, showing bodies and “meat”, no one will watch it. It is necessary to work with the consciousness of the viewer, because everyone has a certain visual perception, which is based on art, painting. It is necessary to lure the viewer into this trap so that he will open, look and then his mind will feel this horror of war. In The White Series, I use this visual aesthetic to make people come closer and feel the emotion. People often ask me why my photos are so aesthetic and beautiful. I always ask them in response why they perceive it as something beautiful. Why photographs of bodies of dead people, destroyed houses and mangled tanks can be called attractive. Perhaps it is the problem of all humanity that we, looking at images of suffering, murder and war, perceive them as aesthetic. Artists understand these things and use them to communicate with their audience. Susan Sontag writes a lot about this problem in her book “Observing the Pain of Others.”
— Photographing war for you is documenting and informing, or is it still art and aesthetics?
“When the war started in 2014, and then the full-scale war in 2022, at first I still documented the events. However, I always try to look for things at the same time that I can use for exhibitions or as an idea for an author's project. Because photos of current events for magazines can be printed as international propaganda. However, I am not one of those photographers who use the same photos at the same time for publications, exhibitions and books. When I make stories for print in the media, at the same time I try to create frames for myself in another visual language. Sometimes I try to combine, but often it's just not possible. To make a shot that I like, sometimes I have to spend several weeks looking for a location and waiting for the right moment.
I have this approach to work, so I do not consider myself a photojournalist. If there is no good light, a good composition and the right combination of colors, I will not take a photo. Or I will make it by machine and then I will not use it anywhere. For me, the background of a photo is sometimes more important than what happened on it. Photojournalists follow the object in the frame, and their background is random. I choose a background and wait for something to happen on it.
When I was working on the “White Series”, at some point I realized that I was shooting the same tank for a whole week. I already have two hundred photos of this tank. Sometimes you get hung up on something without even realizing it. Many young journalists shoot the work of artillery, mortars, catch the “pipe with fire”, that is, the moment when the projectile flies out. They often do not understand that it is no longer possible to look at such monotonous in composition, light and plot of photographs. You need to look for your language, yourself and your style.
Of course, it is impossible not to repeat yourself. Now I have stopped photographing some military things, because I have been taking the same photo for two years, but from different angles. This happens to everyone. At this point, it is important to pause, distance yourself, review your entire photo archive, and, if possible, make an exhibition or book.
— You photographed many events at the beginning of a full-scale war. Please tell us about the photo from the cover of Time magazine!
I don't really like this photo. However, I understand why it became the cover of the magazine. At that time it was important for Ukraine, the cover attracted our attention.
I have collaborated with various magazines since 2014, the editors knew my work. At the beginning of 2022, it was the only way for me to continue working, as photographing war is expensive. You need to find a place to live, a car to be able to travel to Kharkiv, Zaporozhye, Kiev and other cities. International magazines have been a financial pillar for me. All the magazines I collaborated with were weeklies, I didn't have to send pictures every day. I had a lot of free time for my own filming. For the first four months I worked alone, without journalists. I had freedom of movement and choice of topics. I respect journalists if they respect my work. I am willing to wait for him three hours for an interview if he then waits for me when I work in the trench. However, if a journalist expects me only to film his interview in coffee shops, we will definitely not work.
— The full-scale war in Ukraine is filmed by many photographers, both Ukrainian and foreign. During these two and a half years, many photographic stamps and templates have already been formed. What do you think are the themes and aspects of the war that have not been adequately covered? How difficult is it in the field of photography today to create something completely new?
This problem is global. It was the same in 2014. Many modern photographers do not remember this because they were not yet engaged in photography at that time. There were only a few documentary photographers who worked before the war and, when the fighting began, continued to shoot. At the same time, there was a large layer of young photographers who began working for international news agencies or as fixers for foreign journalists and photographers. They had never heard of a documentary photograph or a photojournalist. In 2015, ninety percent of these photographers disappeared. They went to earn money in game design or in IT. Now the situation is the same.
It is very difficult to form your own visual language when you work in an information agency and have to shoot events and news every day. Something went wrong and you immediately ran there. When you only have two hours or five minutes to take photos. I do not really believe that under such conditions it is possible to develop your own style. When photographers run after the subject, they shoot everything in series, and then choose the best one for the agency out of five thousand photos. I'm not criticizing, it's work. At the same time, many photographers do something for their own money, travel a lot, look for something and document something. They can form their own shooting aesthetics and style.
The photo editor of Stern magazine once said to me, “Max, the easiest thing to shoot is war. You just have to have steel eggs.” And if you send a photographer to a place where nothing happens, he will not be able to shoot anything. He is used to photographing active actions in the war, where you are as if in a movie. I also went through this. This is normal. The first year you can “hammer”, and then comes awareness and you start to see other projects.
Most of the photographers currently documenting the war will also soon go into another profession that will bring in more money. The profession is slowly dying, and only news agencies still pay something for pictures. Magazines with which I have collaborated a lot, such as The New Yorker, Time, Stern, Der Spiegel and others, cut their budgets every year. During the year you can get a maximum of two shooting orders from them. Many documentarians change jobs.
There are photo festivals in Arles — Recontres d'Arles, and in Perpignan — Visa pour l'Image. Both festivals are documentary, but it's like two different poles. I've been there and there. In Perpignan, photographers communicate about which of them spent more days in the trenches or who came under fire more times. In the city of Arles, on the other hand, the war is told from a completely different perspective — I am talking about the art of documenting. When you work with journalism, but it still remains an art. At the Recontres d'Arles festival, they talk more about the inner world, not just stating facts. Photographs are not only about what happened or happened, there the authors use the medium of photography to convey some visual concept or smart concept.
You need to know these things so as not to repeat someone else. It is important to understand modern photography, to read criticism. In fact, very few photographers read. I have talked to many young photographers, and all of them just look at colleagues' photos for inspiration. And what's the point? Watch other photographers to repeat them? If you want to repeat someone, you should watch the films of Andrei Tarkovsky or Theodore Angelopoulos, read criticism or philosophy of art. This approach will give you a lot more ideas than looking at the top photos in Time magazine or the Associated Press.
Tell me, please, what inspires you? What books do you like to read, what movies do you watch?
I am fascinated by Eastern philosophy. I must have already read everything I can on this topic. I also read Western philosophers. I read criticism and theory of photography, literature on the development of visual art. I can say that I am such a bookworm. If I am asked to go to a party or to the beach, then I better stay at home with a book. I do not drink alcohol, I do not drink coffee, I communicate little with others, I have few friends in Ukraine. I'm closer to being at home with my wife, with a close circle of friends.
The best director for me is Theodore Angelopoulos. He touched on many difficult topics. His films about the Greeks and their culture. I especially advise you to watch the historical drama “Trilogy. A weeping meadow.” It tells about the history of Greece on the example of one family that returns from Odessa to Greece after the civil war. The film leaves a lot of impressions. After watching, my wife and I can discuss it for another week.
I am inspired by everything except photography. Most of all, I like to look at pictures. Of course, I find interesting authors. For example, I just adore Nadav Kander's pictures. I love working with archival photos. I did this in the project on the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. I still have a lot of archives from there that I haven't even started working with because of the war.
— Is it possible to continue to support attention to the war in Ukraine with photographs?
— Daily news from Ukraine is of little interest to people abroad. Everyone actively read about Bucha, the explosion of the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power plant, etc., but we definitely do not need such events. Attention to Ukraine can only be focused on powerful and serious projects. These can be documentaries or photographs. However, our authorities do not understand that in order to create a large-scale in-depth project, and not propaganda, it is necessary to provide access and time for filming to Ukrainian and foreign authors. We are allowed to go to the presbytery for a day together with the pressoficer. Instead, you need to take cultural projects, multimedia projects, work with curators.
In Europe, people constantly go to cinemas, to exhibitions. You need to communicate with them through art. Our authorities must realize that it is necessary to spend money on work with museum and gallery spaces, send artists to art festivals. The authorities should provide access for filming, support documentarians, writers, artists with grant programs, give freedom for creativity, not control. Culture is important.
All my recent interviews are unfortunately about censorship and restricting access to the front line. After the material with Luke Mogelson about the life of our soldiers in the trenches, which was published in The New Yorker magazine, I was summoned for questioning at the SBU. I do not have accreditation from the Armed Forces and I cannot continue to shoot the front line. I do not believe that war is not a time to criticize the authorities. If the patient has gangrene or some other disease, it will not pass by the fact that the person will not be told about it. We need to talk about problems out loud.
Please tell me about the book you are currently working on.
“I came to the United States to finish a book about the war in Ukraine by the fall. I am helped to work on the book by Honorary Dean of ICP (International Center of Photography) Fred Ritchin. He writes a text for a book, does an interview with me. This will be a book about the first two years of a full-scale war in Ukraine, from 2024 there will be one or two photographs. The book is not only about the war, but also my reflections on it. Of course, there will be photographs of the dead, footage of the destruction, but my book is not about active fighting. I think that you can just stick the label “Meditation” to all my works. They are all about contemplation and awareness. When I see many photographers shooting something in one direction, I will definitely turn in the other direction. Therefore, my Maidan of Dignity is a panorama. I can't shoot with everyone.
He did all of his long-term projects himself. I don't need anyone to follow me or be near me. Often before shooting, I conduct visual studies, just walk, look, feel. Photography for me is about feeling, about collecting emotions. The book will be with photos that he shot before the “White Series”. Based on this author's project, I plan to make a separate book.
The material was prepared by Ekaterina Moskalyuk
The Russians dropped a guided air bomb on the central part of Kharkov. On July 24 at 16:47 Russian troops attacked Kharkiv for the sixth time.
Two people were injured as a result of an attack on a private house in Kharkiv. Rescuers and medics are working at the scene. This was announced by the mayor of Kharkiv Igor Terekhov.
“The Cabs hit almost the central part of the city. Area of private residential development,” he said. At the scene of the fire.
The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office clarified that three people were injured: two men and a 45-year-old woman. They were taken to the hospital. As a result of the impact, at least six residential buildings, five garages, three utility rooms were damaged. Three cars were destroyed.
“According to preliminary data, the Russian army struck on the city UMPB D-30 SN (unified interspecific planning ammunition, caliber 30 cm) from the territory of the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation. The consequences of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation were documented by prosecutors and investigators of the HRUP №3 GUNP in the Kharkiv region,” the statement reads message Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office.
In addition, an infrastructure object was attacked by Russian missiles at noon on Wednesday. There is a strong fire at the scene of the attack. After that, there were several more “arrivals”. Subsequently, Terekhov reported that as a result of the fifth missile strike, which was on the industrial zone, six townspeople were injured. They are provided with medical care.
Recall, on the morning of July 19, the troops of the Russian Federation hit by two Iskander missiles on the central part of Chuguev Kharkiv region. As a result of the enemy air attack, 9 people were injured. Among them is a teenager.
The material was created with the support of The Fritt Ord Foundation.
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In the morning of July 19, Russian forces hit two Iskander missiles on the central part of Chuguev, Kharkiv region.
As a result of the enemy air attack, 9 people were injured. Among them is a teenager.
This is reported by the head of the Kharkiv OVA Oleg Synegubov.
“Nine people were injured, including a 14 year old child,” he said. The 14-year-old boy is now in serious condition, he was taken to the hospital.
One of the missiles struck near a dormitory, destroying a non-residential building, damaging two high-rise buildings and up to 10 private residences. Two cars and several garages were also burned.
The second missile hit a parking lot near a nine-story apartment building. This missile destroyed 9 vehicles. Also, as a result of the explosion, at least three nine-story buildings, one five-story building, a hotel, shopping rows and about 10 private residential buildings were damaged. Interrupted power grids.
“Under the procedural leadership of the Chuguev District Prosecutor's Office of Kharkiv Oblast, a pre-trial investigation was launched into violation of the laws and customs of war (Part 1 of Art. 438 Criminal Code of Ukraine)”, — noted in the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office.
In total, 10 cars were completely burned as a result of the attack. Three apartment buildings and one private house, two shops, an administrative building were damaged.
Recall that in the morning of July 8, Russian troops launched a rocket attack on Kiev, the largest children's hospital of Ukraine “Okhmatdyt” came under enemy attack.
The material was created with the support of The Fritt Ord Foundation.
Chasiv Yar is a city that has been stormed and shelled for months by occupation forces. The invaders continue to intensively burn Chasiv Yar, embodying scorched earth tactics. For more than two and a half years, Russian troops have been trying at any cost to capture the city of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region, which became the front line after the capture of Bakhmut.
Today, the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes pictures of Konstantin and Vlada Liberov, Sergey Korovayny, Georgy Ivanchenko and Yakov Lyashenko. Documentarians recorded the war in the Time Yar and the life on the line of fire of its inhabitants in different periods from the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russians. Each of the photographers managed to preserve in their pictures a different state of the city: someone has only been wounded, someone has already caught it destroyed.
In June, British intelligence reported that Chasiv Yar was valuable to Russia because of its strategic location on a hill, as well as because of its use as a logistics hub for the Armed Forces. At times, Yar stands on hills, which, like defensive walls, protect it from the east and south. The highest point is 247 meters, and, for example, in neighboring Konstantinovka, Druzhkivka, Slavyansk and Kramatorsk there are average heights from 100 to 125 meters. At times, Yar became the “gateway” to this agglomeration due to the proximity to Konstantinovka (7 km to the west) and Kramatorsk (25 km to the northwest).
“Chasiv Yar is a Ukrainian city, and there is every chance that we will push the enemy away from there and destroy it in the direction as it was before,” Nazar Voloshin, a spokesman for OSOV “Khortytsya”, assured on the air of the national tele-marathon on July 14. Voloshin explained that “this day the enemy has also not abandoned attempts to storm and show its presence in the area of Chasovy Yar”, but stressed that “the defense forces are fighting back and holding.”
Recall that in recent days, media attention has been actively focused on Time Yar, because on the night of July 3, the DeepState project reported that the Russian army managed to capture the “Channel” neighborhood in the city. This area is separated from most of the city by the canal “Seversky Donets — Donbas”. Fighting for the neighborhood began in early April 2024, when the aggressor advanced west of Bakhmut.
There is no surviving building there now. Due to the actions of the Russian Federation, the city, in which 12,000 people once lived, has become practically deserted. As of the beginning of July 2024, there are 635 residents in Chasovy Yar.
For example, this week none of the locals showed any desire to leave the city. About this told head of the city military administration of Chasovy Yar Sergey Chaus. “People just don't leave the city. Evacuating people has become more dangerous than it was before, because the activity of drones is not decreasing. The line of hostilities is directly very close to the city. In these conditions, it is difficult to come to the city to pick up a person. In the city, in addition to people of retirement age, there are also young people, there are about a few dozen of them. In general, people are evacuated to Kramatorsk, most of them go to relatives,” Serhiy Chaus said.
Documentary shots from Time Yar of Photographers' Spouses Kostas and Vladi LiberovThe other day they flew through the net. Footage from this city now resembles the ruins of occupied and destroyed Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, Marinka.
“Chasiv Yar. Russia approached the city and turned it into ruins, like everything it touches. According to DeepState maps, on June 27, we knocked the enemy out of the city, and already now the Russians completely occupied the Canal neighborhood. And wiped off the face of the earth. Despite the fact that the military defending Chasiv Yar are ready to stand until the end, today there is a real threat that we will lose the city.” shareddisturbing thoughts of Kostya and Vlad regarding the situation in the city in early July 2024.
“It was a nice and cozy place. Low buildings. An ordinary Donbas city and even somewhat resembled Bakhmut. Chasik — that's what we called it,” — this is how photographer Yakov Lyashenko remembered Chasiv Yar.
In April 2023, he witnessed the medical evacuation of fighters from Bakhmut. Through mud and puddles, the BMP with wounded servicemen drove up to Chasovy Yar. What he saw there impressed him.
“It was an evacuation point: the wounded were brought from Bakhmut. There was one doctor. When the second soldier was unloaded, this woman began to shout “Sasha!”. It turned out to be her husband. She starts kissing him and crying. This moment impressed me very much and stuck in my memory. I then asked the pressofizer about his fate. Fortunately, this man survived, although he received a serious injury,” Yakov Lyashenko recalls.
“The streets of Chasovy Yar are stingy spring greenery of trees and the first flowers that mix with destroyed Soviet houses with holes from shelling,” - this is how Chasiv Yar met a photojournalist Georgy Ivanchenko in the spring of 2023. Preparing a report for Reporters, his car was damaged by shelling.
In Chasovy Yar, Georgy met 55-year-old Svetlana and her son, 28-year-old Igor, who remained to live at home, three kilometers from the front. All together they went down to the ground floor of the house, to the garage, from which the family almost did not leave because of the constant “comings and goings”. Svetlana still has a 34-year-old daughter, who was ill with lymphoma before the invasion, but due to a long stay in shelters, the oncology became complicated, now her daughter is being treated in Donetsk.
“I listen to her and think about this war and peace around the world. War is always bad. It's always victims and destruction. We promise to return to Svetlana with Igor with water, food, batteries and medicine. But, reaching the car, which was left in the garage, we see that there is no roof in it, and metal structures fell on the car. The garage was shelled. Fortunately, the car started, took us to a more or less safe area, where we saw that we also had a punctured fuel tank. The military helped to get us to the next town. We have not been able to return to Svetlana and Igor, as promised,” said Georgy Ivanchenko.
Photographer Serhiy Korovaynyi visited the city many times: “Very sad place, absolutely broken. There are very few civilians there. We visited the Points of Inviolability and met mostly only old people there.
One day we evacuated 80-year-old Mrs. Maria to Kiev. There was a dramatic scene that impressed me a lot. The woman said goodbye to her grandson, who decided to stay in the city. I carried her bags and thought to myself how much grief the Russians had brought to this land. She cries and he cries. Explosions are heard in the background.”
According to Sergey, among the main dangers in Chasovy Yar are the constant strikes of FPV drones. “Because any car, especially the press, is a target,” says the photographer.
Serhiy Korovaynyy has been in Chasovy Yar since 2017, because there previously the press received accreditation to work in the ATO/OOS zone. He managed to see this city still relatively peaceful. “It was a small quiet town, there were good evenings in the summer. The contrast between the Time Rift then and now are two different worlds, like life and death. Then there was a completely different front line, and no one thought that the war would come, despite the fact that it was already going on. It hurts me to talk about it. Many cities can become like Chasiv Yar, or have already become so.”
Yakov Liashenko— Ukrainian photographer from Kharkov. He began his professional career in 2012. After the beginning of a full-scale invasion, he worked as a fixer for famous photographers and in parallel documented the events of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Currently a freelance photojournalist at EPA Agency. Instagram.
Heorhii Ivanchenko— Ukrainian photographer, who since February 2022 works as a freelance reporter in the field of documentary and journalistic photography. From the first months of the invasion, he began filming for the Associated Press and the European Pressphoto Agency. Starting from Borodyanshchyna, where Georgy was born, he continued his journey through the front line: Mykolaiv, Kharkiv region, Kherson region; now his attention was concentrated on Donetsk region. The turning point in his photography was almost a month spent in Bakhmut. Throughout December and January, he documented the lives of the townspeople, carrying a backpack and sleeping bag, sharing life with locals in basements, volunteers, medics, military and firemen. In April, while working on material about Chasiv Yar in Donbas, his car was shot and destroyed by a Russian shell. Now the author continues his reflection on the numerous situations that have happened on his way and is working on the creation of his first project “Way of War” (working title). Instagram.
Konstantin and Vlada Liberov — spouses of photographers from Odessa. They began their journey 4 years ago, focusing initially on creative and emotional engagements. In a few years, they have become one of the most recognizable photographers in the field and have moved on to active teaching activities, have thousands of grateful students around the world. At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, they changed the vector of their work, focusing on feature documentaries: their photos from hot spots in Ukraine go viral on social networks, gaining hundreds of thousands of reposts, they are published by influential media such as BBC, Welt, Vogue, Forbes, and also take to their social networks the President of Ukraine and others high-ranking officials. Instagram.
Serhiy Korovaynyi— photojournalist and portrait photographer. Collaborates with international publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Guardian, Financaial Times and others. He makes his documentary projects, where he focuses on the themes of the Russian-Ukrainian war, ecology and various aspects of Ukrainian modernity. He was educated in the United States in the Master's Program in Visual Storytelling as a Fulbright Program Fellow. In 2018, he joined The Gate, a leading Ukrainian photo agency. Sergey's works have been exhibited at numerous personal and collective exhibitions in Ukraine, the USA and the EU. Instagram.
The material was created with the support of The Fritt Ord Foundation.
Creative Publishing House and Mykolaiv School of Conceptual and Art Photography MYPH have jointly prepared a photo book “Conceptual Photography”. The aim is to inform the domestic and international audience about contemporary conceptual photography in Ukraine, demonstrating the work of its brightest representatives. The authors of the book are Lucia Bondar, Creative Publishing, and Sergey Melnychenko, photographer, founder of the school of conceptual and art photography MYPH. Ekaterina Korolevtseva worked on the design of the cover, and the author of the main photo was Oksana Master.
Sergey Melnychenko says that it was from the photo of the jar with canned tomatoes by Oksana Master, which was placed on the cover of the publication, that the cooperation of the publishing house with MYPH began in part: “In my opinion, this jar is both authentic and attractive. At the Ukrainian Art Festival last year in Berlin, Lucia Bondar fell in love with this work and bought it from us. In total, she bought two photos. In fact, this is where the discussion began to create a joint book. She said she wanted to prepare an edition about contemporary photography. I replied that it was cool and suggested the idea — to show conceptual contemporary photography through the lens of MYPH students.”
Conceptual Photography contains quite different themes, directions and genres of photography with which the authors work. These are digital photography, film, hand printing, instant photography, etc. Photographers demonstrate their artistic vision without being afraid to experiment in their work.
“There are many projects that are somehow or directly related to the reflections and states in which the authors are in during our present — full-scale invasion,” explains Serhiy Melnychenko. “In particular, in the book there is my project “Tattoo of War”, which shows these events. Although we are not represented as documentarians in the book, these moods can be seen through the prism of conceptual art photography.”
The selection of works is accompanied by an article by the leading representative of the Kharkiv School of Photography Roman Pyatkovka, which talks about the universal creative technique of collage, spontaneity and unpredictability of instant action cameras and experiments with alternative photographic methods.
Sergey Melnichenko says that this book is, in particular, a great opportunity for students of the MYPH school to present themselves in the world, to show their own achievements. According to him, photobooks in the world are spreading faster than exhibitions. “Therefore, there is a greater likelihood that books will quickly spread from Ukraine to the United States or Japan and that authors will be invited to exhibitions, fairs, festivals or any other events,” he says.
Sergey Melnichenko says that this book is, in particular, a great opportunity for students of the MYPH school to present themselves in the world, to show their own achievements. According to him, photobooks in the world are spreading faster than exhibitions. “Therefore, there is a greater likelihood that books will quickly spread from Ukraine to the United States or Japan and that authors will be invited to exhibitions, fairs, festivals or any other events,” he says.
The book has already been published, it was presented to the general public in Kyiv. The publication is bilingual: in Ukrainian and English. Anyone can buy a photobook at site publishing houses, as well as on other platforms and bookstores: www.yakaboo.ua, www.book-ye.com.ua, Kniga.biz.ua, www.book.ua etc.
The material was created with the support of The Fritt Ord Foundation.
On May 2, 2014, in Odessa on Greek Square and Kulikovo Field, there were mass clashes between Euromaidan supporters and participants of the Maidan action and a fire broke out in the House of Trade Unions. At that time, 48 people were killed and more than 200 were injured.
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes pictures of Oleg Kutsky, who captured the events in Odessa.
On May 2, 2014, in the center of Odessa, near the Greek Square, mass clashes began. At lunchtime, around three o'clock, fans of the football clubs “Metalist” and “Chernomorets” decided to walk through the streets of Odessa in a peaceful march under the slogan “For a united Ukraine”. The event brought together almost two thousand people. Simultaneously with the march, more than three hundred participants of “Anti-Maidan” gathered, most of whom represented the organization “Odessa Wife”. They planned to move in parallel with the march of football fans and supporters on the Maidan.
The columns crossed near Greek Square. Mass clashes began: participants threw pyrotechnics, “Molotov cocktails” and stones at each other. During the riots, shots were even fired. As a result of the confrontation, six people died from gunshot wounds, and surrounding shop windows, bus stops and cars were smashed.
The confrontation in the city center lasted half a day. Around seven o'clock in the evening, clashes between Euromaidan supporters and participants of the Maidan action moved to Kulikovo Field. They were joined by other football fans who came after the match. The storming of the tent camp near the House of Trade Unions began. When the town was destroyed, more than three hundred people ran to the building of the House of Trade Unions. They were trapped there. Participants continued to throw stones and incendiary mixtures at each other — a fire started in the House of Trade Unions. According to the official version of the investigation, 32 people died from carbon monoxide, another 10 died jumping out of windows. Among the victims were 34 men, 7 women and an underage boy. In total, more than 200 people were injured on May 2, 2014.
Editions “Social. Odesa” reports that the Trade Union House fire started with wooden barricades at the entrance. To understand what was happening that day, journalists and some experts created the May 2 Group, gathering facts and evidence. Chemist and expert of the May 2 Group Vladislav Bilinska explains that the fire later moved to the door and the central hall, which was densely filled with wooden pallets, furniture, bottles with the ignition mixture, and there was also a gasoline generator. Flames engulfed stairwells, particularly the rear of the building. The temperature at the ground floor level reached 600 degrees and 200-300 — on the stairs. The lobby, Vladislav explained, was conditionally a “furnace”, and the stairwell - an “exhaust pipe”.
Smoke began to come out through the rear windows, where there were just a lot of people. There it is convenient to stand and watch the events on the square. For a while, the smoke came out freely, people bent over and moved inside the building. Subsequently, the tank of the gasoline generator exploded, which caused the disaster.
Now the Trade Union House, where the fire and clashes occurred on May 2, 2014, is surrounded by a fence. You can not go to it, here hangs a castle. The dead in this Trade Union House are reminded only of the ribbons inscribed “Eternal Memory” and the fresh flowers that people bring.
Oleg Kutskiy— photographer from Odessa.
The material was created with the support of The Fritt Ord Foundation.
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers continues to work on the rubric “Is it really?”, where it checks the authenticity of certain manipulations of information, referring to the original source.
On July 8, Russia launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine, attacking the capital for the first time in a long time. The Russian army committed another war crime by targeting civilian infrastructure.
The consequences of the shelling of Ukraine's largest children's hospital “Okhmatdyt”, where the toxicology department and intensive care unit were hit, gained worldwide resonance.
Russia confirmed the missile strike and said it was “a response to attempts by the Kiev regime to damage Russian energy and economic facilities”, rejecting accusations of deliberately shelling the hospital.
Propaganda edition Lenta.ru writes: “The Russian army hit military targets in Kiev with at least three hypersonic Dagger missiles. The military plant “Artem”, which produces air-to-air missiles and equipment for aviation machinery, was hit. According to sources of information of TASS in the security forces, as a result of the attack, a warehouse on its territory was affected.”
Justifying the attack of the Russian army on Kiev, the publication illustrated the material with the work of Ukrainian photographer Gleb Garanich for the Reuters news agency, which documented not military warehouses, but the ruins of the Kiev “Okhmatdyt”.
Here's what Reuters writes: “Russia blew up the main children's hospital in Kiev, hitting a rocket in the middle of the day on Monday, and shelled other Ukrainian cities, killing at least 41 civilians in the largest rocket attack in months.
Parents, holding their children, walked crying down the street near the hospital, they were in a state of shock after a terrible air attack in the afternoon. Windows were smashed, plates torn off, and hundreds of Kiev residents helped dismantle the rubble.
“It was very scary. I couldn't breathe. I tried to cover (my child). I tried to cover him with this cloth so he could breathe,” 33-year-old Svetlana Kravchenko told Reuters.
Russian media and telegram channels massively spread fakes, trying to shift responsibility for the hospital shelling to Ukraine.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, after analyzing the video and visiting the scene of the tragedy, previously concluded that the Kyiv Children's Hospital “Okhmatdyt” was hit as a result of a direct hit by a Russian missile.
Pro-Russian propagandist Alex Parker Returns in his Telegram channel under a photo with evacuated children with cancer, sitting under droppers just on the street, shared his opinion about the need to re-hit the children's hospital “Okhmatdyt”.
“Evacuated mothers with sick children from Okhmatdyt Hospital, whose yard was hit by a downed rocket. Am I just thinking about hitting the dagger again?”
Thanks to the work of Ukrainian documentarians, the world community sees how the country, which in July chairs the UN Security Council, deliberately hits critically ill children with missiles.
The material was created with the support of the international non-profit organization “Reporters Without Borders”.
Read also: “I need this flag because half my village is Orcs.” How Russian Propaganda Violates Copyright
The material was created with the support of The Fritt Ord Foundation.
Violating copyright, Russian media used a photo of Yulia Kochetova with a flag, illustrating the material “Dirt money, or how NATO will fight for black transplantation in Ukraine” and pointed to the author of the photo Russian drains.
This photo is part of a multimedia project by Yulia Kochetova War is personal, in which images of the war years were combined with poetry, music and audio clips in order to tell a story about a war that concerns everyone. These are stories told by the Ukrainian documentary filmmaker to the world about what it is like when war is an everyday reality.
Among the pictures is a photo with the flag, taken for foreign publications for the Day of the State Flag of Ukraine. On it, a teenager in the village of Zelena in Kharkiv region puts our flag on a stick.
“This is my checkpoint,” says the guy. We are located on the border of Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. “I need this flag because half of my village is Orcs” (that is, pro-Russian),” - a quote from Yulia's Instagram.
The information that the former Deputy Minister of Health, Head of Transplantation and Surgery of the Abdominal Organs at the Heart Institute Mikhail Zagriichuk and ten other doctors were informed by law enforcement officers of suspicion of interference in the Unified State Information System of Transplantation was used by the Russians as a basis to spread narratives about “black” transplantology in Ukraine.
“During the special operation, Russian peacekeepers identified special zones for illegal operations. Thus, at once two workshops were located in Zaporozhye — in the boiler house of Kramatorsk and in Dnipro. However, the NATO leadership decided not to stop there and began to demand from the commanders of the Armed Forces to create special units that would be deliberately contorted or injured, and then sent to the operating table of a black transplant specialist,” the propaganda material said.
Such narratives are designed to demoralize Ukrainian society and provoke conflicts within Ukraine; to shift responsibility for the war in Ukraine to the United States, they say, they are fighting a war for money.
By distorting reality and spreading fakes, the Russians are trying to deprive the photo of meaning so that the images are remembered instead of the essence that is on it.
The works of Ukrainian photographers are not only documentation — first of all, it is the personal experiences of the authors themselves, which will forever remain a scar on the heart. “It hurts, but grateful. This war stole my heart and from the very beginning it is a very personal story,” Yulia Kochetova wrote.
The material was created with the support of an international non-profit organization “Reporters Without Borders”.
On April 13, 2014, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine began a large-scale anti-terrorist operation, which eventually turned into a war against the Russian army. The battles for Karachun and the battles for Savur-Mohyla went down in history as one of the bloodiest battles in Donbas at the beginning of the ATO.
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes documentary photos of photojournalist Oleksandr Klymenko.
The next day after the start of the ATO, on April 14, Mount Karachun near Slavyansk became one of the first hot spots of conflict in Donbas. Then the militants fought for this height with the forces of ATO in order to cut off the Ukrainian channels, because there was a TV tower on it. The famous Mount Karachun was of strategic importance in order to control the city of Slavyansk and the entrances to the city. This was very well understood by the Russian military, special forces, who practically isolated this control height. The siege lasted almost two and a half months. In the battles for this land, the Ukrainian army suffered the first losses.
On May 29, 2014, Russian troops shot down a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter. At about noon that day, the general on a helicopter delivered ammunition and food to the checkpoint at Karachun and flew on. The plane returning from a mission in the combat zone was shot down by Russian militants from a portable anti-aircraft missile complex.
11 fighters of the special unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and guards and Major General Serhiy Kulchitsky were killed in the Mi-8 airstrip. He became the first general in the history of Ukraine's independence to die in the performance of official duties. In honor of the crew, a memorial was opened near Mount Karachun on the highway between Kramatorsk and Slavyansk.
Photojournalist Oleksandr Klymenko recalls that Mount Karachun became one of the first places he had to shoot at the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Three times the photographer managed to fly with the MI-8 and deliver military aid, including food and water, to the defenders of Karachun.
“The first time I didn't know where we were going, when we had already returned, I realized that it was Karachun. We flew very low so that the militants would not shoot us down. The helicopter landed and everything was unloaded from it very quickly. But there was one man who asked to take a photo for memory. And I took such a photo. The next time I was in Karachun with the 95th Brigade. In general, I was: June 4 and June 21, 2014. From there, Slavyansk was clearly visible. When I flew to Karachun for the second time — there I met this man again, then I met him. Then he became one of those who hung the flag on the television tower in Karachun. It was such a famous story. This paratrooper from the 95th Brigade was called Serhiy Shevchuk,” the photographer recalls.
Oleksandr notes that at that time it was already clear to him that “this is not an ATO, this is a real war, people fought and there were shelling, traces of mines and bullets.”
The liberation of Slavyansk was a turning point in the de-occupation of a number of other cities and villages of Donbas. The fighting for Slavyansk lasted from April to July 2014. The Russian-backed militants left the city on the night of July 5, 2014. This enabled the Ukrainian military to establish control over Kramatorsk, Artemivsk, Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka during 5—6 July.
The famous “Markiv affair” is also connected with Karachun. On May 24, 2014, near this mountain as a result of mortar shelling, Italian photojournalist Andrea Rocelli and his Russian translator Andrei Mironov were killed. Italian police in 2017 detained Ukrainian national guard Vitaliy Markiv, who has Ukrainian and Italian citizenship, on false suspicion of involvement in the murder of an Italian photojournalist. An Italian court sentenced him to 24 years in prison, but then acquitted.
In the fighting for Savur-Mohyla from June 6 to August 29, 2014, 49 ATO fighters were killed.
Savur grave in Donetsk region is a strategic mound 278 meters high, located in Shakhtar district of Donetsk region. On August 7, 2014, a group under the command of Colonel Igor Gordichuk and Right Sector volunteers took control of Savur grave. For a month, the Ukrainian military held the height completely surrounded and under fire from Russian artillery.
The mound of Savur-Grave rises significantly above the surrounding steppes. From its top you can see the territory with a radius of 30—40 km, which allows you to control a significant part of the Ukrainian-Russian border. From Savur-Grave you can see the terikons of mines, the plant in Amvrosiyivka and the Sea of Azov. In World War II, a large-scale battle with Nazi troops took place here.
Since the height was controlled by pro-Russian forces, it was turned into a fortified point, which allowed them to monitor the supply of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and to adjust the shelling of the Ukrainian Defense Forces from the territory of the Russian Federation. The intensity of the fighting for Savur Tomb increased during June and July 2014. To capture the altitude, the Ukrainian command involved, in particular, units of the 79th Separate Airmobile Brigade and the 3rd Special Purpose Regiment.
On June 5, 2014, south of the altitude, Ukrainian troops with the support of aircraft fought with pro-Russian groups that tried to break into Ukraine from the territory of the Russian Federation near the customs post “Marynivka”. The attack was repelled. However, on June 7, pro-Russian forces occupied Savur-Mohyla. Positional battles for control of altitude have entered a protracted phase. Due to the high density of artillery fire, the Armed Forces could not take the mound. However, in early August, the height came under the control of the Ukrainian military. About 70 people took part in the storming of Savur Tomb and, after a two-hour battle, they managed to take the heights and finally consolidate there on August 8.
Savur Tomb was in the deep rear of the enemy and it was very difficult to maintain control over it. For three weeks, Ukrainian fighters repelled the Russian military. At that time, the Armed Forces monitored the enemy forces and even adjusted the fire of Ukrainian artillery.
The soldiers told Colonel Gordiichuk about the imexpediency of maintaining altitude in such a deep rear of the enemy, but he was not going to leave without an order. On August 24, 2014, the order to withdraw from the mound was received. By that time, the Savur grave was already in a tight ring. The car of the 3rd Special Forces Regiment, which arrived for the wounded, was shot by Russian mercenaries in Petrovsky. Groups of Ukrainian servicemen left the encirclement without heavy equipment, on foot, moved to the nearest Ukrainian units. Some of the military were captured by the Russians.
On September 1, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine recognized the departure of Ukrainian servicemen from Savur-Grave. On September 8—9, bodies of Ukrainian servicemen who died during fighting at Savur-Grave arrived with signs of torture. The remains of the captured soldiers found at the site of the field camp near Savur Tomb were disfigured beyond recognition. Yuriy Stoyansky, an officer of the Military-Civil Cooperation Forces, said: “There were traces of torture — severed phalanges of fingers, hands twisted, pieces of bodies, there were traces of suffocation.”
Recall that the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers has started a series of materials dedicated to key events of the Russian war against Ukraine, where he publishes memoirs and photographs of Ukrainian documentary photographers.
Life as a Deadline: 10 Years of War in the Photos of Olexander Klymenko
Oleksandr Klymenko was born in Chernihiv region. Graduate of the Faculty of Journalism of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. From 1991 to 2024 — photocorrespondent of the newspaper “Voice of Ukraine”. In 1992, he documented events in Transnistria, then in the former Yugoslavia, as well as Lebanon, Kuwait, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. During the Revolution of Dignity, being in the very epicenter of events, Alexander was wounded. Since the beginning of the Russian military aggression in 2014, he has filmed events on the front in the east. Oleksandr is the author of several photo albums, including: “Ukraine. 10 years of progress” (2001), “Peacekeeping activities of the Ukrainian army. The First Decade” (2004), “Through Fire and Tears” (2009), “Front Album” (2016). “The latest history of Ukrainian journalism. From Maidan to Maidan” co-authored with Yuriy Nesteryak and Julia Nesteryak (2022). Had personal photo exhibitions at UN Headquarters in New York (2012), NATO Headquarters in Brussels (2012, 2013, 2014), Lithuania (2015), Poland (2015, 2016, 2023), Luxembourg (2015), Norway (2023), Latvia (2022); participated in collective exhibitions on the war in Ukraine in the parliaments of Great Britain (2015) and Denmark (2014).
The material was created with the support of The Fritt Ord Foundation.
Wounded children, frightened adults, white medical robes covered in blood — these are the consequences of another Russian combined attack against Ukrainians. In the morning of July 8, Russian troops launched a rocket attack on Kiev, the largest children's hospital in Ukraine “Okhmatdyt” came under enemy attack.
Damaged hospital buildings, destroyed operating and wards, knocked out windows and doors. In the first minutes after the attack, children's crying and the screams of hundreds of children were heard in the hospital.
Rescuers and medics are working at the scene. Simple Kiev residents help to clear the rubble.
There is no official information on the number of dead and injured in the children's hospital yet.
Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak wrote that “the Russians deliberately beat children today.”
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Minister of the Interior Igor Klymenko reported that as a result of the massive Russian attack as of 15:00 it is known about 28 dead: 11 in Dnipropetrovsk region and 17 in Kiev. 112 people were injured: 62 in the Dnipropetrovsk region, 48 in the capital and two in the Kiev region. Today, Russia has damaged more than 50 civilian facilities, including residential buildings, a business center and two medical facilities.
“Emergency and rescue work at the sites of the largest impacts continues. Rescuers, policemen, municipal workers work. Special gratitude to all the caring people who rushed to help. Unity makes us stronger,” Klimenko said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine is initiating the convening of an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council after the attacks of the Russian Federation. The guarantor also noted: “Children's hospital “Okhmatdyt” in Kyiv. One of the most important not only in Ukraine, but also in Europe is the CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL. “Okhmatdyt” saved and restored health to thousands of children. Now the hospital is damaged by the Russian attack, people are under the rubble, the exact number of wounded and dead is currently unknown. Now everyone is helping to disassemble the rubble: doctors, ordinary people.”
In addition, as a result of enemy attack, there is damage in several areas of the capital. The Kyiv City Military Administration noted that an office building was damaged in Solomianskyi district, in Holosiivskyi — debris fell near a residential building, in Dniprovske, debris in a residential building is burning. Also in Darnytskyi district a private house was damaged, and in Desnyansk a building is on fire.
Aid headquarters have been deployed in three districts of Kyiv, where victims of shelling can write applications for one-time material assistance and receive consultations.
The material was created with the support of The Fritt Ord Foundation.
On Wednesday morning, July 3, the Russians carried out a combined attack on the Dnieper. There were about 10 explosions in the city. At approximately 8:45 a.m., the Air Force of the Armed Forces reported the movement of enemy drones in the direction of the Dnieper. In a few minutes, missiles flew in the direction of the city.
As a result of the shelling, a shopping center, a medical facility and a gas station were damaged. At least five people were killed and 47 others were injured.
Mayor of Dnipro Boris Filatov He said that as a result of the Russian attack on the Dnieper, a 14-year-old girl was among the victims, and 27 people went to hospitals.
Russian shelling damaged the facade of one of the shopping centers of the Dnieper, located in the Chechelovsky district on the right bank of the city. In addition, as a result of the impact, windows were knocked out in two schools and three kindergartens. A fragment hit the intensive care unit of the children's hospital - fortunately, it survived without casualties. There is destruction in one of the outpatient clinics, in another hospital there was a fire in the archive room.
ChapterVladimir Zelensky once again noted that Russian terror can only be stopped by modern air defense and long-range weapons. “The world can protect lives, and that requires the determination of leaders. Determination, which can and must make security against terrorism again the norm,” the president stressed.
Commander of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykola Oleshchuk reportedthat for the morning attack, which fell mainly on the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Russians used 13 air targets: three Iskander-K cruise missiles, four X-59 guided air missiles, five Shahed drones, one reconnaissance drone “Orlan-10”.
Tomorrow, July 4, mourning is declared in Dnipro.
Recall that on June 30, around 16:30 Russian troops once again launched an air strike on Kharkov. The CAB flew about 80 kilometers and hit a few meters from the premises of “Nova Poshta” in the Slobidsky district of the city.“Workers were unloading parcels.” The aftermath of the Russian air strike on “Nova Poshta” in Kharkiv in the photo of Yakov Lyashenko and Olga Kovalyova
The material was created with the support of The Fritt Ord Foundation.
On June 30, around 16:30 Russian troops again launched an air strike on Kharkov. The CAB flew about 80 kilometers and hit a few meters from the premises of “Nova Poshta” in the Slobidsky district of the city.
“Workers were unloading parcels at the time of arrival. This is not only terror against the civilian population, the enemy continues to terrorize businesses, because this is not the first intrusion into the terminal “Novaya Poshta”, — said the head of the Kharkiv OVA Oleg Synegubov. According to him, the impact destroyed the terminal of “Novaya Poshta”.
As a result of an enemy airstrike, one person was killed. Police said the dead man was about 40 years old: “The body is very badly damaged, so they will use the laboratory to identify the DNA... The family with the baby was near the scene of the attack: as a result of the blast wave, the child fell on the sidewalk, so he received bodily injuries.”
By late evening, the number of victims had risen to nine, among them an eight-month-old boy. The survey of the arrival site continues. Rescuers managed to locate the fire.
IN Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Officenoted that as a result of the enemy attack, eight vehicles were destroyed, five more damaged. At the scene of the attack, prosecutors and police investigators record war crimes. Criminal proceedings under Part 2 of Art. 438 Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder).
Russia daily deploys guided air bombs in eastern and southern Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that during this week alone, the enemy used more than 800 KABs against Ukraine. “Against our cities and communities, against our people, against everything that ensures normal life,” the head of state wrote.
Recall, on June 28, the Russians struck a residential building in Dnipro. A damaged high-rise building, one dead, injured people, among the victims is a baby. The consequences of the missile strike on the Dnieper in the photo of Mykola Sinelnikov.
On June 25, another 90 Ukrainians returned home from Russian captivity: 32 National Guardsmen, 18 border guards, 17 representatives of the Navy, 15 soldiers of the Armed Forces, 8 terrorists. Among them — 59 defenders of Mariupol, 52 of whom left Azovstal. Also, 5 fighters of the NGU, who at the beginning of the invasion guarded the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, set foot on their native land.
Photographs of photographers Vlada and Konstantin Liberov have been covered by Ukrainian and world media. Documentarians recorded the state in which Ukrainian servicemen returned from captivity.
“The boys kissed the ground, cried when they heard the native language. And we were happy to be there at this moment,” the photographers commented briefly.
After meeting at the border, Kostya and Vlad went to a hospital, where the military was examined by doctors before being sent for further rehabilitation.
“Hungry. Exhausted. Happy. On June 25, Ukraine returned home 90 more prisoners of war, - Liberov wrote. - Like last time, we cannot and will not comment on anything. These photos speak for themselves. Russian captivity kills, and every return to our homes is a great happiness with a taste of great pain. After all, thousands of Ukrainian defenders and defenders, as well as civilians, are still there, in the clutches of the fascist regime of Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked all partners who help in the release of these prisoners of war.
“Home is not just words. At home, this is Ukraine. We remember all our people in Russian captivity. We continue to work for the release of each and every one. We seek the truth about all who can be held by the enemy. Thank you to our team that deals with exchanges: Budanov, Yermak, Malyuk, Klimenko, Lubinets. To all partners who help, the UAE for assisting in the release of these of our people. Together we can achieve even the most difficult results,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Today, 3300 Ukrainians have been returned. This is the 53rd exchange of prisoners of war since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation.
“In the future, we will monitor the observance of the rights of returnees, in particular regarding medical examination, rehabilitation, receipt of the necessary documents, bank cards,” the Ombudsman noted Dmytro Lubinets. He also addressed the families who are still waiting for relatives from captivity: “Do not lose faith! Ukraine is working to return all our citizens home!”
Konstantin and Vlada Liberov. A couple of photographers from Odessa. They began their journey 4 years ago, focusing initially on creative and emotional engagements. In a few years, they have become one of the most recognizable photographers in the field and have moved on to active teaching activities, have thousands of grateful students around the world. At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, they changed the vector of their work, focusing on feature documentaries: their photos from hot spots in Ukraine go viral on social networks, gaining hundreds of thousands of reposts, they are published by influential media such as BBC, Welt, Vogue, Forbes, and also take to their social networks the President of Ukraine and others high-ranking persons.
MYPH, a well-known school of conceptual and art photography in the South of Ukraine, was founded Serhiy Melnichenkoin his hometown Nikolaev. The training aims to promote and understand contemporary conceptual and artistic photography among artists. During the full-scale invasion of Russia in our state, Nikolaev photographers took an active volunteer position. Someone joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and some from artistic photography switched to documentary in order to record the consequences of the occupiers' actions. We talk with the founder of MYPH Serhiy Melnychenko about the training of young photographers, their projects, his projects, as well as the impact of the war on photography in Nikolaev — the city that received the status of Hero.
“MYPH — Mykolaiv Young Photography. The abbreviation is consonant with the Ukrainian word “myth”. So the name took root organically. Our photographers often work with themes of mythology.” — begins acquaintance with the school, its founder Sergey Melnychenko. It all started in 2018 with photography courses. Serhiy created a pilot project in order to see the reaction of young authors in Nikolaev. “I wanted to know if there was an interest in conceptual contemporary photography. There were many commercial photographers in the city at that time, but there were no conceptual ones.“,— he recalls.
Since then, thanks to theory and practice, online and offline, and even during a full-scale invasion, Serhiy, together with invited lecturers, shares his artistic and commercial experiences with students.
The authors work with different directions: “We have photojournalists, documentarians, and portraitists, etc. However, the main thing is the artistic direction. During this time, we have formed a powerful community that promotes young authors and assists in expanding the spectrum of both their photographic knowledge and practices, and in finding exhibitions, festivals and fairs“,— Serhiy continues.
The aim of the school is to unite a community of photographers and promote the development of young talents. In particular, one of these methods is grant programs. “We are in the process of receiving a grant to support our community, that is, we allocate five subgrants to create projects in the southern region, reveal the stories of its inhabitants, etc.“.
70% of the projects made by Nikolaev authors concern reflections of war. Sergey believes that real artists cannot be abstracted from those moments and events that take place around.
“These are both self-portraits and storytelling — they are all closely related to the theme of war. Some of the authors stayed in Nikolaev. For example, our student Maria Gorshkova. She worked as a photojournalist in the media and documented a lot of things.”
From October to November 2023, the team implemented the project “Visual History of Nikolaev”. Recall that the city was on the front line for nine months, suffered from shelling, barely escaping occupation. Through art photography and documentary photography, the school's 20 artists have conveyed the mood of the city over the past two years.
Serhiy says that this exhibition captures the impact of the war on Nikolaev and the moral and psychological state of the local population: “The goal, in particular, is to help restore the moral spirit of the local community, as well as, to emphasize the unsurpassed strength and ingenuity of Nikolayevs, which led to the award of Nikolaev the title of “city” Hero.”
In addition to exhibition projects for his students, Sergey continues to implement, in particular, his own ideas. “I don't do documentary photography,” he says, “but I do have a photo series, Tattoos of War. It is more of a conceptual project, but with elements of documentary shooting.” He began to implement this idea in April 2023, shooting on a medium format film camera. Sergey gives his heroes the opportunity to choose the frame that will be directed to them with the help of the projector.
“I ask my heroes to choose the moment that comes to mind first. We expose this frame with the help of the projector. Among the latest works are immigrants from Nikolaev who live in Ivano-Frankivsk. The frame that was projected on them is the destroyed hotel “Ingul”“from Nikolaev. It was one of the first such big hits in our city. That's what stuck in their memory.”
Serhiy has already started work on a new documentary project “Under the Dnieper”, which will include human stories from Nikolaev, Zaporizhia, Cherkassy, Dnipro and their regions, as well as a photobook and video adaptations: “This project will consist of at least 50% documentary. The idea will be implemented with a grant from the Munich Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung Foundation as part of the program Alexander Tutsek Photography Grant.
Serhiy is convinced that the level of development of photography in Ukraine is high, but it can be even better: “We continue to actively work and participate in exhibitions and festivals in order to promote Ukrainian photography at home and to represent it to an international audience.”
He admits to keeping a close eye on young authors who were able to reveal themselves during the war.
“Their work is authentic, they are different. The authors were inspired. Students such as Maria Gorshkova and Veronika Mol showed their interesting vision. Among them is our Alexei Charei, who joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and documents the war, directly participating in it,” — says Sergey.
Anyone who wants to become a photographer or those who just want to get acquainted with the art of photographs can find all the necessary information on siteMYPH. The school is constantly working on expanding the curriculum, attracting new lecturers.
“In the future, we are considering launching the course “Documentary Photography”, attracting the best Ukrainian photographers documenting the war,” Serhiy shares his plans.
Currently, the works of the authors of the Mykolaiv School of Photography MYPH can be seen at exhibitions in Lviv(location: Powder Tower, exposition “Subconscious”) and in Stockholm(location: Ukrainian Cultural Center, exposition “One day”).
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Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
What made photographers join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine? How has the photo changed, and they themselves, since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine? What did I have to give up and what to get used to? We talk with photographers Valentin Kuzan, Oleg Palchik and Sergey Mikhalchuk.
Valentin Kuzan is a well-known portrait photographer in Ukraine, currently serving as a photojournalist of the public relations service of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade named after the Black Zaporozhtsy.
Valentine's love for photography appeared in adolescence. He begged his father for a camera to capture something for himself. The first combat baptism, that is, commercial filming was a wedding job that had to be shot by a 10th grader with no experience because his father mistakenly booked two events for the same date. “I was very worried at the time. I thought to myself: “God, this is a once-in-a-lifetime wedding for people. What will it be if I do something wrong?“Valentina's father explained that it should be filmed, and what should be done at will. “Those were the times when they were photographed like the groom is holding the bride in the palm of his hand or they are peering through the tree. Mostly near the birch”, — Valentyn recalls those times with a smile.
He met documentary photography in 2014. He was inspired by the works of photographer Alexander Gladielov, who came to Uzhgorod with exhibitions. “It gave me the opportunity to fill photography with a new meaning, - says Valentyn, - and to consider the documentary as a language in which to speak about the important“.
Then Valentin stormed Alexander with questions about how to film the war and how to get there, but then the matter did not progress further: “As long as I remember myself as an adult — I always have children. I have four children and one of them is always small. Therefore, in truth, then the situation was not favorable for long trips to dangerous places“.
He returned to his desire already in 2022, after evacuating his family from Kiev to the West and “the situation has become more or less stable and understandable“. Together with the project Ukraіner, he filmed military near the capital, was involved in a series of works about intellectuals and artists who went to the army. After that, he was invited to document for a week how missile troops work in Donetsk region. “One of the first aid packages has just arrived in Ukraine. It was a weapon similar to Himars, just a manufacturer from another country. This was my first shooting at the front. Even then I learned that this is not allowed to anyone to photograph and so far there is a big problem with admission to this. This is an attractive target for the Russians.” — says Valentyn.
Then several photos, namely portraits, from this series, were published on the page of the then current Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny. “It made me terribly happy. That's how cheerful was my start in military photography!” There is no hiding the joy of the photographer.
After that, there were no more opportunities to fight the war directly, but Valentine took on everything that was somehow connected with it. He began to cooperate with various media: The Ukrainians, Kunsht and Local History.
“Together with The Ukrainians, we filmed two UPA veterans and political prisoners. One was 94 years old and the other was 99. However, four days after the shooting, he should have turned 100. It was in Kolomyia. This uncle commanded a unit of the UPA, which became famous for the fact that in one battle they destroyed about 400 Encavedists. His name is Miroslav Simchych. His son is fighting now. It was a very interesting story. It's about the continuity of generations and the constant enemy“.
After that with Ukrainener he shot the project “Victory Units“about the fighters of the 93rd OMBR “Kholodny Yar” and the 72nd OMB named after Chorny Zaporozhtsy, it was in the last brigade that he found new friends. “Although we were there for about a week, but then I saw how good I felt being there. This work is filled with maximum meaning for me.” In the fall of 2023, Valentin was mobilized in this brigade as a photojournalist.
Since 2016, Valentyn's focus has been portraits of Ukrainian artists and artists for the project “Sultprocess” as an analogue to the portraits of contemporaries of the artist Anatol Petritsky — the generation of the “Shot Renaissance”. During this time, the photographer shot thousands of shots with Ukrainian writers, musicians, artists and other people who shaped our culture during the Independence period. But now he has defenders in his sights.
“It is important for me now to highlight who is protecting us and to work to ensure that the memory of these people in the visual dimension is represented as adequately as possible, as far as I can,” Valentin explains.
He had to refuse to take his favorite photos — black and white portraits. Since after the invasion, such pictures are associated with the death of a person. “Not to frighten anyone. So now I work only in color. It's a crazy challenge for me to work with colors in a portrait.”
Even before mobilization, Valentine invited people to portrait shooting in the studio to meet with himself. People came to look at their photos and at the same time their changes. “In a year of full-scale war, everything was visible on the face. These tons of stress are in their eyes. But it was also noticeable how people still give themselves advice. This path was in the eyes of people,” Valentin explains.
He notes that the military view is different, and it is in this contrast that he decided to mobilize for himself: “Anxiety is a come-no-fly, it is permanent, it is oppressive, and you think all the time that you could do more. And when you are in the army, it is scary, but the anxieties recede - you have already made your choice and are already here.”
Despite the fear he felt himself, he sees peace in the eyes of his fellow officers. “Oddly enough, because people are calm about their choices, and that they may not be ashamed in front of their relatives, descendants or fellow citizens.
A large percentage of the people I meet here are volunteers. They know what they are here for. Their eyes are full of meaning.” Valentin says that he also sees zeal, courage, and a little humor, as well as heaviness and fatigue in the eyes of his brothers: “The looks say: “We have been here for two years, and could someone change us?” In principle, I also reacted to such a phrase when I decided to mobilize,” the photographer admits.
When asked what kind of photograph he would like to take, he replied: “I would like every soldier to have a quality photo portrait. Unfortunately, now in cities and villages we see alleys of dead Heroes, and not everyone has pictures worthy of them and their feat.”
Valentyn added that after the war, he would like every soldier to have his beautiful photo in military uniform, so that in 50-60 years he could look at this photo and realize how important work he was doing in his time.
“It's hard to kill a Ukrainian” — photographer, junior sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleg Palchyk quotes the words of one of the heroes of his numerous photo reports, the combat medic “Lata”. Until 2022, he was a commercial photographer, engaged in subject, portrait and reportage shots. Oleg lived in Kharkiv for many years, and now lives in Kyiv. The war has come to each of the cities he calls his own. That is why, since February 24, 2022, his photos have also changed with him.
On February 24 and 25, 2022, he went to the TCC twice to mobilize for the troops, and then he was not taken without experience. Therefore, Oleg volunteered and continued to look for a way to become useful for the state. So he attached himself to one of the special police units, began to document military actions in the Kiev region. In the end, in May, Oleg managed to officially become part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since then, he has been documenting the war for TRO Media.
Oleg considers his public relations service unit one of the best in the army. “We are engaged in coverage of historical events, filming documentaries about brigades and about people. We shoot stories, record stories, make photo portraits. Anything that can be covered in media — we do it!” — the soldier shares.
Currently, a photobook is being prepared for printing based on the works of Oleg Palchyk. Also in Ukraine and abroad you can see photo exhibitions with his photos. The photo exhibition “Long into War” is a joint work of two authors: Oleg Palchyk and Colonel Alexei Dmitrashkivskyi. These are two separate projects, “Faces of War” and “On the Other Side of Peace”, which were combined into one joint exhibition. Hundreds of pictures are constantly supplemented with new materials. “This is the Kyiv region after the de-occupation, the Kharkiv region before a large-scale counterattack, and the everyday Donetsk region and Zaporizhzhia. The exposition presents portraits of defenders in combat positions, photographs of civilians living in de-occupied territories or near the front line. As well as military training and combat work of artillery and other weapons. In general, the consequences of Russian aggression, etc.,” says Oleg Palchyk.
Among hundreds of his pictures, it is difficult for Oleg to choose the ones that are most dear to his heart or those that are most imprinted in his memory. However, special for him are the photos of the flames when Russia struck the gas pipeline in Kherson. “It looked very surreal,” recalls the photographer. “Although the explosion was far away, and the flames were very bright. Already on the spot we saw a fire larger than a 5-storey building. The whole city saw this glow. It was both beautiful and scary at the same time.”
Basically, Oleg focuses on people and their stories. One of these is a photo of the commander of the 68th Yeheran Brigade, Valery “Roland” Dorokhov, who was killed along with his brother Oleg Barna during the storming of enemy positions in the Donetsk region. “This story, to put it mildly, knocked me out of the rut. I was shooting Roland. A few hours before his death, we communicated, he made edits to the material. I sent him photos, but he did not have time to read my message,” says Oleg.
Oleg believes that Ukrainian documentary photographers demonstrated a very high level during the full-scale invasion: “It seems to me that they did not even take a step forward, but jumped far above their heads. We have a lot of really professional photographers. I am sure that their documentary photographs will serve as a model in the post-war era!”
Oleg says that with the beginning of the invasion, his photos received more freedom, the frames became freer, because they demonstrate completely different values. “According to my feelings, all the tinsel just disappeared,” says Oleg Palchyk.
Despite the large portfolio, he believes that he has not yet taken his best photo. “But somehow I was asked in the comments to film the Ukrainian parade on Red Square in Moscow. This is the photo I would probably really like to take,” laughs the photographer.
“When it's very scary, you take the camera in your hands, you work and it becomes easier,” says Serhiy Mikhalchuk. Although there are times when it is necessary to hold the machine in your fingers until the blue, otherwise tomorrow will not come, but the camera is still his favorite weapon. He has been inseparable from her since 1979.
“My journey to photography began a long time ago. Someone says that creative personalities do not even live that long. However, photography is a major part of my life, and it is from it that my profession as a cinematographer began,” he says.
Sergey always liked documentary photography because of the nature of the work, the transmission of emotions and the living state of things. He documented the Revolution of Dignity on the Maidan, so he repeatedly filmed in Donetsk region, in particular the events in Slavyansk and Debaltseve. Therefore, he believes that it is quite natural that even during a full-scale invasion, he continues this business.
Serhiy has been a volunteer since March 2022. For the first 16 months, he documented the war in one of the special forces. “These images are unlikely to ever be published. Even after the end of the war, I will speak about these events with great caution, or I will not speak at all,” Serhiy says. Now he serves in another unit at the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Sergey explains his decision to mobilize by the fact that he has no illusions about Russia, with which Ukraine has long been imposed friendship. “I realized that as long as we exist, they will try to destroy us. Perhaps as a civilian photographer I would be more useful, but going to the army is the right moral choice,” Serhiy shares.
He admits that his profession was realized in Russia, where he worked on various projects for almost 15 years starting in 1996. Sergei has more than 40 projects, one of them loudly premiered in the summer of 2023 — the film “Dovbush”. He was a production operator, that is, he was fully responsible for the visual part of the picture. “This film has become so relevant now because the war has escalated. Although it has been going on for 10 years. The fact that we are fighting has become a revelation for many in reality. Now the war has come to almost every home. It's so scary that no one knows if this struggle will end for our generation,” Serhiy shares.
The film has a lot of meanings and ideas. “I want Ukrainians to be proud of their country, proud of their mountains and appreciate the fact that they live on this land,” concludes Serhiy Mykhalchuk, director of the film “Dovbush”.
Despite the fact that the film thundered a few months ago, Sergey has already hidden this creative part of himself somewhat: “I have already assimilated so much in the army in two years that even now I feel more like a soldier than a cameraman. Although I worked with him for more than 30 years and managed to shoot about 40 paintings.”
Serhiy notes that war is always about extremely strong emotions that are too bursting into memory: “Even if they are short-lived, they can become the most basic emotions of your whole life. You will always remember them.”
Now it is difficult for Sergey to highlight or choose key ones among his photos. He says he can't stay away from emotions or from the troops at the moment because he's in a whirlwind of events, but notes that maybe years from now he will have a different view of his documentaries.
“War has become a part of my life. The whole world is also getting used to it, and this is a very worrying trend. You're already starting to feel part of it. That's why we need to keep covering everything. We need to be reminded of the tragedy,” he said.
Sergey says that for him every photo is important: the first photos from Irpen, and pictures from Bakhmut or from any other military operations. “The cameraman is taught to shoot like it's the last frame of your life. Maybe that's how I feel about all my images,” the soldier admits.
For now, his task is to convey the state of affairs and the condition of people at war. Sergey believes that often a person's eyes or movements can be the most eloquent. That is why, as a native of game cinema, he tries to speak the language of symbols and images. Sometimes a photo helps him to remain himself even when it is very scary.
“If they shoot nearby, then you seem to fall into another reality. It works in your mind like a charm. You're just doing your job. Like real warriors, if this is your last moment and you leave with your weapon in your hands. Actually, that's the camera for me.”
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
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Photos of members of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers in the international press: June's selection. UAPF is proud of the Ukrainian documentary photographers whose photos represent Ukraine in the international media and once again draw attention to the Russian-Ukrainian war and major events in our country.
Alex Babenko's photo was published by The Associated Press in a story about emergency power outages in the country.
Sasha Maslov's photos of civilian life in frontline Kharkiv were published by the German weekly Die Zeit.
Oksana Parafeniuk's photographs complemented The Washington Post's story about Ukrainian prisoners who agreed to defend Ukraine.
Oksana Parafeniuk's photos also appeared in The Washington Post from the first Equality March since the beginning of the invasion.
The Guardian published pictures by Roman Pylypiy of a farewell to Iryna “Cheka” Tsybukh, a combat medic with the Hospitallers volunteer battalion, who died while evacuating the wounded from the battlefield in the Kharkiv sector.
Traditionally, Roman Pylypiy's photos have been included in the Guardian's photo collections. This time, the list includes a photo from the Donetsk region. The photo shows Ukrainian soldiers of the 55th Artillery Brigade “Zaporizhzhya Sich” shelling Russian positions with a French-made Caesar self-propelled howitzer.
The Guardian's weekly selection also includes a photo by Roman Pylypiy of the funeral ceremony for hospital worker Iryna Tsybukh.
Yulia Kochetova's photos were complemented by The Guardian's interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Heorhiy Ivanchenko's photographs of the war in the Kharkiv region appeared in the French edition of Le Monde.
Alina Smutko's photo was published by The New York Times in an article about the Russian shelling of Ukrainian energy systems.
Vyacheslav Ratynsky's photo was published by the German media outlet Spiegel in an article about the possibility of missiles being fired at Russian territory by Western partners.
Viacheslav Ratynskyi's photos also complemented the Frankfurter Allgemeine's report on the situation in the Kherson sector.
In addition, The Telegraph has repeatedly published photographs of Ukrainian soldiers taken by Vyacheslav Ratynsky.
The Dutch newspaper Trouw published a photo report by Ukrainian graduate Oleksandr Magula.
Anastasia Vlasova's photo was published by The Guardian in an interview with Ukrainian jumper Yulia Levchenko. The athlete spoke about her preparations for the Paris Olympics.
Serhiy Korovainyi's photos were published by The Wall Street Journal. His photographs complemented the article about Zaporizhzhia NPP and the state of energy in Ukraine during the war.
A photo by Ivan Samoilov of the aftermath of the Russian shelling of a printing house in Kharkiv was published by CNN.
Yevhen Maloletka's photographs were published by The Washington Post in a story about the situation at the front.
Ivan Antypenko's photo from the frontline was included in Reuters' selection of the day.
The works presented in this article are not the whole list of published photographs by Ukrainian photographers in foreign media. Therefore, we urge documentary filmmakers to feel free to write about their own foreign publications in their social networks and mention UAPF so that we do not miss any achievements in the next selections.
A damaged high-rise building, one dead, injured people, among the victims is a baby. Such are the consequences of the Russian missile attack on the Dnieper on Friday, June 28. Rescuers spent the night dismantling the rubble of a destroyed high-rise building.
In the high-rise building, which was hit by a Russian missile, four floors were destroyed. People are blocked there. This was announced by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration on the evening of June 28 Serhiy Lisak.
“The enemy carried out a missile attack on the Dnieper. The nine-story building was damaged. There is the destruction of several floors. Previously, there are wounded,” he wrote.
Sergey Lisak noted that the number of victims has increased to nine people.
Among them is a 7-month-old baby. The girl has poisoning with combustion products. It is also known that three people are in serious condition: women 27 and 30 years old and a 29-year-old man.
Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Igor Klymenko reported one dead. “Unfortunately, there could be more victims. Rescuers are dismantling rubble,” he wrote.
One man was rescued by emergency personnel from a car. It was covered with parts of a damaged house. Emergency services are working on the spot, the victims are provided with the necessary assistance.
According to the police, as a result of yesterday's missile strike on a high-rise building in Dnipro, five people are considered missing.
Earlier, the Air Force of the Armed Forces warned that the Russians had launched a missile in the direction of the Dnieper.
On June 24, there were explosions in Odesa. The Russians launched two missiles, one of them did not reach the target due to the work of air defense. Black pillar of smoke over Odesa. Consequences of Russian shelling in the lens of Alexander Gimanov
Cultural diplomacy is an important tool for building international relations, promoting mutual understanding and strengthening cultural ties between countries. One of the striking examples of such diplomacy is the presentation of a photobook about the most difficult winter in the history of independent Ukraine “Dare to bear light” in The Hague.
Read also: Presentation of the book “Brave to bear light” was held in Kyiv
The images of Ukrainian photographers who captured life during the massive light outages in the winter of 2022-2023 showed diplomats the resilience and courage of our people in extremely difficult conditions.
Through the documentation of the war, we see that even in extremely difficult conditions Ukrainians find a way to learn, create, work. Keep fighting.
A welcoming word at the opening of the exhibition said Serhiy Korovaynyi, photojournalist and portrait photographer, member of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers:
But winter seemed like a disaster, but now it's clear — well, it will get worse. The new blackouts are already with us. Among the photos of this post are June Kramatorska, Sloviansk, Kharkov, taken forThe Wall Street Journal.
Such measures contribute to the strengthening of cultural ties between countries. They can be the basis for future cooperation in the field of culture, art and other areas.
On June 27, 2017, around 8 am, the commander of one of the special purpose units of the Main Intelligence Directorate Maxim Shapoval died. His car exploded at the intersection of Solomenskaya and Mechanisatorov streets. The murder was classified as a terrorist act.
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes pictures of Serhiy Nuzhnenko, who recorded the consequences of the crime.
On June 27, 2017, at 8:10am in Kyiv as a result of a car explosion, Colonel GUR MO, commander of the 10th OZSPP Maxim Shapoval died. Two more people were injured during the explosion, they received shrapnel wounds, but their lives were not threatened. The murder of Maxim Shapoval is compared with the death of the head of the counterintelligence department of the Main Directorate of SBU in Donetsk region Colonel Oleksandr Kharaberiush, which took place on March 31, 2017 in Mariupol. The main military prosecutor's office investigated the crime with the involvement of all Ukrainian special services. The main version is the Russian footprint. Maxim Shapoval performed combat missions in the ATO zone and coordinated the actions of other special forces officers.
The terrorist act and its investigation were immediately discussed in a closed meeting with the participation of law enforcement leaders. Representatives of all special services, investigators of the military prosecutor's office, prosecutors, as well as operational counterintelligence officers of the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police worked on the case.
“The strength of the explosive device, which was activated at 8.14 am, was such that at a distance of 50 meters, I apologize to the family of the deceased, for saying this, at the height of the first floor were found parts of the body of the deceased,” the chief military prosecutor Anatoly Matali told journalists Ios. He added that Maxim Shapoval was a combat officer and, in particular, commanded the first group of special forces that liberated Donetsk airport in the spring of 2014. “Already after that, groups from the 3rd and 8th special purpose regiments entered the facility, and the first group was led and commanded by the deceased. So, it was the first Ukrainian “cyborg”, — said military prosecutor Anatoly Matios.
Eyewitnesses of the event recall a very strong explosion, its strength can be assessed on video from a surveillance camera, which was quickly posted on the Internet. According to the head of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kyiv Andriy Kryshchenko, the explosives were planted from the bottom of the car, inside or under the bottom. The strength of the homemade explosive device was about three kilograms in TNT equivalent. Officially, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported a strength of about one kilogram. For comparison: hand grenades contain from 60 to 110 grams of tulle.
Colonel Maxim Shapoval lived near the scene of the explosion. The car that was blown up was a military service vehicle. He usually drove with a driver, but that day he was driving alone. Explosives could be laid when the car was at the service station, or in the underground parking.
A few hours after the assassination of Colonel Maxim Shapoval, a hacker attack on Ukraine began. Presumably, these two events are connected and timed to the Constitution Day of Ukraine. On the same day, Colonel Yuriy Vozny, an employee of the Counterintelligence Department, died from a car explosion. The crime took place in the village of Illinovka, Konstantinovsky district in Donetsk region. This crime was also classified as a terrorist act.
Photographer Serhiy Nuzhnenko documented the aftermath of Maxim Shapoval's car blowing up in Kyiv. “It's been a long time ago and it's hard to remember the details. However, I remember that in the period 2016-2018, such explosions from cars or other explosions occurred periodically. There is an attempt to assassinate journalist Palv Sheremet, here is this explosion, an attempt on Mosiychuk, etc. Then it seemed that such events had become somehow natural. This happened every few months and that's why you get used to them,” says Serhiy Nuzhnenko, “I remember the day when Maxim Shapoval's car was blown up. I found out about the explosion in our reporter chat and went to the scene. The police were already working there. But I remembered one moment that struck me. Near the destroyed car, I saw a man sitting on his knees and crying bitterly, raising his hands to the sky. It was probably the father of the deceased.”
Recall that the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers has started a series of materials dedicated tokey events of the Russian war against Ukraine, where he publishes memoirs and photographs of Ukrainian documentary photographers.
Serhiy Nuzhnenko— reportage photographer. Photocorrespondent of Radio Svoboda since 2016. Since February 2022, he has become a war photographer: he filmed events in Kyiv, Chernihiv region, Kharkiv region, and now works mainly in Donbas. He is the author of photos from Bucha and Irpen, which Ukrposhta used in their stamps for the anniversary of the liberation of Kyiv region in March 2023. Serhiy Nuzhnenko's Works Completed the International Exhibition #OntheFrontlinesofTruth organized by the NGO “Institute of Mass Information” and the international organization in the field of independent media development Internews. The pictures were exhibited at the station in Vilnius. Also, Nuzhnenko's picture about Russian aggression in Ukraine was included in 100 photos of 2022 according to Time magazine. During the Revolution of Dignity, Nuzhnenko was one of the nine “Bankova prisoners”.
On January 30, 2017, the Armed Forces took control of the Avdeyev industrial zone, knocking out the Russians from there.
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes photos of photojournalist Oleksandr Klymenko, who documented the stay of Ukrainian troops in Avdiivka industrial zone.
On the anniversary of the Battle of Kruty at 5 am on January 29, the enemy began intensive shelling of Ukrainian positions in the Avdiivka industrial zone. The Russians fired small arms and mortars. A group of fighters of the 1st Battalion of the 72nd Brigade took the fight and moved on to the counterattack. Their actions were covered by a battery of 120 mm mortars of the brigade art group, and a diversionary maneuver was carried out on the left flank at the same time. The assault group of 8 fighters was led by Lieutenant Andriy Verkhozhda “Livsha”. At 7 o'clock, two groups of militants of up to 30 people moved into the assault. The defense forces were able to fight back. Then three Ukrainians were killed in the fighting, and another received torture. Among the losses of the enemy: about 40 personnel and the commander of the battalion “DPR” with the nickname “Greek”, who also tried to storm the positions of ATO forces in the Avdiivka industrial zone.
Avdiyivka is an industrial city 13 kilometers from Donetsk, there was even a direct trolleybus. Before the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014, about 40 thousand people lived there. It was from Avdiivka that it was possible to control: the northern outskirts of Donetsk and Yasinovataya, the southern outskirts of Horlivka, as well as the strategic route M04 “Donetsk — Horlivka”.
In April 2014, militants proclaimed a “Donetsk People's Republic” in Avdiivka, but on 28 July the Ukrainian defence forces liberated the city during a general offensive on Donetsk. However, the situation was somewhat more complicated with the industrial zone. There were no Ukrainian strongholds, although the industrial zone is within Avdiyivka. This is what loosened the hands of the militants, who crossed the demarcation line and attacked Ukrainian positions, in particular, shooting civilians. The Ukrainian military decided to de-occupy the industrial zone for the sake of the safety of civilians.
At the beginning of 2016, the 16th battalion of the 58th brigade took the Avdiyivsk industrial zone, so space was opened for the destruction of enemy vehicles on the Donetsk-Horlivka highway. However, from March of the same year, militants began to actively shell Avdiyivka.
The greatest aggravation of the situation in the Avdiyivka area came on the anniversary of the battle near Kruty, January 29, 2017. Due to active Russian shelling, local residents were left without light, water and heating, for whom the Ukrainian side deployed heating points.
After its liberation and until the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, the Avdeyev industrial zone remained one of the hottest points on the map of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The fighting here has practically not subsided for several years at any time of the day. In some places, the positions of the Russian-separatist forces were only a few meters away.
Photojournalist Oleksandr Klymenko repeatedly documented the newly occupied positions of Ukrainian troops from 2016 until the invasion. Sometimes he stayed overnight with the boys, slept in the basement.
“I went there many times in 2016, and in 2017, and in 2018, and in 2019. The last time I was there was in February 2022 on the eve of the invasion. There was then the 25th Brigade. Paratroopers. They said, “We are ready!” They all talked about it!” — recalls Oleksandr Klymenko, “Foreign journalists always went there, because Avdiivka industrial zone has always been a place where some battles took place, shelling continued or ceasefire was declared and again shelling, etc. Conventionally, then it was the closest place to the enemy.”
For almost 10 years, the Russians tried to occupy Avdiyivka, and after more than 3,100 days of defense, the city fell. February 17, 2023, Armed Forces of Ukraine came out from Avdiivka to avoid the surroundings. The defense forces moved to more favorable frontiers.
Recall that the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers has started a series of materials dedicated to key events of the Russian war against Ukraine, where he publishes memoirs and photographs of Ukrainian documentary photographers.
Life as a Deadline: 10 Years of War in the Photos of Alexander Klymenko
Oleksandr Klymenko was born in Chernihiv region. Graduate of the Faculty of Journalism of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. From 1991 to 2024 — photocorrespondent of the newspaper “Voice of Ukraine”. In 1992, he documented events in Transnistria, then in the former Yugoslavia, as well as Lebanon, Kuwait, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. During the Revolution of Dignity, being in the very epicenter of events, Alexander was wounded. Since the beginning of the Russian military aggression in 2014 in the East, he has been filming events at the front. Oleksandr is the author of several photo albums, including: “Ukraine. 10 years of progress” (2001), “Peacekeeping activities of the Ukrainian army. The First Decade” (2004), “Through Fire and Tears” (2009), “Front Album” (2016). “The latest history of Ukrainian journalism. From Maidan to Maidan” co-authored with Yuriy Nesteryak, Julia Nesteryak (2022). Had personal photo exhibitions at UN Headquarters in New York (2012), NATO Headquarters in Brussels (2012, 2013, 2014), Lithuania (2015), Poland (2015, 2016, 2023), Luxembourg (2015), Norway (2023), Latvia (2022), participated in collective exhibitions on the war in Ukraine in the parliaments of Great Britain (2015) and Denmark (2014).
The fighting in Debaltseve became one of the key events in the confrontation in Donbas. The most intense phase of the battle lasted from January 25 to February 18, 2015, including massive artillery attacks, small arms fire, and street and tank battles. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces, about 5 thousand soldiers defended Debaltseve, they were opposed by four times larger forces of the occupiers. The fighting for the city and the operation to withdraw Ukrainian troops became one of the most tragic and large-scale events in the entire period of the ATO/PLO.
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes photos of photojournalist Oleksandr Klymenko, who documented the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Debaltsev after heavy fighting.
On July 29, 2014, the Defense Forces liberated Debaltseve from the illegal armed groups that had controlled the city since April. However, seven months later, the Ukrainian military was forced to leave the city. Russian mercenaries shell residential neighborhoods with “Grad” and tanks. Militants with the support of regular Russian troops managed to surround the city on three sides.
At this time, negotiations of the “Normandy Four” continued in Minsk. The Russians promised a complete ceasefire, but only on paper. Debaltseve continued to suffer from intense shelling. Militants with the support of units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, sought at any cost to encircle and defeat our troops. After the establishment of a conditional truce, pro-Russian mercenaries transferred to Debaltseve forces from other directions. As a result, shelling of Ukrainian positions increased even more.
There were almost no additional reserves to support ATO forces in Debaltseve. Therefore, on the night of February 17-18, 2015, Ukrainian troops began withdrawing troops from Debaltseve. For more than a day, they went out in small columns along different routes, with equipment battered and wounded, under shelling. Some went on foot. Because of the frosts, it was planned to go out not only on highways, but also on field roads.
For versionThe General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, holding Debaltsevsky bridgehead until February 18, Ukrainian troops thwarted the militants' plans for a large-scale offensive on Artemivsk (Bakhmut), Kramatorsk and further movement in the direction of Kharkov. Ukrainian troops had never made such a massive withdrawal until now. In the battles on the Debaltsevsky bridgehead, the whole world saw the professionalism and readiness of Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainian forces took positions near Artemivsk, present-day Bakhmut. Debaltseve is still under Russian occupation.
Oleksandr Klymenko is a photojournalist who, even before the beginning of independence, began filming the main events in Ukraine. In addition, he has repeatedly covered armed conflicts in different countries of the world. However, in 2014, he had to put on an armored vest and go with his camera to the war in his country. He managed to record the movement of columns of Ukrainian equipment during the exit from Debaltsev.
“They go, they go, they go, they go. Tanks of all kinds there, SAU, just loading machines. BMP, BTR. They are all filled with our soldiers. The military is so tired. Those who came out of hell,” says the photographer.
In Alexander's photographs, not only the tired eyes of the soldiers were preserved, but also the wounded and dead as a result of the fighting for Debaltseve.
“I met the New Year 2015 together with the Right Sector in Pisky. I clearly remember my feeling that in 2015 the war will definitely end. It seemed that victory was about to be won. But you see... Then there was the exit from Debaltsev on February 18, 2015. I was in Bakhmut at that moment and in the morning I saw tanks and other military equipment driving through the city, on which tired men were sitting. I filmed it. Then he went to the hospital. The wounded were brought there. I asked one national guard, and where were the dead? “How where? In the morgue.” And I went there. On the street lay wooden graves made of unhewn boards. They had soldiers. Their arms and legs peered through the slits. In addition to the graves, there were still black plastic bags with bodies. It was a terrible picture and very bitter emotions,” recalls Oleksandr Klymenko.
February 18 is called the Day of Remembrance of the Battles for Debaltseve, on this day they honor those killed during the Debaltseve operation. According to the Ministry of Defense, during the fighting in the area of Debaltseve from January 15 to February 18, 110 servicemen were killed, 270 were wounded, 7 were captured, 18 were missing. During the entire defense of the Debaltsevsk salient, 136 Ukrainian servicemen were killed and 331 were wounded.
Recall that the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers has started a series of materials dedicated to key events of the Russian war against Ukraine, where he publishes memoirs and photographs of Ukrainian documentary photographers.
Life as a Deadline: 10 Years of War in the Photos of Olexandr Klymenko
Oleksandr Klymenko was born in Chernihiv region. Graduate of the Faculty of Journalism of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. From 1991 to 2024 — photocorrespondent of the newspaper “Voice of Ukraine”. In 1992, he documented events in Transnistria, then in the former Yugoslavia, as well as Lebanon, Kuwait, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. During the Revolution of Dignity, being in the very epicenter of events, Alexander was wounded. Since the beginning of the Russian military aggression in 2014 in the East, he has been filming events at the front. Oleksandr is the author of several photo albums, including: “Ukraine. 10 years of progress” (2001), “Peacekeeping activities of the Ukrainian army. The First Decade” (2004), “Through Fire and Tears” (2009), “Front Album” (2016). “The latest history of Ukrainian journalism. From Maidan to Maidan” co-authored with Yuriy Nesteryak, Julia Nesteryak (2022). Had personal photo exhibitions at UN Headquarters in New York (2012), NATO Headquarters in Brussels (2012, 2013, 2014), Lithuania (2015), Poland (2015, 2016, 2023), Luxembourg (2015), Norway (2023), Latvia (2022), participated in collective exhibitions on the war in Ukraine in the parliaments of Great Britain (2015) and Denmark (2014).
On the morning of January 31, 2017, the Armed Forces of Ukraine repulsed the stronghold of the militants “Almaz-2” in Avdiyivka in the Donetsk region. The position was strategically important in the overall defense system of the country, as it allowed to control the roads Donetsk-Luhansk and Donetsk-Horlivka.
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes photos of photojournalist Oleksandr Klymenko, who documented the situation at the position of “Almaz-2” occupied by Ukrainian forces in Avdiyivka.
Since 2014, for every conquered meter of Ukrainian land, it was necessary to pay in blood. In April, separatists proclaimed the so-called Donetsk People's Republic in Avdiivka. However, in a few months, in July, a strong yellow veil again loomed in the city: the Armed Forces returned the city to Ukrainian control. In the future, between 2014 and 2015, almost no active fighting took place in the Avdiyivka area. There was a relatively calm situation. The reason was that the enemy sent almost all of its forces to the fighting for Debaltseve and in the area of Donetsk airport. In February 2016, militants attempted to take Avdiyivka and push the demarcation line. Ukrainian troops not only repelled the enemy, but were able to push him back. January 2017 was remembered for heavy fighting. After a prolonged, seemingly calm situation at the front, the whole of Ukraine learned about the Avdiyev “industrial zone” and the stronghold “Diamond-2", as well as the names of the fighters of the 72nd OMB named after. Black Zaporozhts, about whom Ukrainian and international media wrote. Under the onslaught of Ukrainian troops, the terrorists were forced to retreat, but quickly recovered and began to conduct artillery fire in order to regain these positions.
At the end of January 2017, the fighters of the 72nd OMB named after Cherny Zaporozhtsy held the position of “Diamond-2" for a week under the fierce fire of the enemy.
Andriy Verkhozhda, together with Andriy Kyzyl and his brothers courageously repelled the enemy's attacks before the approach of the main forces. The fiercest fighting between Ukrainian fighters and terrorist groups lasted several days — from January 29 to February 6, 2017. After the stronghold was captured by the Ukrainian army, it was renamed in honor of the deceased Andrei Kyzyl. He was deputy commander of the 1st battalion of the 72nd OMB, whose fighters stormed the position. Then it was called “Eagle”, it was such a callsign for 23-year-old Combatant Andrei Kyzyl.
In the fighting on January 29-30 for the position “Diamond-2" were killed: Deputy Battalion Commander Captain Andriy Kyzilo, Soldier Dmitry Overchenko, Junior Sergeant Volodymyr Balchenko, Sergeant Volodymyr Kryzhansky, Soldiers Oleg Burets, Vitaliy Shashay Yaroslav Pavlyuk and Yaroslav. During the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on June 23, 2022, at the age of 27, Major Andriy Verkhozhda died in battle.
Then, in January 2017, the losses of pro-Russian militants from the 1st Battalion of the 100th Brigade of the DPR were estimated at nine killed and about thirty wounded.
Each enemy height, stronghold or checkpoint is not only a springboard for further offensives, but first of all an opportunity to push the occupying forces further to the East and thereby reduce the intensity of shelling of front-line cities.
Photojournalist Oleksandr Klymenko recalls that the news about the captured positions in Avdiivka from the militants then caused him pleasant emotions, because for several years the Ukrainian forces did not advance. “The troops stood and stood. No one moved anywhere, so here we managed to get the stronghold “Diamond”, — recalls Klimenko.
He remembers the stories of servicemen who fought for the “Diamond” with the enemy. “The guys said it was really hard. It was very difficult to fight with militants and repulse those positions. They talked about how they moved through the aisles. It was a grueling battle.”
The Armed Forces of Ukraine defended Avdiyivka, in particular the industrial zone and “Diamonds” until 2023. February 17 Ukrainian troops came out from Avdiivka to avoid the surroundings. The defense forces moved to more favorable frontiers.
Recall that the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers has started a series of materials dedicated to key events of the Russian war against Ukraine, where he publishes memoirs and photographs of Ukrainian documentary photographers.
Life as a Deadline: 10 Years of War in the Photos of Alexander Klymenko
Oleksandr Klymenko was born in Chernihiv region. Graduate of the Faculty of Journalism of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. From 1991 to 2024 — photocorrespondent of the newspaper “Voice of Ukraine”. In 1992, he documented events in Transnistria, then in the former Yugoslavia, as well as Lebanon, Kuwait, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. During the Revolution of Dignity, being in the very epicenter of events, Alexander was wounded. Since the beginning of the Russian military aggression in 2014 in the East, he has been filming events at the front. Oleksandr is the author of several photo albums, including: “Ukraine. 10 years of progress” (2001), “Peacekeeping activities of the Ukrainian army. The First Decade” (2004), “Through Fire and Tears” (2009), “Front Album” (2016). “The latest history of Ukrainian journalism. From Maidan to Maidan” co-authored with Yuriy Nesteryak, Julia Nesteryak (2022). Had personal photo exhibitions at UN Headquarters in New York (2012), NATO Headquarters in Brussels (2012, 2013, 2014), Lithuania (2015), Poland (2015, 2016, 2023), Luxembourg (2015), Norway (2023), Latvia (2022), participated in collective exhibitions on the war in Ukraine in the parliaments of Great Britain (2015) and Denmark (2014).
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We continue with a series of interviews with professional Ukrainian documentarians.
About photo editing, the role of bill-editors in the media and the voices of Ukrainians in the international field, we talked with Danylo Pavlov and Irinka Gromodska.
Watch the full interview on YouTube:
Danylo Pavlov:
Bild editor is a person who is responsible for the images that will appear in the media. Bild editor and photo editor or photo editor is a person who deals with the entire process of maintaining visual material from conceptualization to publication, including communication with photographers and journalists.
Irinka Gromotska:
Photo editor or photo editor are people who, among other things, are engaged in bill-editing. Text and visual should be a collaboration that complements each other.
Irinka Gromotska:
The Kyiv Independent is a news media outlet, but this does not mean that we publish only news material. We also have reports, longrads, art reports. Photography is a tool like text, infographics and design. Depending on the purpose of the material, you need to choose one or another configuration of tools. People like to look at people, people empathize with people. The visual component is often what may interest a person to read the text.
Danylo Pavlov:
The photo editor influences the choice of photographers for shooting and thus shapes the face of the media.
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Irinka Gromotska:
The photo illustrates, but does not have to be literal.
Danylo Pavlov:
A well-constructed photo story, which consists of literally 12-15 frames, can bring you into such a feeling that you watched a short film.
Danylo Pavlov:
We get the materials, and it is important how they are baked. For example, Katya Moskalyuk, Mykhailo Palinchak, Serhiy Korovaynyi — their pitches are clear and understandable. We see the series and understand how to add it all up.
Irinka Gromotska:
I am interested in seeing photographers who are interested in their material, who can talk about their material themselves, who themselves understand the value of their material, and have their own vision.
There should be a dialogue and comfortable interaction between the photo editor and the photographer. On a bad relationship, nothing worthy and integral can be built.
Danylo Pavlov
Irinka Gromodska
Our main audience at The Kyiv Independent is a foreign audience. And a certain mission of our media is that Ukrainian photographers, photographers, journalists and journalists, so that their talents are highlighted. In order to be able to highlight the work of our professionals and professionals, they must understand that their work is needed.
Danylo Pavlov:
I trust the people I work with, and I hope they trust that their material, in which they have invested so much, I will present as best as I can. I will not just take their material without consulting them regarding the final sample, without talking to them how they would feel best.
It seems to me that only in such an atmosphere can valuable material grow. If photographers and photographers do not feel that they are valued, if they do not feel that their material will be beautifully presented on the site, not among advertisements, not small, if they do not feel that the photo editors themselves and the editorial staff themselves do not understand the value of their work, then what will be the motivation for them to work in the field?
Irinka Gromodska:
Do we have a voice? I think we have a voice. What is missing is warm contacts with foreign editors.
It is a question of freedom of choice and determinism. Either we think we can't get into foreign media because of invisible forces, or we do everything we can to win this place.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, I was studying abroad, and the largest American newspapers came to our library every day. And I just remember that every day there on the main, A1, Ukraine, Ukraine and so on, and so on, with every newspaper pictures of our cities and our people, and in no timeline for some reason I don't see our people.
If the media positions itself as foreign, why is the lion's share of people who tell about the world there from North America or Western Europe? And this is really the remnant of colonialism.
We have great examples where added value to stories adds a deep understanding of context. For example, Oksana Parafeniuk, a Ukrainian photographer, makes excellent materials about Ukraine and represents us qualitatively. Other examples are Brendan Hoffman and Natalie Keisar, who teach Ukrainian and focus on Ukraine, which allows them to make in-depth material. They invest time and resources to understand the region, unlike those who come through the conjuncture. This is a big difference.
Danylo Pavlov:
Every photographer influences reality with his vision and style. You can take a story out of the war in a very noir way, but you can add hope. We influence what comes out, one way or another.
The arrival of foreign photographers is a positive moment. Our photographers do not always see what is interesting to the world. This broadens our horizons and understanding of which projects can be of interest internationally.
This interview was made possible thanks to the support work.ua.
Irinka Gromotska— photo editor of The Kyiv Independent. She earned a master's degree in photojournalism from the Missouri School of Journalism under the Fulbright Program. Previously, Irinka was the curator of the exhibition “Struggle for Dignity”, which highlighted the resilience of Ukrainians, interned at Magnum Foundation, worked with Magnum Photos and was assistant photo editor of the photobook FotoEvidence “Ukraine: War Crime”. Her photographs have been published by publications such as Radio Liberty, Reuters, The New York Times and The Guardian. While working at Kyiv Independent, Irinka actively liaises with photojournalists covering events in Ukraine, paying particular attention to the promotion of long-lasting visual stories.
Danylo Pavlov— photojournalist since 2009, worked in the regional media of Donetsk, and later in the media holding “Segodnya” and the UNIAN agency. He also worked as a commercial photographer for several Ukrainian companies. In photojournalism, it focuses on creating social photo stories and illustrating long-read reports.
In addition to working in traditional media, Danylo also contributed to the online magazine The Ukrainians, and later became responsible for the visual direction of a separate edition of Reporters, which now exists both online and in print.
Danylo continues to photograph and cover the events following the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. He reports from de-occupied territories and military positions, and is currently working on a long-running photo project documenting the impact of war on servicemen and civilians in need of plastic surgery. He also collaborates with the State Emergency Service, for which he was awarded the State Badge of Honor last year.
Founder of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers, BAFTA winner and Oscar winner, director of the documentary film “20 Days in Mariupol” Mstyslav Chernov requested to the jury of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
If Mstyslav Chernov agrees to the proposal, he will vote for the Oscar winners in the nomination “Best Documentary”.
In total, 487 new members were invited to the Academy jury this year. Among them — 71 nominees for the award and 19 winners, writes The Guardian.
“We are delighted to welcome this year's new entrants,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Young. “These extremely talented artists and professionals from around the world have made a significant impact on our community of filmmakers.”
If all invited artists agree, the number of members of the organization will reach 10,910, of whom 9,934 will have the right to vote in 2025. The American Film Academy tries to diversify the composition of its representatives, inviting about 400 people every year.
Recall that Mstislav Chernov's film “20 Days in Mariupol” received the Oscar as the best feature documentary. This award was the first for Ukraine.
In March 2022, Mstyslav Chernov, along with colleagues from the Associated Press Yevgeny Maloletka and Vasilisa Stepanenko, were the only international team of journalists working in Mariupol and sending materials from there. The documentary shows the beginning of a full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, the lives of peaceful residents of Mariupol under siege, the bombing of the hospital and residential quarters of the city, as well as the places of mass burials. In 2023, the authors of the tape became the winners of the Pulitzer Prize in the category “Service to Society”. Also, the film “20 Days in Mariupol” won the nomination “Best Documentary” at the prestigious British BAFTA Film Awards. In addition, Mstislav Chernov was awarded the US Directors Guild Award for “outstanding directorial achievements in documentary film”.
Mstyslav Chernov ---- Ukrainian photographer, Associated Press journalist, director, war correspondent, President of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers, honorary member of PEN Ukraine and writer. He covered the Revolution of Dignity, the war in eastern Ukraine, the aftermath of the downing of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, the Syrian civil war, the battle of Mosul in Iraq, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, including the blockade of Mariupol. For this work, he received Deutsche Welle Freedom of Speech Award, Georgy Gongadze Award, Knight International Journalism Awards, Biagio Agnes Award, Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award, Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award, Free Media Awards. According to the results of 2022, he was included in the ratings “People of NV 2022 in the Year of the War” and “14 songs, photos and art objects that became symbols of Ukrainian resistance” from “Forbes Ukraine”, and video materials from Mariupol became the basis of the film “20 Days in Mariupol”, which in 2024 was for the first time in the history of Ukrainian cinema Awarded an Oscar.
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WEYUAPP is an art project created by Italian photographer Lisa Borgiani in partnership with the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP). The project is a continuation of the series “What does Europe mean to you?” (WEY), which explores the sense of European identity through the personal histories and visual images of residents of European countries.
Four Ukrainian photographers — Katya Moskalyuk (Lviv), Olga Kovalyova (Kharkiv), Mykhailo Palinchak (Kyiv) and Timofiy Melnikov (Odessa) — created a series of photographs where each portrait reveals one feeling, one name and one location related to Europe.
The photos show people whom photographers met in four cities and asked them one simple question: “What does Europe mean to you?” The project aims to reflect the diversity of views on European identity, to demonstrate Europe's cultural and linguistic richness and to stimulate reflection on the concept of “Europeanness”.
WEYUAPP becomes an important contribution to the debate on European identity in the context of contemporary political and social changes, giving Ukrainians the right to vote and offering them the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings about Europe.
What is Europe for you? Help, future, example!
Andrey, 25 years old, call sign “Spytsia”, BTR driver.
Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 14, 2024
What is Europe for you? Europe is a certain type of thinking.
Eugene and Alexandra, 37 and 28 years old, military.
Ukraine, Odessa, beach “Lanzheron”.
February 23, 2024
What is Europe for you? Europe is a difficult path for our country to the goal.
Yakov Lyashenko, owner of a sewing production, volunteer, photographer.
What is Europe for you? Europe is a cultural diversity.
Yuri, lecturer of the Department of Tourism.
The project will be exhibited in Ukraine and other European countries. It also has a website and pages on social networks where you can learn more about it and its members.
WEYUAPP is a true artistic journey that reveals European identity through personal stories and emotions captured in photographs.
Social networks:
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Marusia Maruzhenko
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
The edition with photos of leading photographers documenting Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine was presented by the Ukrainian House in partnership with the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers. The book is based on pictures that were exhibited in October 2022 in the exhibition project “FLASH”. The goal is to preserve and disseminate the evidence of the events of the war through the author's optics of leading Ukrainian photographers.
The exposition included 500 works of Ukrainian photographers, among which, in particular, participants of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers: Mstislav Chernov (founder of UAFF), Taras Bychko, Alexey Furman, Pavel Dorogoy, Sergey Melnychenko, Igor Chekachkov, Yevgeny Zavgeny Yurko Diachishin, Yurko Diachishin, Yana Kononova, Sasha Maslov, Mykhailo Palinchak, Olena Grom, Sergey Mikhalchuk and Serhiy Korovainy.
“Forming the dramaturgy of the album, we sought to present the fullness of the author's statements, to show a wide range of emotions — not only through war photography, but also through modern Ukrainian in general: street, studio, landscape, portrait, chamber scenes, nudes,” says the curator of the project Alice Grishanova.
In terms of idea and content, the album “Flash” conveys the reality and multilayedness in which Ukrainians live and fight for victory.
Irpin, Bucha, Saltovka in Kharkiv, mass burial in Izyum, Kakhovsk hydroelectric power plant, counter-offensive of the Armed Forces in the South — these and other footage of key events of the war are presented in the publication. The reference point for the selection of photos was the date of February 24, 2022.
Alina Hrishanova emphasizes that war photography and wartime photography are not identical phenomena: “But taken together they form a general picture of the tragedy, reflect the theater of hostilities, the heroics of resistance, the history of people, their psychological state, death and life, pain and hope.”
“Photos that instantly spread across social networks around the world played an extremely important role in the perception of the war,” says Olga Vieru, director of the Ukrainian House. “Their influence is difficult to overestimate, because it was they who discovered the truth and shaped the attitude to certain events. Emotional response to truthful photos helped resolve the issue of comprehensive support for Ukraine in the civilizational battle at the world's leading diplomatic and political platforms.”
Most of the bill will be transferred to public institutions as well as project partners in order to communicate this evidence to a wide audience inside and outside the country. The album was published by Ukrainian House with the support of Ukrgasbank. Typography — “From A to Z”.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Marusia Maruzhenko
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
Dmytro Malyshev is a photographer, recently a member of the UAFF, who has been engaged in panoramic photography for more than 10 years. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Dmitry has documented the consequences of Russian crimes in VR format. By this time he had taken more than 1700 panoramic photographs in more than 30 settlements.
“VR is a very useful service that can fully show destroyed objects and destroyed settlements. It gives unique opportunities to display a specific place. In my opinion, this is the most emotional format that can transfer a person to this place, to this location, and make it possible to feel everything that happened there,” says Dmytro.
The photographer notes that he makes not just panoramic shots, but spherical: “That is, such a shooting covers 360 degrees. What does it look like? Imagine such a ball, inside which the viewer is and looks around, that is, he sees the space around. So a person can plunge into a certain location: to be in this destroyed and burnt apartment. In fact, a person himself becomes a director, choosing the desired angle. She can see everything around her. She can look under her feet and see the remains of the residents' personal belongings. And then it can lift its head up and see the broken floors hanging over it.”
Dmytro started doing panoramic photography in 2013 and virtual tours since 2015, since Google Street View came to Ukraine. Google Street View is a feature for panoramic views of streets around the world, provided through the Google Maps and Google Earth extensions.
“Since 2016, together with the Ukrainian office of Google Street View, we have filmed many objects. We even filmed the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and much more. At the same time, I was contacted by the State Enterprise “Antonov”, and I was shooting the Ukrainian plane “Mriya”. It was a virtual tour: both outside and inside. There was the passenger compartment, the cockpit, and everything else was filmed.”
Of all the footage that Dmitry had to shoot, it was the documentation of the destroyed “Dream” in VR format that was the most emotional moment for him. In 2016, he was proud to have had the opportunity to make the only one in the world virtual tour of the largest cargo aircraftIt was created by the Ukrainians. Even before the invasion, Dmitry was negotiating with SE “Antonov” to update the virtual tour, because during these few years technical progress had been made. New better lenses and software appeared, so it was possible to shoot the Ukrainian “Dream” even better. The photographer got access to shooting in 2022, but with a different purpose.
“Broken, burned, blown up “Mriya” is an AN-225 aircraft. We and SP “Antonov” had big plans for 2022, but I had to shoot, I say, the dead “Dream”. Of course, when I got to this location, frankly, I had tears in my eyes. I stood, looked at her, and she lies like a person, just dead. I was in complete shock, how could this be allowed, because the AN-225 aircraft is the property not only of Ukraine, but of the whole world. This is the only such plane! It was very emotional for me,” Dmytro admits.
The photographer actively takes panoramic shots and virtual tours for the project 360war.in.ua, the author of which is Taras Volyanjuk. This is a map where you can see the consequences of Russian aggression in certain locations: “This is a story that needs to be recorded. It's a documentary so people don't forget. This is the idea of the project,” says Dmytro.
The team removes mostly destroyed or damaged civilian infrastructure by the Russians: schools, kindergartens, apartment buildings. For security purposes, Dmytro never covers what is connected with military facilities and may threaten national security.
Unfortunately, the war continues, the Russians are shelling Ukrainians every day, and therefore the number of places that need to be recorded digitally is also growing. Dmitry says that feedback from people gives strength to continue working in this direction.
“We have had cases where people commented on filmed locations. For example, when we published pictures from the village of Dovgenske in Kharkiv region, people began to write: “This is my grandmother's house”, “Not far from this house my husband died”. Someone wrote, “We had defenses there.” And once the teacher of the destroyed school wrote: “We were preparing food for the military in this school until the last time,” he says.
When asked what Dmytro wants to shoot in VR format, he replied — Mariupol and Crimea: “When Google Street View entered Ukraine in 2015, the Russians had already annexed Crimea. And there are a lot of incredible tourist, historical, cultural places. This is such a simple dream.”
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Bildeditor: Olga Kovalyova
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
Oleksandr Klymenko— photojournalist who, even before the beginning of independence, began filming the main events in Ukraine. In addition, he has repeatedly covered armed conflicts in different countries of the world. However, in 2014, he had to put on an armored vest and go with his camera to the war in his country. In the spring of 2024, it will be 10 years since the Russians tried to destroy Ukraine. The main events and figures of this decade of national liberation competitions are in the documentary photos of the war correspondent Oleksandr Klymenko.
1992-2012 — two decades in military conflict zones in Bosnia, Kosovo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Kuwait, Congo, South Sudan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Transnistria.
So it is said that journalists who film in the war are called military officers. But frankly, I don't like it. We, civilian journalists, document not only war. And the military officers are those who are always at war: the press officers of the units, the journalists of the military media. But let it be. My first business trip to the military conflict zone occurred on April 12, 1992 in Transnistria. Then he traveled to the countries of the former Yugoslavia from 1994 to 2008, then Africa... He covered the events there. Of course, our revolutions of 2004 and 2014.
At some point it seemed that there was nothing left to shoot on the Maidan until the hot phase began. On January 19, 2014 — the first battles on Hrushevsky.
There I was wounded: someone from the militia threw a light-noise grenade, it fell clearly close to my leg, exploded and pierced my calf, damaged the “flounder” muscle. This is where the Maidan is almost over for me. Hospitalization and surgery. And then the Russian-Ukrainian war.
I graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of Shevchenko University, so I have always been and still am a photojournalist. Immediately after university, from 1986, he worked for four and a half years in the then most widely circulated newspaper, “Village News”. And then in the newspaper “Voice of Ukraine”, since 1991, from the first to the last day of the publication's existence — 33 years and 3 months. This parliamentary newspaper ceased to exist as a pan-political media on April 1, 2024. Currently, only official information and laws are printed. It was one of the last daily all-Ukrainian newspapers still in print. In 1991, the Voice of Ukraine, against the background of monotonous communist newspapers, had a daily circulation of up to a million copies. I believe that my newspaper is the most accurate textbook of the latest history of Ukraine. Proud of his work in this publication. Also in the early 90's I was a freelance photojournalist in Ukraine for the authoritative German magazine Der Spiegel. It was published in other foreign publications.
I still do not believe that there is a war in my country. It's very bitter. The flower of the nation is dying. My comrades who I knew from peacekeeping missions are dying.
2014—2015 — Oleksandr shot soldiers every month in the ATO zone
Awareness of the war came on January 19, 2014 on Hrushevsky Street during the Revolution of Dignity, when I saw everything there flying, shooting, burning. It was already urban fighting... I covered Ukrainian peacekeeping missions in Africa several times. There I met a lot of our helicopters.
So, in 2014, of course, I wanted to go to helicopters. While I was preparing the necessary permits from the General Staff to get to them, they had already flown from Konotop to Chernihiv airfield. I arrived in Chernihiv on April 30, we talked, I got acquainted. They agreed that I would come again on May 1 and collect them during the flights. I was unable to leave that day. And on May 2, the Russians near Slavyansk shot down two MI-24 helicopters. There are 3 people in each car. The crew consists of: commander, pilot-operator and flight technician. That is, two MI-24s had 6 people: five died, only one escaped. I knew all five of these guys. We met in Africa. That's it.
Now the story is second. I again wanted to visit the military, again obtained the necessary permits for a long time, again applied to helicopters. It was June 4th. Pilots of the 16th Separate Brigade of the Army Aviation “Brody”then were based at the civilian airfield in Dnipro. In the morning we came to the airfield checkpoint, talked with the commander, and on his radio we reported the shooting down of two more of our MI-24s. This is my awareness of war. In the end, in the afternoon, I did fly on the MI-8. We were on Mount Karachun, near Slavyansk. There were just fights going on. Helicopters in general — my pain. Perhaps because I talked a lot with them, I am familiar with many. These are brave warriors. I think that it is more dangerous to fight on a helicopter than on fighters, closer to the ground. But they are fighting. You hear what was shot down there or there, you find out who. Do you read how they are posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, and whether they are awarded posthumously the Order of Helicopters? pilots of the Army Air Forces... Sometimes I catch myself thinking that I do not want to know about their deaths, may they remain alive in my memory.
I tried to go to Donbas at least once a month. With the 95th Brigade in June he again went to Karachun, but already by land. Later I was with them near the village of Kriva Luka. There was hot fighting on a busy beachhead, on June 25, 2014 we drove there in a convoy with paratroopers. The commander of the brigade, one of the first Heroes of Ukraine, Mikhail Zabrodsky, commanded there. It was like some kind of World War II movie. Everyone is running somewhere, someone is carrying a machine gun, shells, somewhere further on the fire the guys are cooking to eat. Later, the artillery of the 95th began to work. Only the art commander was human, everyone else — mobilized.
Then we were in Schasta, near the village of Metalist in early July. There he met the (then) colonel of the 30th Brigade, later the commander of the 58th Brigade, and now a general Serhiy Zabolotny. He is now Chief of Staff — Deputy Chief National Defense University of Ukraine. I always remember how I called him back then from Kiev, agreed. Explosions could be heard on the phone, and he answered me in a calm intelligent voice: “Excuse me, please, I'm just leading the fight. Could you call me a little later?” We are friends with this decent man until now.
When on July 8 we reached the position of “thirty”, from which the outskirts of Luhansk are already visible, there was a heavy downpour. The BMP stood in a caponair like in a lake. The artillerymen were preparing for battle, unloading newly brought shells. The tank stood on the edge of a wheat field that no one could collect anymore. In the midst of the rain, the fighters of “Aidar” returned from reconnaissance, looking like ghosts. With artillery powder (because wet), the fighters lit bonfires to cook food. Also a picture from the cinema. But she is real.
On August 24, 2014, a military parade took place in Kiev. The column of paratroopers was led by Mikhail Zabrodsky. To continue the story, I just needed to photograph it. Max Levinthe day before he tells me that he is driving to Ilovaisk and invites me. I tell him about my plan to shoot the parade and say that I will take the train in the evening of August 24 to the Dnieper, and then somehow join them. On August 25, I was already at the field KP near Kurakhovo. On August 26, a column arrived from Ilovaisk. The weary, suffocated colonel, at my request to get into that city, says: “Where are you going? We barely got out of there. The wounded were taken out. It is no longer possible to get there.” So I did not get to Ilovaisk. (Well, you know how Max and his comrades miraculously escaped from Ilovaisk). And in the continuation of this: you make a lot of effort to get somewhere, you get nervous, you ask - and it's not. One wise man told me: so God (or Angel) does not want to let you there, he knows something, so relax and swim in the wave...
Another memorable event is the liberation of Pisky village near Donetsk on July 24, 2014. We got there by chance just at this time. Journalistic luck. The morning began at 5 o'clock with an assault with artillery training. Then infantry on tanks and BMP began to enter the village. All according to military textbooks. Not every day then was it so lucky that you witnessed the liberation of the village. There, by the way, I met the soldiers of the 93rd Brigade and then became friends with many of them: a sniper Oleksandr Mamaluyi(currently serving as Chairman of the Supreme Court of Ukraine), tanker Yevgeny Mezhevikin(Hero of Ukraine, commander of the tactical group “Adam”), others. Even in the distant Congo in 2018, one soldier recognized my last name, came up and said that he was in my photo when taking Sand.
In addition to the newspaper, I made a Facebook post about the event. I mentioned that there, in Pervomaisk, near Pisky, our broken tank lay on the road. And one person wrote to me that he can tell a lot about this particular tank. It was a colonel (then a lieutenant colonel, commander of the 93rd Tank Battalion) Dmytro Kashchenko. We met him, he told us about the heavy battle in which he sustained eight injuries on July 21, 2014. I wrote a great text for the newspaper, which had a lot of reactions. Dmitry Kashchenko in September 2019 was appointed commander of the 58th Brigade. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022, the brigade fought in the Chernihiv direction, as you can see, successfully, because Chernihiv was not captured by the enemy. On April 15, 2022, Dmitry Kashchenko was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. We don't see him very often. The last time at the funeral of “Da Vinci”.
I met the new 2015 year together with “Right Sector” in Pisky. I clearly remember my feeling that in 2015 the war will definitely end. It seemed that victory was about to be won. But you see...
Then there was the exit from Debaltsev on February 18, 2015. I was in Bakhmut at that moment and in the morning I saw tanks and other military equipment driving through the city, on which tired men were sitting. I filmed it.
Then he went to the hospital. The wounded were brought there. I asked one national guard, and where were the dead? “How where? In the morgue.” And I went there. On the street lay wooden graves made of unhewn boards. They had soldiers. Their arms and legs peered through the slits. In addition to the graves, there were still black plastic bags with bodies. It was a terrible picture and very bitter emotions.
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This picture on World Press Photo has reached the verification stage. A member of the jury wrote to Alexandra: “Dude, don't be upset, your photo is cool, it has already passed a big selection and a bunch of filters, and I voted for it. But... Well, you keep working and someday you will be a winner.”
War is always dangerous. You don't know what awaits you in a second. A mine, a projectile can fly, a sniper can be targeted, you can get into an accident... Much more. Every journalist who goes there can tell you that. When you get there, you are in danger. At the end of February 2015, Sergey Nikolaev became the first Ukrainian photographer to die in the war while performing professional duties. They and a fighter who accompanied Sergei PS “Tanchyk” (whom I also knew and filmed) were walking through the Sands — and suddenly a mine flew. But when you are in the heat of work, then somehow this sense of danger, your instinct of self-preservation, is lost. You want to do your job well. Every journalist will say that too. Otherwise, why go there. Sit in Kiev and take your reflections on the war. We are talking about the front. Where are you safe now? In Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa, finally in Ukraine?
Well, not only in 2021. Journalists at war usually look for war. Shots and shelling, attacks and fighting. But people want to see something bright. And they celebrate a man with two dogs. On Instagram Reuters, this photo immediately gained 30 thousand likes. The photo was included in three sections of the Best Reiter Photos of 2021. And it is also the only photo from the Russian-Ukrainian war in the entire Reuters sample for 2021.
I understand that, of course, but I don't want to understand it. War is a horror, and it must be shown. Then, in 2019, 2020 and 2021, few people filmed the war, and hardly any foreigners came. It seems to me that then no more than 10 photographers filmed the war systematically and regularly. I love reporter photos, I love when a photo immediately hits the eyes, in the soul. When you look and “fall from that shot” of the reporter.
Could it have been imagined a few years ago that Ukrainian reporters Yevgeny Maloletka and Mstislav Chernov would win all the most prestigious world awards in the field of journalism? I have a lot of respect for them, it's very cool, they did it. Their work, if not stopping the war, showed the world at the very beginning of the Russian aggression what a horror was really happening. I would also like to mention Dmitry Kozatsky. The world saw his photo of Azov fighters from the surrounded Azovstal. It's a miracle: a person surrounded, but thanks to the Internet, managed to transfer those photos.
I respect all Ukrainian photojournalists who film the war, through whose eyes the world sees what is happening in Ukraine. Which often, at the risk of life, honestly do their job. There are not so many of them. There is video, newspaper journalism, but now we see how important photography is, the most effective and effective means of communication with the world.
From February 24, 2022 until now, Alexander has been documenting Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In April 2023, the photographer received a contusion.
I have already told a little about those worthy people with whom work in the war brought. I will continue this topic. FROM Dmytro Kotsyubail, known as “Da Vinci”, I was well acquainted. We met for the first time in June 2015 at the mine “Butovka”. Then, as always, he looked like a young guy. But at the same time he was a confident warrior: “Go! I will show you both, and that!” and in the evening clearly commanded the battle. I had some strange helmet of the Serbian army or airball, “Da Vinci” says: “Take it off, it is weak” and gave me for that evening an already strong, but no less strange, sand color (rather the color of a child..., well, you understood).
Then, in 2016 and 2017, we saw each other, for the last time in 2021, at the base of his unit in Avdiyivka. He showed us videos of how they fight, despite the so-called “truce”. I gave him my book, which is also in it. “Da Vinci” fought constantly, his boys had their own armory, their mortars. He got on a tank of the 24th Brigade and drove to shoot. He was highly respected by brigade commanders, were his friends and trusted. After the invasion, when he became a brigade commander, it was not necessary to see him.
Also since 2017, I am familiar with Oleksandr Vdovichenko, Full knight Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky. His nickname is “Slavic”, at the time of our acquaintance he was the commander of the battalion. And when a full-scale invasion began, under his command the 72nd OmbR named after Chorny Zaporozhtsi defended Kiev.
Also, I have already mentioned Dmytra Kashchenko, its call sign “Kaschei”. In 2019, Kaschea was appointed commander of the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. We met him in the spring of 2021 near the place in Pisky, thanks to which we met. It was another piece of material for my paper.
In January 2022, I was in Avdiyivka, Promzon, and there I met a young company commander of the 72nd Brigade, Yaroslav. Very professional commander, although not a personnel officer. Somehow we immediately got along.
Already during the full-scale invasion on March 31, 2022, I was in Gostomel with journalists. The Russians began to flee that day. We waited a long time for some military man to come and tell us everything. And here comes my friend Yaroslav. It was such a super-super warm meeting. We were happy about this coincidence! Yaroslav was wounded, treated a little and escaped from the hospital to his mouth. I have already said that sometimes I am afraid to know the fate of people I am familiar with.
My first book was published in 2001, it was about Independence. In 2004, I published a book about peacekeepers. In 2009, a book was published with the eloquent title “Through Fire and Tears”: this is a review of everything that I shot and where I was. There is Africa and Yugoslavia. In 2014, I began to think about preparing a book about the Russian-Ukrainian war. She saw the light in 2016. To tell the truth, it was difficult to choose only 150-200 main photos. I didn't have editors. Even if they are, you are still the author.
Well, there are a lot of them. Constantly looking at the Internet, the best photos of the best reporters. But still separately I want to mention James NachtwayHe is a very cool photojournalist. He filmed the war in Yugoslavia. He documented the genocide in Rwanda. I named it because in 1995, in the town of Aquila near Rome, I stumbled upon his book “The Peace of the 80s, in a bookstore among the rubble. (La pace degli anni '80)”. It has photos from Northern Ireland, Lebanon, El Salvador, Nicaragua, other countries. These photos, qualitatively printed, collected comprehensively in a book, impressed me. Then Nightway published the photo book “Inferno”. I consider it a masterpiece out of time. He also came to document the war in Ukraine. He is now 76 years old. We even met him in Bucha and took pictures. I walked up to him and said, “Thank you! You inspired me to do just that photojournalism!” But then it was not until long conversations, because everyone was focused on filming the exhumation of the mass burial. But I'm glad I got to see him and say words of gratitude!
I've always wanted to shoot something very important. This was taught by the Faculty of Journalism of Kyiv University. When Ukraine became independent in 1991, I filmed it.
Then I was sure that I was living in such a happy time for a photojournalist, and the processes in Ukraine in the late 80's and early 90's, in the end gaining independence, are the most important historical event. And I filmed it, I witnessed the story. I used to think that filming war was very cool. It's drive, adrenaline, hard rock! In fact, over the years, you realize that war is a continuous pain and death, even if it is not visually depicted. When you're young, it's all for you for the first time, and that's why you shoot so emotionally. I have already seen a lot in my professional activity, it seems that everything goes in a circle. Perhaps I no longer have as strong a motivation as younger photographers.
I remember the morning of the invasion. It seemed that at one point, at 5 in the morning of 2022, everything that I had to see in my life in conflicts and wars fell on me: devastation, hungry children, death... Even considering that the war in our country has been going on since 2014, I felt (more than others) at one point with the first explosions in Kyiv at 5 in the morning universal horror, the apocalypse that is approaching Ukraine.
For more than two years, we get used to it and sometimes perceive it as routine. And I get used to it. It's bad.
For a period of time there was a feeling that this war was happening somewhere unknown where, but not in our country. Then I didn't want to shoot, I didn't want to pick up a camera. He shot rather by inertia, by habit.
My whole life is a deadline. At the university, you must pass coursework, exams, diploma work. In the newspaper and in journalism in general, there is a constant deadline. In the room, in the room... With books too — it is so difficult to choose your photos, and again — sooner, sooner...
And so it seemed — you can calm down and write books, quietly remember your life. But in our case, not again.
In April 2023, I got a contusion, but I will work as much as I have to. Yes, I will not be able to shoot some music festivals (although this is important) and photo models. I want to be in the thick of events, together with people who create history, do important things. I'm fine with them. My soul is there. And the warmest meetings are with old acquaintances. I am indebted to the people I have met along my life path. There are a lot of them.
Oleksandr Klymenko was born in Chernihiv region. Graduate of the Faculty of Journalism of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. From 1991 to 2024 — photocorrespondent of the newspaper “Voice of Ukraine”. In 1992, he documented events in Transnistria, then in the former Yugoslavia, as well as Lebanon, Kuwait, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. During the Revolution of Dignity, being in the very epicenter of events, Alexander was wounded. Since the beginning of the Russian military aggression in 2014 in the East, he has been filming events at the front. Oleksandr is the author of several photo albums, including: “Ukraine. 10 years of progress” (2001), “Peacekeeping activities of the Ukrainian army. The First Decade” (2004), “Through Fire and Tears” (2009), “Front Album” (2016). “The latest history of Ukrainian journalism. From Maidan to Maidan” co-authored with Yuriy Nesteryak, Julia Nesteryak (2022). Had personal photo exhibitions at UN Headquarters in New York (2012), NATO Headquarters in Brussels (2012, 2013, 2014), Lithuania (2015), Poland (2015, 2016, 2023), Luxembourg (2015), Norway (2023), Latvia (2022), participated in collective exhibitions on the war in Ukraine in the parliaments of Great Britain (2015) and Denmark (2014).
The material was worked on:
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
Text worked on: Vira Labych, Oleksandr Klymenko
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Ukrainian-American photographer from Kharkiv, UAPP participant Sasha Maslov together with the Canadian-Ukrainian project Saint Javelin presented the photobook “SAINTS” (translated from English — “saints” — ed.). This is a publication about the personal sacrifice of people who decided to resist the brutal Russian invasion, which the whole world has been watching since February 24, 2024 until now.
“SAINTS” presents photos of more than 100 heroes who contributed to the defense of Ukraine during the war. These are military, volunteers, journalists, artists, etc. Foreigners are also on the list. Some of the characters in the book have already died in the war.
Sasha Maslov explains why she calls her heroes “saints”: “I always immediately start defending critics of this name because I understand perfectly well: the name “Saints” can be interpreted in different ways. I don't think there are saints among us. I don't think anyone can be a saint, I'm not trying to canonise the people who are in the book, but the fact is that the people who are now going to self-sacrifice on this scale are the people that the streets will be called in the future. These are the people we will thank for a long time to come. Maybe it's a pretty ambitious name, but I wanted to show in this way the spectrum of what's happening right now before our eyes.”
The cover of the edition was also chosen not by chance. The photographer says that the image presented is “fairly anonymous and at the same time summarizes the project.” “Of course, it is very difficult to do this, but, I think, this photo copes with this mission. Plus, it's a good photo that I just love,” says Sasha.
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The photographer emphasizes that the characters in the photo book are a small part of the people who are supposed to be there. Some of them, he did not have time to photograph because of the death, someone did not find time, and someone could not agree.
I wish there were more characters in the book. But I also want to note that we should not take the list of these heroes as some kind of axiom of holiness or heroism. This is just a drop in the sea of those people who are making history now,” concludes the photographer.
The texts for the pictures were prepared by Nastya Stanko, the project was produced by Valeria Guseva. The photobook has been printed at ist publishing house, where the pre-sale is currently underway. In addition, the publication can be purchased on the Saint Javelin website, where 30% of the net sales proceeds go to the purchase of tactical medical equipment for the Armed Forces at the initiative of the World Congress of Ukrainians Unite with Ukraine. Also, some of the portraits from the book until May 29 can be seen in the Kyiv gallery The Naked Room.
Recall, recently Russians blocked the website of Sasha Maslov and two other Ukrainian documentarians: Elena Grom and Mstislava Chernova. The web resources of three Ukrainian documentarians, members of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers have been banned in the Russian Federation with all domains and subdomains.
Sasha Maslov was born in Kharkov. He lives and works in New York. His works have been presented at various venues in Europe and the United States. Collaborates with well-known publications, including The NewYorker, Guardian, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Esquire, Forbes and others. In his free time, he is engaged in his personal projects, the largest of which today is the project “Veterans”, for which in 5 years the photographer has visited more than 20 countries of the world.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
Ivan Antipenko is a Ukrainian journalist, photographer and videographer who mostly covers the Russian-Ukrainian war in the South of Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, Russians came to his home, in his hometown of Kherson. On November 13, he returned home, but under shelling and in the water he continues his work. We talk to Ivan Antipenko about favorite destroyed places in Kherson, about occupation and liberation, about flooding and shelling, about the ban and permits for filming.
----I take photos and videos, I also write. However, lately, for the most part, it is the photography that gives me the most pleasure, if you can say so, because the subject matter of the work is sad in fact. In photography, I try to look for inspiration and at least some positive. If we talk about photos ---- I work with Radio Liberty as well as Reuters. I prepare texts, photos and videos for the media “Grunt”, sometimes for Hromadske or “BBC Ukraine”, I cooperate with the regional publication “MOST”. I am now a freelance journalist. I was born in Kherson, grew up in the Kherson region, not in the city itself. But after graduating from school, I entered Kherson State University, and since then I have been living in Kherson. I started working in journalism in 2011. Since 2019, he managed to work in a national project on media literacy. However, during the invasion of Russia, I returned to the media, to freelance. I have never regretted that I chose journalism and this path.
For the first few hours, everyone called me, and so did everyone. We understood that everything started and was developing very quickly. Much of the area was occupied in the early hours. However, at that moment I did not believe that there would be such a large-scale war. I thought that, most likely, there will be some aggravation in the Donbas and, perhaps, the Russians will want to go to the borders of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. But I could not have imagined that almost the entire Kherson region would be occupied so quickly.
On the first day, my colleagues and I saw how quickly the Russians were advancing towards Kakhovka. Acquaintances of law enforcement agencies said that the situation is very unfavorable and it is quite possible that already on February 24 Russian troops will be in Kherson. We were advised to leave the city. Until the last time I thought that I would stay in Kherson and work with the camera. To be honest, I reproached myself a lot for deciding not to be in the occupation. Because our people, as you remember, showed incredible heroism, fearlessness and resistance, going to rallies, to these great Maidaans. Almost every day. I was very upset that I was not there and was not with them, did not record it. Then my journalist friend. Oleha Baturinafrom Kakhovka the Russians held captive and used physical force against him.
All because he continued his journalistic work, he wrote about what was happening in the occupation. Zatim, we all learned that in the Kiev region the Russians killed the media. I realized that the Russian troops do not look at some “PRESS” signs, they violate all the rules and customs of war. Then I did what I could do: I started collaborating with various media and writing about what was happening in Kherson, receiving information from the people who remained in the occupation. Since May, I received accreditation and started working in Nikolaev. I really wanted to cover events in the south. I wanted to go home.
— In September-October 2022, we began to drive to the first liberated villages, then our counteroffensive continued. We were one of the first to visit the villages beyond the Dnipro: Zolota Balka, Mykhailivka, Bilyayivka, Khreshchenivka. Just before the release of Kherson, we handed over all texts and materials. And here I understand that our Defense Forces are already pressing the Russians on the left bank of the Dnieper. And somewhere on November 9-10, I already clearly understood that tomorrow and the day after tomorrow there would already be something like this. I clearly remember November 11 — the dismissal of Muzikivka, Chornobayivka, Kherson. These first shots! My smile didn't leave my face all day. It was an incredible happiness. Happiness and tears. But The biggest euphoria was when I went to Kherson.
We did not receive any special permission, we came in as volunteers. Truths and falsehoods through Chornobayivka, through the airport. But we actually brought humanitarian aid from the Serhiy Prytula Foundation. Thanks to this, and thanks to the familiar military who were there, we were able to pass the checkpoint, see the legendary airport in Chernobayivka and the Russian equipment destroyed there. In the city we saw an incredible picture: people with Ukrainian flags on the streets, boys tear off Russian billboards, on Freedom Square — a holiday. I meet friends and acquaintances, but there was no mobile connection or the Internet at all. People run with starlings and generators. There is also no heating in the city. It was very winter. In this mode, I spent the first night at the second, and on the second - already in my house.
“I met a friend who was in the occupation all the time. We went to my house together, where there was no light, water and heating. I brought a pepsi-cola and a bottle of Kakhovsky brandy, as well as snickers. It was our humble meal. And it was very sad because I came home.
My apartment. My bed, which I made on the 24th in the morning and left. And there everything was and remains. This is probably one of the most vivid impressions of my life ----homecoming. And from the very beginning, when I covered the topic of full-scale invasion and talked specifically about the South, it was always something very personal. No words can describe this feeling of returning such a great loss as home. And if you look at what I write and how I write, then probably the photos themselves say how much I miss, how much it hurts me what is happening now with Kherson and the region. With the left bank, which is occupied and where we cannot go. It hurts behind the right, which is constantly under fire. It hurts for the people who live there.
There are many such places, most of them near the water. Now it is scary and dangerous to go there, but we still went and filmed. Here, for example,city embankment. There are several exits to the Dnieper. Near the hotel “Fregat” there is a shot bus, which was attacked by the Russians. And this is such a very painful place that had to be filmed. There used to be various small festivals. We always walked there. This is a memorable place. When it's bad and when it's good ---- you go to the Dnieper. Just look at the water, see which ships enter Kherson, from which countries they are and what happens there in general.
Another special place for me, which was damaged by the Russians and I had to shoot it, ---- this Kherson Regional Universal Scientific Library named after Oles Honchar. It is located above the Dnieper itself. Literally on the shore. Such a large building. There are large panoramic windows and incredible views overlooking the left bank. Wide, beautiful Dnieper and view of Oleshky. The Dnieper flows right under you. And in August last year, I filmed there after the Russian attacks on the library. There were already a few holes in the walls and, accordingly, these all these huge glass showcases were sprinkled.
This shooting caused me a lot of nostalgia, because in my student days I was often there for various events. The Olesy Gonchar Library is a cult place, iconic. And I'm from the generation when the internet was in the library. It was such a way out into the world. During the shooting, we walked with the director and everyone looked at it, she showed me how the workers saved these books. This is such a sad story about the library. We took photos for project UNESCO and IMI on cultural heritage, and this object is on the list, I shot it. At the time of shooting, there were also explosions, and then a thick column of smoke on that bank. A few months after the shooting, the Russians launched a rocket attack there and the building burned down heavily.
And recently he shot his native Kherson State University after another Russian shelling. This time it flew on the main hull. Destroyed walls, knocked out portholes, crushed classrooms and teaching materials. I studied here for five years. To see it all in ruins is very painful.
Traditionally, it all started with calls. At 7 o'clock in the morning I wake up in Odessa on a train and see that my phone breaks. Everyone is asking something. I read the news: “Russians blew up the Kakhovsk hydroelectric power plant.” At first I had no idea how serious it was. We arrive and start working non-stop all June and until the beginning of July. First we documented flooding, people on boats, evacuations, animal rescues. And then they removed the effects of flooding.
When everyone left, the water was gone — and people were left alone with this trouble. We saw the real scale of the disaster. Thousands of families were left without homes. People told us: “The Russians didn't finish us, they flooded.” But at such an important moment, they often told me: “We can handle it anyway, if only they didn't come back here. It was worse during the occupation.” People wanted to live in Ukraine, to own their land. The value of freedom for these people, for all of us, is vital.
Again, I lived it all very personally. Also, when the water had already gone everywhere, there was still water in the Kalinovsky community in the north of the region. There the Ingulets River emerged from the banks, this is also a consequence of the explosion of the hydroelectric power plant. And almost no one wrote or filmed about it. There, people formed artificial large ponds in vegetable gardens. We drove and filmed. Because, in the end, that's one of my tasks: to go and show places and people where nothing seems to be happening, even though there are really strong stories and important events hidden there.
---- Previously, in Kherson and the region with civil issues there were no problems at all, there was no need for any approvals. Then the so-called zoning was introduced. Then Natalia Humeniuk headed the press center in OK “South”. Media workers began to have difficulties in covering civilian and military topics. After the explosion of the hydroelectric power plant, all these areas were flooded with water from the Dnieper. It was necessary to show the scale of this disaster, and then just the press center really did not help, but mostly hindered. When we tried to negotiate simply to work in Kherson, and constantly contacted pressofitters, the press center constantly talked about certain restrictions. “You can't go there, you can't go here. There is shelling, and there is something else,” we were constantly told. We understand this as journalists and as professionals. We consciously take that risk. But I went to certain places anyway, just by negotiating with locals or with volunteers, or with anyone.
We wanted to go and show what was going on there. Actually, this is the function of the media: show reality, show facts. So, perhaps, by contradiction, and not thanks to the work of official structures, it was possible to shoot and show something in pieces somewhere. The people in charge of access should understand that journalists are not enemies. We need to communicate with us, contribute in the work. Because we recorded the war crimes of the Russians, the scale of a huge tragedy in the center of Europe.
If Associated Press journalists had not remained in surrounded Mariupol in March 2022, risking their lives along with medics, military, police, and other people, the world would not have received reliable facts about the atrocities of the Russian army in this city. Or these facts would be significantly less and they would not sound so loud. Whether we like it or not, the people and states that support us trust not only the official reports, but also the live, real stories that reporters prepare in the fields. And the latter are still trusted more.
The military says that sometimes it seems to them that there is no war in the south. Everyone knows only about the fighting in the east. We only see towns and villages being shelled. And who protects us here, the faces of these people, these real heroes of our time, who work in Krynki and in other difficult areas in the Kherson region - no one knows.
My colleagues and I shouted for us to be given permission to work adequately in the south. Every adequate journalist who has been working on military topics for more than one year, I think, has a sufficient level of self-awareness of the situation, no one wants to harm. In my opinion, it is wrong to completely close the direction. For example, Ukrainians often heard about Krinka from Kremlin messages and propaganda channels, and not from the Ukrainian media. If there is no communication, there is a vacuum, then it will be filled by fictions, hostile IPSOs and messages taken out of context.
On February 25 of this year, after the press conference of President Zelensky, I wrote post, who has become a little entrenched in the network, it was spread by colleagues from various publications: “Why do we learn about Krynek from Tiktok and Shoigu's reports? How does this direction differ from Avdiyivka, Kupiansk, Robotyne in the sense that we are forbidden even to mention the left bank? How does the struggle of morpists and TROs in the Kherson region differ from the struggle of other brigades in other directions?” I was told that this message did reach the Ministry of Defense and certain conversations were held with the responsible persons.
After media called on the country's military leadership replace spokesman of OK “South” and Dmitry Pletenchuk was appointed in her place, the situation with access to Kherson region has improved somewhat, says Ivan. Now requests for work with civilians will be considered in an accelerated mode.
“If necessary, the creation of material without the participation of military requests is processed according to a shortened scheme: only by agreeing the route (and strictly following it on your part) with the appropriate pressofiter in the direction,” - said the head of the Center for Strategic Communications of the Southern Defense Forces, Captain 3 rank Dmytro Pletenchuk.
Ivan Antipenko — Ukrainian journalist, photographer and videographer who covers the Russian-Ukrainian war in Southern Ukraine. Cooperates with Ukrainian and international media: “Radio Svoboda”, “Grunt”, Reuters, Hromadske, “MOST”, “BBC Ukraine” and others.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Bildeditor: Ivan Antipenko
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
Capture, display, print and scan — this is the process of film shots of Kharkiv artist, photographer, doctor Vladislav Krasnoshok. It captures the Russian-Ukrainian war, its consequences, its tragedies and its heroes in black and white pictures. About photos, their meaning and approach to work — we talk with Vladislav.
I am a doctor in general. I used to work as a maxillofacial surgeon in an emergency hospital, and now I work as a doctor - dentist - surgeon - implantologist in a private clinic. Photography has always been my hobby, but I position myself as an artist who still works with photography.
No, in general, I do not have such things as projects in my head. Now I'm filming the war.
About 15 years ago, I started photographing first on a digital camera, and then switched to film. I chose black and white film for myself, because I can completely control the whole process — from shooting to printing. That is, I control all these things myself: I photograph, show, print — then I get the result I need.
There is nothing complicated here. It just takes some time.
I think that in working with a “figure” it also takes a lot of time, because you shoot, then you drop it on the computer, then you sort of process it. In my case, I took pictures, showed the films, then scanned the films to select the photos I wanted to print. Printed. That is, I have them on paper, and then, so that I can put them somewhere in electronic form, I scan them.
Again, in the case of black and white photography, I am in complete control of the shooting process before printing. But if I need to shoot in color, then I need to give the colored film to someone in some laboratory. It happens that they can do something wrong there. However, recently I started shooting on color film as well. I'm curious about this.
Black and white photography, in my opinion, is more old-school, where the form works. And color photography, in my opinion, is more complicated. Because you need to work with color, and therefore the composition works differently.
For me, quality is not the quality that can be measured in pixels, or in anything else. For me, quality is when the picture works for the viewer. From my point of view, it should be the perfect composition. That is, formally the photo should work, and if formally it works, then it can give birth to some image to the viewer when viewing.
War is a lot of different topics, and that's why I divided it conditionally for myself. My goal is to make a book about this war. When I'm 70% closed on the topics I'm working on, I'll be able to make this book. These are not only the consequences of “arrivals”, these are destroyed buildings, destroyed bridges, the work of the State Emergency Service, the work of the military and medics, the activities of our equipment, prisoners or some looters, etc. And then all this is individually put together, and from this you can make some kind of image that could convey what is wrong with us in these times.
I always said that I have a sporty approach to shooting on film, because I do not shoot everything in a row, but think about when and what I shoot. However, I never regret the frames, if there is any interesting situation. But there are shots like this when you take one or two shots — and that's good.
When I shot on Mamiya medium format, then 10 frames on film. If it is a narrow format, it is 36 frames. If the panoramic camera is somewhere around 20 frames. I always have enough film with me. I usually have 10 films with me. Although it is better to always have a supply with you, because you never know what you will see.
Both before the war and during — my pictures could be seen at exhibitions, especially abroad. Before the war, I photographed Kharkiv, Maidan, as well as the hospital where I worked at that time. He was also involved in street photography. In 2012, a Houston photography museum bought my hand painted photos. Then I bought myself a Leica film camera for this money.
This is a paper print of your photos. This is generally such a tradition in the Kharkiv School of Photography. You take some paints, for example, we took those that could be painted on fabrics, and paint these pictures.
Now a lot of photographers shoot well, so I can't highlight anyone or anyone's work. I really like how Maxim Dondyuk shoots in color. But in general, all photographers, and I too, do repetitions. That's why it's really hard to shoot something new right now.
I do not draw inspiration, I create it myself. That is, when I get bored of something, I just start doing something else in creativity. Then I go back to the photo again. Before the Russian invasion, I had a break in photography. When the full-scale began, I realized that I needed to shoot the war. Again, the photo interested me. That's why I'm living it now.
Yes, of course. I am not a news photographer, that is, I do not need to cover all the arrivals every day. I don't have this routine. My goal is different: to collect some general picture of the war and make a book.
I want to make a book. That's my goal. Maybe it will be a few books. Since I still work separately with guys from the army aviation. I constantly go to them and shoot. They need a separate edition.
There are such photos. There are photos in which the guys are still alive, and then I'm already filming their burial. There are even such photos where I shoot the burial of some guys, carry the coffin of others, and they too have already died. Unfortunately, such situations are becoming more and more. I think the pictures are valuable from a historical point of view. You seem to be writing this story. A lot of guys die, but they stay in the pictures. These images serve their function — to preserve memory. I want to add that film photos are a physical thing, and in the case of mega-blackouts, when all electronic means do not work, you will have a physical photograph. This is an advantage.
Recall that on the morning of May 19, Russian troops fired double strikes on the recreation area in the suburbs of Kharkiv with Iskander-M rockets, where about half a hundred people were. The tragedy of the destroyed recreation center from the suburbs of Kharkov on film photos by Vladislav Krasnoshchuk
Vladislav Krasnoshchek— Kharkiv artist. 1997—2002 studied at the Faculty of Dentistry of Kharkiv State Medical University. In 2004-2018, he worked in Kharkiv State Clinical Hospital of Emergency and Emergency Care named after him. O. AND. Meshchaninov. He has been photographing since 2008. He is engaged in documentary photography, street art, as well as easel and print graphics. Instagram of the photographer.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers continues to work on the rubric “Is it really?”, where it will check the authenticity of certain manipulations of information, referring to the original source.
In the previous material, we wrote about how Russian propagandists use Photo by Vlada and Konstantin Liberov to cover up the killing of civilians in Volchansk.
Today we will talk about whether the photo of UAPF member Pavel Pakhomenko, taken from the scene of the shelling of a utility company, is actually the location of the Ukrainian military base.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Kharkiv has been subjected to constant bombardment. Not only military and critical infrastructure fall under enemy attacks, but also shopping centers, printing houses, residential buildings, etc.
Propaganda media continue to justify the bombing of civilian objects in Ukraine, and in Kharkiv in particular, using the same narrative. Ukraine allegedly uses civilian facilities for military purposes, so they are “legitimate targets”.
Thus, on the night of May 30, the Russian army shelled 2 locations in Kharkiv. Critical infrastructure and nearby residential buildings were damaged as a result of the shelling. The two-storey administrative building of the KP was partially damaged, followed by its fire. Seven people suffered minor injuries.
At the scene, photographer Pavlo Pakhomenko recorded the consequences of shelling of a municipal enterprise.
“I shot for the TG channel “Nakypilo” May 30. It hit a utility company and windows were hung in a neighboring house. What I saw was, of course, there were no soldiers. What they got there, I have no idea. What exactly they hit - I didn't see any rocket fragments so I can't say what they hit. But it certainly wasn't a drone. Usually Kharkov is hit by redesigned C-300. But it is better to clarify this with the officials,” Pavlo Pakhomenko commented.
Despite the war crimes of the Russian army, Ukrainian photographers and documentarians remain professional and impartial.
Russia uses disinformation as a weapon against domestic, Ukrainian and international audiences. The Russians justify the shelling of residential buildings, demonstrating that the priority task of the Russian army is to destroy the personnel of the Armed Forces.
Thus, the Russian publication “South News Service” published material about the next destruction of the Ukrainian military formations deployment points. To demonstrate the extent of the destruction of the municipal enterprise in Kharkiv, they used a photo collage with a photo of Pavel Pakhomenko from the scene of the events on May 30 with a link to the Telegram channel “Guide to Ukraine”.
“The Russian army struck at the site of the temporary deployment of Ukrainian formations in Kharkiv. The point of temporary accommodation was the reconstructed wellness center “Bunker”. In addition, it is reported that the territory of the Zoovetakademia was destroyed, where Ukrainian militants were in different numbers since May 10,” writes the propaganda publication under the photo of Pavel.
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers continues to work on the rubric “Is it really?”, where it will verify the authenticity of certain manipulations of information by contacting the original source and communicating with eyewitnesses.
Recall that on May 25, after lunch, the Russians hit the construction hypermarket “Epicentrum” in the residential district of Kharkiv. More than 200 people were in the building at the time of the attack. IN Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office reported that after the completion of emergency and rescue work, the number of deaths increased to 17 people. Thirteen victims were identified, including 10 supermarket workers and three visitors. 48 people were injured. Five people remain missing.
However, on the day of the tragedy and several subsequent ones, experts on the social network “TikTok” Institute of Mass Informationnoticed a campaign of fakes that Ukrainian military equipment was located in the Kharkiv “Epicenter” before the Russian shelling. As proof of this, the authors of the video showed a photo that appeared in 2022. It seems to depict military equipment in the Kiev shopping center “Retroville”, which Russia shelled on March 20, 2022. IMI analysts have discovered at least five such videos, one of which has been viewed more than a million times.
“The fake accounts mostly publish Russian propaganda and disinformation, which may indicate a planned Russian fake campaign about shelling the Epicenter in Kharkiv, as if Ukrainian military equipment was located there. Such fakes are aimed primarily at the Russian domestic audience, they say, Russian troops are shelling only military objects in Ukraine. Also — to a small part of the Ukrainian audience, which tends to trust Russian propaganda,” the Institute of Mass Information said in a statement.
Kharkiv photographer Vladislav Krasnoshchuk, who documented the consequences of the tragedy immediately after the impact during the rescue work, confirms that the hypermarket was an exclusively civilian object.
“I did not see any military or military equipment in the Epicenter during and after the explosion. And what I saw there is in my photos,” says Vladislav Krasnoshchuk. “Dead bodies, fire, the work of the emergency services and how civilians helped rescuers.”
Also, the first hours of the next war crime of Russians against Kharkov were recorded by Ukrainian photographers Oleksandr Magula and Yevhen Gertner. Documentarists' photos show epicenter of tragedy and pain in Kharkiv after enemy plane bombs on hypermarket.
Recall that earlier we wrote about how Russian propagandists use photos of Vlada and Konstantin Liberov to cover up the murder of civilians in Volchansk. And also about how the Kremlin publics thanks to the picture of Pavlo Pakhomenko They try to justify the shelling of a utility company in Kharkiv, pointing out that the destroyed building was a military facility.
The Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung Foundation from Munich, which supports modern art and natural sciences, provided the Nikolaev photographer, founder of the school of conceptual and art photography “MYPH”, UAPP participant Serhiy Melnychenko received a scholarship in the amount of 50 thousand euros for the implementation of the photo project “Under the Dnipro” in November 2023. According to the terms of the program, the photographer is obliged to prepare photos for the upcoming exhibition, as well as shoot a documentary film and publish a photo book. How was it possible to get such a grant, how work on the project is ongoing and what has already been created - we talk to Serhiy.
— In 2022, at the beginning of a full-scale war, sometime in March or April, I was contacted by the curator of the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung Foundation. Then they bought 16 works from me. Then in March 2023, the foundation opened an exhibition where these photos were presented. I went to Munich and later gave a lecture there. I gave them some photos from my Tattoos of War project. And they, in order to support my project, purchased 9 more large paintings. In parallel with this, the foundation worked on the launch of a grant program. I was told that they would like the first wave of three grants to include photographers with whom they are already collaborating. So I started to prepare an application.
— The theme of the program is Stories On Humankind. I had to submit my idea on three pages in PDF format. Of course, I would like to implement the project to show Ukraine and Ukrainians. I wrote down the idea, my vision of the topic and explained why this project is important, what it will mean for me and for my heroes. To represent the visual component, I submitted references of photos, as well as exhibition realizations and photo books. In addition to the photo project, I wrote that I really want the final photo book with these stories and pictures, as well as a documentary film. That is, we take both a photo and shoot video material at the same time.
— My project is called “Under the Dnieper”(Along the Dnipro — ed.) I chose the Dnieper River as the main artery of the country symbolically. I want to document the stories of people living from Nikolaev and Kherson region and further up the Dnieper: Zaporizhia, Dnipro (city — ed.), Cherkasy and Kyiv. Talk about the heroes who live in these cities and towns, and how Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has affected their lives. Among the main characters of the project: military, rescuers, volunteers and ordinary people. This is the most diverse pool of people.
— I received a scholarship for a year, but every three months I report on the work done. At first, I was preparing for the project for 3 months: I calculated logistics, looked for heroes, bought equipment. I started shooting in March. The main thing for grantees is photos, their quality and quantity. A film and a photobook are another matter. For 2026, the exhibition “Under the Dnieper” is already planned in Munich. I really hope it will be sooner. However, to this point, I can't show the photographic material I'm working on anywhere. Photos should be exclusively presented for the first time at the exhibition.
— We have already documented a lot of material and we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Nikolaev, Kherson, Odessa — we have already managed to get there. Currently, most of the photos are documentaries. I use a medium format film camera, a digital camera and a polaroid. But I have some work to do when I plan to implement some artistic solutions. Perhaps I will use the same technique as in the project “Tattoos of War”, or maybe I will not, just so as not to duplicate myself. The basis of the project is documentary.
To receive such a grant is both a great motivation and an honor for me. Of course, I am happy to be able to implement a large-scale, long-term project about my home country and thus draw attention to the Russian-Ukrainian war. While working on the project, we meet a lot of cool and interesting people with powerful stories and at the same time we can help them. I mean, if we meet with volunteers, interview them, then we also donate and distribute the fees. For example, for the animal shelter, which is located on the border of the Nikolaev and Kherson regions, we shot a video and then collected funds for these animals. That is, in addition to documenting, we can help our heroes. This is very important to me. I see sense in this. Also last year after the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power plant, we collected funds for the restoration of houses in Snigurivka. I would very much like to come there in a year and shoot some material about them, talk to the locals, find out how they live a year after such a disaster that happens to them. Reflect internally not only from a professional point of view, but also from the point of view of humanity.
— I received this grant not because of the standard Open Call. This is what I always advise my students — to work and communicate with colleagues, to try to be in the environment of gallery curators. This opportunity came to me through exhibitions and sales of my works, through ordinary human communication. When someone sees with their own eyes your professionalism and responsibility, they gladly go to the meeting. No matter what awards, competitions, grants, scholarships or residencies, I think you just have to be as active as possible and try everything.
Serhiy Melnichenko — photographer, teacher, founder of the school of conceptual and art photography “MYPH”. He began photography in 2009. During this time, he participated in about 200 solo and group exhibitions, fairs and festivals around the world. Organizer and curator of more than 40 projects and exhibitions with works by students of “MYPH” school around the world over the past 5 years. Winner of Ukrainian and international competitions and awards, including “Leica Oskar Barnack Award Newcomer” in 2017 (Berlin), “Photographer of the Year” 2012, 2013 and 2016 (Kyiv, Ukraine), “Golden Camera” in 2012 (Kyiv, Ukraine). Finalist of “Krakow Photomonth”, “Pinchuk Art Center Prize”, “Off_Festival Bratislava 2014", “DEBUTS 2018”, “Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award”, “Batumi Photodays”, etc.
Participant of “Paris Photo”, “Volta Art Fair”, “Photo L.A.”, “Photo Basel”, “Unseen fair”. Nominated for the Foam Paul Huf Award in 2020 and 2023. Selected to participate in the European platform for photographers “FUTURES” in 2022. Sergey's photographs are in private and public collections in the USA, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany, Belgium, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Japan, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, etc. In 2022 and 2023, two series and a total of 25 works by Sergei were included in the permanent collection of the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung Foundation. In 2023, he received an annual scholarship (grant) from the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung Foundation to create his own photo project.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
Toretsk is a city in the Bakhmut district of Donetsk region, located about 7 kilometers from the contact line. Every day, the occupiers shell Toretsk, like every Ukrainian frontline settlement.
In 2014, Dzerzhinsk, and now decommunized Toretsk, was a typical mining town among the Terikons. Until recently, one of the mines was called “Holy Matrona of Moscow”, now it is abbreviated as “Holy Matron”.
Since 2014, the city has been on the demarcation line and has been continuously hit by Russian shelling. Pro-Russian militants held a so-called “referendum on the status of the “DPR” on May 11, 2014. For three months Toretsk was occupied, but on July 21, 2014, the Ukrainian military launched an assault on the city. The fighting lasted 8 hours. Then there were no dead among the Ukrainian servicemen, four were wounded. On February 18, 2016, Dzerzhinsk was renamed Toretsk.
The small mining town escaped a prolonged occupation in 2014, but life on the line of fire could not provide peace and tranquility. Since 2022, Toretsk has become a constant target for Russian shelling. As of March 2024, not a single surviving building remained in the city: high-rise buildings, private households and civil infrastructure were partially damaged or completely destroyed. The occupiers also hit the mines, on which the city budget was held. Those who do not leave their home run the risk of being injured or losing their lives.
Today in Toretsk there is no gas supply, water supply and sewerage do not work, instead of technical water — rainwater. In the city there are rescuers who eliminate the consequences of enemy attacks, and also deliver drinking water with volunteers.
Since 2014, shells and mines have constantly fallen into the Toretsk-Horlivka reservoir. Because of this, the city often found itself without drinking water. During the full-scale invasion, the water situation became critical: drinking water is brought only by charitable foundations and organizations, and technical water can be obtained in tanks.
“What problems do we have here? Here are these: this house thrived and here's what they did. Then, on July 26, 2022, it flew - and the 4th entrance was completely broken. On May 12, there was also an arrival. On June 1, he flew there, and so on... I can call dates and show places for a long time,” wails a passer-by local resident. “I think this war will never end. It will be until Toretsk is wiped off the face of the earth. The next city will be Konstantinovka, and then something else.”
The man did not have time to introduce himself and tell more about life near the line of contact, the conversation was interrupted by gunfire.
Before the full-scale invasion of Toretsk, 70,000 people lived, as of April 2024, about 5 percent of them remained. Children's laughter has not been heard in the streets for a long time, the forced evacuation of families with children continues in the community. Free travel to safe regions is offered almost every week to everyone who wants to leave the frontline territory. However, there are families who categorically refuse to evacuate. Police officers go around the streets, interview neighbors and persistently remind citizens of the possibility of rescue.
“There are more shelling now, and there are fewer people,” says Lilia, who works as a supervisor at one of the city shelters. The woman says that among the locals there are those who leave and then return to their broken homes anyway. “We don't need anyone anywhere,” she sighs.
Lily and her dog Boney watch for warmth in the bourgeois shelter, where the Torechtians come during active Russian attacks. The real hype here is always around 10 in the morning when the locals charge their phones. There is everything you need to not only wait for the shelling, but also to live temporarily.
“At the moment, no one is staying overnight, but everything is prepared for it. There are beds, and most importantly - there is electricity,” the woman explains.
The lily shows the generator and kettle, as well as the destruction caused by the previous shelling. Then part of the seemingly reliable and deep Soviet shelter suffered serious damage. As it turned out, even it is not adapted to protect against the weapons with which Russia is fighting against Ukraine today.
The number of Russian shelling of Toretsk has increased significantly since May 2023, after the occupation forces took control of the shraply destroyed Bakhmut. Therefore, the line of contact shifted and the war to the Torečci became even closer. All their problems with water, electricity and unemployment remain unresolved due to the activity of hostilities.
It is difficult for the Ukrainian military to defend settlements where civilians still remain. However, they continue to hold the line of defense in this direction, where Russian forces are constantly trying to advance. To all the problems is added a tangible shortage of ammunition.
Such a problem exists on the entire 1000-kilometer front line. It is also spoken by the soldiers of the artillery unit of the 80th separate airborne assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. That is why a unit can only fire at precise targets in order to use each ammunition as efficiently as possible. At the same time, the military faces a continuous stream of Russian artillery strikes.
“Difficult situation at the front. We don't have enough ammunition. It would be much easier for the infantry if we had them,” says the commander of the artillery unit Igor. He notes that it is often necessary to change positions due to the activity of Russian drones in the sky.
The soldier with the nickname “Kapets” repeats that it is very difficult to fight now, but at the same time there is no way to relax, because the Russians have imperial ambitions and they will go further to Lithuania, Latvia and other European countries.
“It's inevitable! This red infection will climb further, so it is better to stop them in Ukraine at the initial level, and not later — at the global level.”
The soldier is convinced that ending the Russian-Ukrainian war with negotiations is not the best option, so we must fight until victory.
“I believe that if we agree to talks with the Russians, then in 2-3 years they will go on such an offensive that they will stop near the borders of Poland,” the soldier is convinced.
Until the weapons from the Western partners arrived, the support of the brigade fell on the shoulders of the servicemen of the repair unit of the 80th separate airborne assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. From several destroyed units of equipment, they can make up a new one in parts. Every detail is worth its weight in gold. They disassemble damaged or trophy equipment into the smallest particles, patch, draw Russian “Z”, sometimes clean everything not only from dirt, but also from blood.
With tired eyes and black hands in the grease, the soldiers continue to do filigree work: to repair what seems to be no longer recoverable.
The servicemen of the 80th Separate Landing and Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine repair their weapons without complaining of fatigue. What can be repaired in the walls of the armory will save someone's life on the battlefield.
“In other brigades, weapons are repaired in army workshops. These are military units, where 30-50 people work. We repair everything ourselves - the two of us. There is also a third person — a turner,” explains the soldier, who wished to remain anonymous.
These walls speak not only about the lack of ammunition and equipment, but also about the lack of human resources.
Although the troops hope that the renewed military assistance from the United States will stabilize the situation on the front, each of them is waiting for the mobilization of society so that they do not have to lose a single Ukrainian city. The stakes are too high right now.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, photographer, editor: Olga Kovalyova
Author of the text: Vira Labych
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
Photo by Yulia Kochetova on the pages of Die Ziet.Online
American, British, Chinese, Italian, and Australian media published photos by Ukrainian photographers in April. UAPF is proud of the documentary photographers whose photos represent their country in the international media and once again draw attention to the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The photos of the winner of World Press Photo 2024, Yulia Kochetova, have been repeatedly published in the British media outlet The Guardian and the German newspaper Die Zeit.
Roman Pylypiy's photos were published by The Washington Post and The Atlantic.
Olga Ivashchenko's photographs have been repeatedly published in the French newspaper Le Figaro and on the pages of the Canadian edition of The Globe and Mail.
Oksana Parafeniuk's photo of Russian shelling of Odesa was published on the front page of The New York Times, and The Washington Post published portraits of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
In April, Serhiy Korovainyi's photographs of the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were on the front page of The Wall Street Journal.
The Washington Post published a photo of Oleksandr Babenko.
Yakiv Lyashenko's photos of the Kharkiv psychiatric hospital, which was hit by a Russian S-300 missile, were published by the Associated Press.
Images of Russian shelling of Kharkiv civilian Yevhen Maloletka appeared on the Associated Press website.
The photo of Oleksandr Magula from Chasovyi Yar was published by the Chinese media outlet Vision Times.
Reuters has added the works of Serhiy Nuzhnenko and Ivan Antypenko to its collection of images from the frontline of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The photographs of the couple, Vlada and Konstantin Liberov, were used to cover news from Ukraine in the following media: The Guardian, Bloomberg, CNN, Politico, Business Insider, The Times, The Australian, IL Post, etc.
The works presented in this article are not the whole list of published photographs by Ukrainian photographers in foreign media. Therefore, we urge documentary filmmakers to feel free to write about their own foreign publications in their social networks and mention UAPF so that we do not miss any achievements in the next selections.
The material was created by:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Literary editor: Yulia Futey
Site manager: Vladislav Kuhar
Any participation in a photo contest, regardless of the results, contributes to the professional growth of the photographer. In the case of Ukrainian photographers, it is also an opportunity to tell the international audience about the Russian-Ukrainian war and its consequences, as well as to be heard. This year Romana Pylypiya was recognized as Photojournalist of the Year in the 2024 Photojournalist of the Year — National nomination National Press Photographers Association, Elena Grom became The main winner Festivals Xposure International Photography Awardsin the United Arab Emirates, where Alexander Rupeta also won the nomination Independent Freelance Photojournalist Award. How did Ukrainian documentary filmmakers manage to collect these international awards?
Documentarist Roman Pylypiy took first place in the prestigious nomination “Photojournalist of the year on a national scale”. He submitted a portfolio of 40 works he has done for Getty Images and AFP to the competition. The photographer worked on the pictures during 2023. They are all about war.
“About the wounded, about the rehabilitation of Ukrainian military and civilians. This story was called “Healing the Wounds.” I also submitted a story from the burials of military, civilians and children entitled “Grief and Loss.” This is what every Ukrainian lives now. Every day people die. I also added to the portfolio a story from Kherson about the consequences of the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power plant. The fourth story showed the life of Ukrainians under constant shelling, photos collected from different parts of Ukraine,” Roman says.
Roman believes that he managed to win first place for a well-formed portfolio, because it is the integrity of all photo stories that wins. He also emphasizes that great attention should be paid to the texts.
“It is worth telling about the heroes depicted in the photo. Where appropriate, you can add some statistics to show the scale of the problem. As a rule, judges start looking at the text in the final stages to delve deeper into the story,” says Roman.
Roman constantly participates in various photo competitions, at the National Press Photographers Association this is his second victory. In 2014, his photograph from the Revolution of Dignity took third place in a single nomination. He believes that every submission is an experience where you can learn from your own mistakes: “When someone else wins, I always look and analyze their work, their approach to portfolio formation and the textual component.”
The novel recalls that the war in Ukraine has been going on for 10 years, and the third year of a full-scale invasion has already begun - that is why we must continue to draw the attention of the world to the events in our country. Winning photo contests or simply participating for it is the very first chance to remind the international audience that “the war continues and it is very far from being over.”
“Of course, any recognition is also motivation to work harder. It's like cheering up. But I believe that photo contests are not some measure of talent or achievement, it is all subjective. Every year, very interesting projects worthy of awards do not win,” Roman notes.
Xposure International Photography Awards is the largest film photography festival in the world, where Ukrainian documentary filmmakers Elena Gromreceived the main prize for the project “Stolen Spring”. For the exposition, the organizers chose two photos of Elena, but one of them was awarded the main prize of the festival.
Olena Grom lives in Bucha and works in Irpen. The war landscape became her reality and routine. She created a series of photographs in historical dialogue with images by Polish photographer Michael Nash, who used decorative backdrops to disguise the ruins of Warsaw during World War II in 1945-1946.
“The heroes of my photographs are women who were victims of Russian aggression. The occupation continued, and in the spring, the people who survived this tragic period did not notice how the spring passed, the chestnuts and lilies bloomed, the birds flew in. They lost not only their home, loved ones, jobs, health, but also part of their lives,” explains Elena Grom. “Each photo is a personal tragedy, but it is also a life-affirming story of the survivor. This is the hope that Ukraine will rise from the ruins.”
The International Prize in Photography and Film is open to photographers of all levels — from amateurs to professionals. Xposure International Photography Awards 2023—2024 was organized by the Government Media Bureau of Sharjah and received over 25,000 applications from 190 countries, including China, India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Egypt. “It was not difficult to apply for the competition, the usual procedure: bio, upload photos, description of the project,” says Elena.
The jury members paid special attention to photographs that touch on current world topics such as: war, migration, ecology, feminism, racial conflicts.
“The theme of the war in Ukraine was quite well updated and shown by photographers from Ukraine and other countries. I am very glad that thanks to my photographs I was able to tell about the war and update this topic in the UAE. This is an important step in cultural diplomacy, - says Elena. - Almost all the top media of the UAE covered the festival and wrote that Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi presented the main prize to a Ukrainian photographer for a picture that tells about the consequences of the war in Ukraine “.
Local Media Emirates News Agency wrote about the victory of the Ukrainian woman: “The main prize was awarded to Elena Grom from Ukraine for an emotionally exciting picture. This deeply moving piece of work attracted the respect and attention of the jury, becoming a testament to the photographer's ability to reflect resilience and hope.”
Elena believes that cultural events such as festivals or exhibitions create social solidarity and cohesion. “During a full-scale war, we could all feel that culture is really a second front. Presenting Ukraine to the world is a huge challenge and responsibility,” she emphasizes.
Documentarist Oleksandr Rupeta for a series of works “Other Days of Life” won the nomination as Best Independent Freelance Photojournalist at the 2024 Xposure Photography Award.
“The photos in the series are collected from various reports in about a year. He chose pictures so that the series looked harmonious and integral together. The idea was to tell about the war from a slightly different angle, so that you could feel a certain point of view of the author, and not just a statement of fact,” explains Oleksandr.
He believes that winning competitions is subjective, the number of prize places is limited, and with a large number of projects you have to reject something no less qualitatively shot. However, he emphasizes, like his colleagues, this is an opportunity to talk about the war in Ukraine.
Alexander Rupeta applied for this competition for the second time: “For the first time a few years ago, then he passed several stages of selection, but did not reach the nominees.” To participate in Xposure Photography Award, must have a journalistic certificate. He recommends preparing such a description for the series, which at the same time will explain both the photo and the choice of category. “As far as I know from other competitions, significant attention is paid to the accompanying text in the final stages of selection,” Oleksandr emphasizes.
Recall that the UAPF continues to support the creative ideas of photographers and promote the active development of documentary filmmakers. Reception continues until March 25 bids to receive a grant from The Aftermath Project. Co-founder of The Aftermath Project, Sarah Terry, along with photojournalist Joseph Sivenky, who won in 2022, spent a joint Zoom meeting for Ukrainian photographers, where they told about the peculiarities of submitting to the competition and shared life hacks, how to convincingly present their story so that it wins. The non-profit organization offers photographers from around the world to receive a $25,000 grant to implement a documentary project on the consequences of the war conflict.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
When?29 March at 18:00
Where?m. Nikolaev, shopping center “Portal”, 2nd floor (hall near the escalator to the 3rd floor)
Entrance to the exhibition — free
Curator: Serhiy Melnichenko
A well-known school of conceptual and art photography in the South of Ukraine MYPHinvites to the exhibition five winners and winners of the subgrant program, who received 750$ within the project “Mykolaiv School of Photography (MYPH): Tattoos of War”.
In their photo projects, the artists tell personal stories of the inhabitants of the southern region of Ukraine, their experiences of living in the war. In this way, the authors create an art therapeutic effect through fixing the consequences of Russian aggression.
“The Tattoo of War project is about layers, layers. About collective memory. About reflections. About feelings and emotions. What will stay with us forever are our collective memories. Everyone has their own, but we all have the same thing. It's about pain,” the message says.
Featured artists:
Artem Gumilevsky — “Hands That Smell of Bread”
Veronica Mole — “Imprint of Memories”
Sofia Tchaikovska — “The Limit of Definition”
Oleksandr Savchuk — “Found Puzzle”
Ainur Sakisheva — “In History — War”
Also, the organizers will hold an art therapy photography workshop for a wide audience of Nikolaev.
The exhibition will last until April 28, 2024.
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Recall that the school of conceptual and art photography MYPH was founded by Serhiy Melnychenko in his hometown Mykolaiv. The training aims to promote and understand contemporary conceptual and artistic photography among artists. During Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Nikolaev photographers took an active volunteer position. Someone joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and some from artistic photography switched to documentary in order to record the consequences of the occupiers' actions. MYPH founder Sergey Melnychenko told UAPF readers about training young photographers, their projects, their projects, as well as impact of war on photography in Nikolaev.
The project “Mykolaiv School of Photography (MYPH): Tattoos of War” is supported under the program (re) connection UA 2023/24, implemented by NGO “Museum of Contemporary Art” and Ukrainian Emergency Art Fund (UEAF) in partnership with UNESCO and funded through the UNESCO Emergency Heritage Fund. The program (re) connection UA 2023/24 aims to restore connections between artists and their audiences, support artists as actors in preserving the cultural identity of Ukraine, implementing new approaches to the culture of memory, strengthening the resilience and adaptability of institutions, communities, artists to the challenges of wartime.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
Photos of members of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers in the international press: February and March selection. UAPP is proud of the Ukrainian documentary photographers whose photos represent Ukraine in the international media and once again draw attention to the Russian-Ukrainian war. That is why the association is launching a monthly column on photos of Ukrainian documentary filmmakers that have traveled the world.
Documentary photographer Serhiy Korovainyi's photos from the opening ceremony of the Heroes' Cross memorial on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine were published on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. Sergiy Korovainy's documentary photographs for The Wall Street Journal were also included in the article “Ukraine's Other Battle for Survival: Keeping Companies in Business.”
A story about Ukrainian children abducted by Russia with photos of Serhiy Korovainy was published in the February issue of the German magazine Der Spiegel. “Sergiy was 16 years old when Russian troops came to his village and took him away against his parents' will. He is one of thousands of Ukrainian children who have been in Russia since the beginning of the war. Now he has returned to his homeland, and his father asks himself: is he still my son?” the article says.
Documentary filmmaker Sasha Maslov took photos for the French newspaper Liberation.
In February, Liberation dedicated its cover to Ukrainian soldiers who were returned from Russian captivity. The photo was taken by Sasha Maslov.
The photos of Konstantin and Vlada Liberov appeared in CNN, Yahoo, Business Insider, and were included in The Guardian's photo of the week.
The photos of documentary filmmaker Roman Pylypiy were included in the photo selection of the week by The Guardian. Roman's photos are dedicated to the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In the photo, Ukrainians honor the memory of the fallen Ukrainians under the bridge in Irpin, Kyiv region.
In March, Roman Pypypiy's photographs were twice featured in CNN's weekly selections. Photos of Kyiv residents in the subway and civilian women training.
In addition, Roman Pylypiy's image of a soldier kissing his beloved at the train station in Sloviansk was included in The Guardian's top 20 photos of the week.
Alina Smutko's documentary photos of the aftermath of one of the largest Russian missile strikes on Kyiv on March 21 were published by Reuters.
Vyacheslav Ratynsky also documented the consequences of another Russian shelling of the Ukrainian capital for Reuters.
Also in March, Reuters published photographs by Vyacheslav Ratynsky of Ukrainian recruits training. The story was headlined: “Preparing for battle: Ukrainian recruits and volunteers train to strengthen defense against Russia”.
Photographs of the aftermath of Russian strikes on Kharkiv by Yakiv Lyashenko were published by the British newspaper The Guardian and the Swiss French-language daily Le Temps.
The Associated Press published a photo of a soldier in a trench by Iryna Rybakova and a photo of Kyiv in the evening by Oleksandr Babenko.
The Associated Press also published a photo report by Yevhen Malolietka about the production of weapons at a private mortar factory.
A photo of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy taken by Olha Ivashchenko made it to the pages of The Globe and Mail.
Also, Olga Ivashchenko's documentary images from Donbas visually complemented several reports by The Globe and Mail.
Journalists of The Washington Post added Oksana Parafeniuk's photos to a longread about Ukraine's European integration.
In addition, Oksana Parafeniuk's photos complemented a story for The Washington Post about how Ukrainian writer Andriy Kurkov searches for inspiration for his books in the KGB archives.
Lviv-based photographer Yurko Dyachyshyn spoke to the European fashion magazine NSS MAGAZINE about the famous homeless man Slavik and “his life 10 years after his sudden fame.” Yurko Diachyshyn is known worldwide for Slavik's Fashion, a project implemented between 2011 and 2013 about a homeless man whom Diachyshyn meets on the streets of his native Lviv.
“Slavik's Fashion has attracted the attention of famous publications as well as fashion visionaries, from Lotta Volkova to Kanye. In 2016, the then artistic director of Vtmnts, Demna Gvasalia, drew inspiration from Slavik's suits for the brand's first men's collection, officially cementing the connection between Ukrainian photographer Slavik and the fashion world. Even in 2022, the brand's SS22 collection largely resembled the images worn by the man on the streets of Lviv,” the publication says.
The works presented in this article are not the whole list of published photographs by Ukrainian photographers in foreign media. Therefore, we urge documentary filmmakers to feel free to write about their own foreign publications in their social networks and mention UAPF so that we do not miss any achievements in the next selections.
The material was created by:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Literary editor: Yulia Futey
Byline editor: Viacheslav Ratynskyi
Site manager: Vladyslav Kukhar
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers together with Danylo Poliluyev-Schmidt continue to cover events in Ukraine at the international level.
Danylo held a seminar “Armed truth — images of Ukrainian media” within the StudiumPlus program, where the exhibition “Armed truth - 10 years of the Revolution of Dignity and Euromaidan in Ukraine” was also presented.
The exhibition includes photographs taken by Ukrainian documentarians Mstislav Chernov and Vyacheslav Ratynsky during the Revolution of Dignity and during key historical events in Ukraine over the past 10 years.
“Our target audience is non-Ukrainian students who want to learn more about Ukraine,” says the course leader. “They study the history of Ukraine from the point of view of the media.” Participants also gain hands-on experience by visiting the exhibition and events. They communicate with both foundations and journalists from Ukraine, Poland and Germany, learning about how they report on events in the country in what are often dangerous conditions.
“Our seminar explores people's struggle for press freedom and democracy over the past decades from the perspective of photographers,” says the seminar presenter. From the “Revolution on Granite” in 1990, when students took to the streets for the country's independence from the Soviet Union, to the “Orange Revolution” after the 2004 presidential election, which was repeated due to suspicion of falsifications, and to the “Revolution of Dignity”, which began on November 21, 2013 and lasted 93 days. And, finally, about the latest events, the annexation of Crimea and Russia's war in eastern Ukraine. The goal is also to increase students' media literacy. “One of the main topics is fake news. Students learn to recognize distorted information, partly in German or British media,” says Poliluyev-Schmidt.
The seminar is held for the second time. In the winter semester 2022/2023, the participants developed an exhibition with photographs from 1990 to 2022. To this end, they collaborated with the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP), an all-Ukrainian association of photographers. Students are now presenting a new exhibition with 30 images from the Revolution of Dignity. It will be exhibited not only at the University of Potsdam, but also at the Potsdam Nikolaissaal and in Berlin. Danylo Poliluyev-Schmidt brought three photos to the interview: they show police violence of the Ukrainian special unit “Berkut” against demonstrators on the Maidan in Kiev. The photos were taken by photographers Oleksiy Furman and Vladislav Muslienko, who will also take part in a podium discussion organized by students at Cafe Kyiv in February 2024 and will tell how these photos were taken. A third photographer, Max Levine, was killed in the war.
One of the participants of the seminar is Noah McKay. “As an American, it's important for me to learn more about Ukraine and its history,” says the student, who has close friends from that country.
“In the United States, this perspective is not in the coverage of events, it only talks about battles and topical headlines, not about the prehistory of the war.” In the United States, Noah McKay studied German philology and physics at East Carolina University. In Potsdam, he is currently pursuing a master's program in German philology. A few weeks ago, he took part in an event in Wildau on scientific relations between Ukraine and Germany: “It is important for me to create this cooperation between Germany and Ukraine.” With his knowledge from the seminar, he wants to tell other Americans about the history of Ukraine in the future.
“The revolution of dignity has now taken place exactly ten years ago,” says Poliluyev-Schmidt, who has been living in Germany since 2019 and studying biochemistry and molecular biology in Potsdam. “In Germany and elsewhere, it has been ignored. And when it was reported, at first they spoke of either a putsch or a rebellion of the radical right.” Subsequently, these events were called the revolution. Danylo Poliluyev-Schmidt is originally from Ukraine and also has Polish roots. During the Revolution of Dignity 2013-2014, he studied in Lviv.
“When I heard that President Viktor Yanukovych would not sign an association agreement with Ukraine, I had the feeling that someone had stolen my future. I was born in 1996 in independent Ukraine and grew up with the idea that we would become part of the EU and NATO, like Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.” The student went to Kiev and took to the streets along with thousands of people. “When the military police began to use violence against peaceful demonstrators, we realized that this government would only oppress us.” Most of the protesters were students. “On some days there were incredibly many people on the Maidan, even at minus 20 degrees. We stood so tight we didn't freeze and sang the hymn: 'We will give our body and soul for our freedom'.” Many people were injured, more than 100 people were shot during a demonstration on February 20, 2014. To this day, it is not known who is responsible for their deaths. “Then it was about more than joining the EU — it was a struggle for democracy and freedom of speech. These events helped Ukraine to continue the struggle and defend its dignity, its democracy, not only on paper,” says Danylo Poliluyev-Schmidt.
In the summer of 2024, he will again hold a seminar. After that, he plans to complete his studies. For the project to stay alive, he already has an idea: he wants to create an association with interesting workshop participants to study the media culture of the country.
Danylo Poliluyev-Schmidt — representative of the public organization IWEK e.V., which focuses on cultural, political, educational, scientific and social projects in Germany.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Marusya Maruzhenko
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
We continue with a series of interviews with professional Ukrainian documentarians.
Oksana Parafeniuk and Sasha Maslov told whether the war in Ukraine ceased to interest the foreign reader, how requests to documentary filmmakers were transformed and how their personal view of photo-documentary has changed.
How did the war affect the frequency of photographers being invited to exhibitions, and is this related to the number and emotional content of the shots taken?
Oksana Parafeniuk:
“Before the invasion, I worked every day since December and filmed a lot of Ukrainians on the eve of the invasion. Basically, there were a lot of stories about territorial defense. And five good shot frames of those events toured a lot of exhibitions. It always seemed a little strange to me... For example, my photos with wooden weapons, portraits.
By this example, I wanted to say that there was so much interest in Ukraine in 2022, that there were a lot of invitations, despite the fact that I did not have such an array of photos as most other photographers, there were still a lot of exhibitions, significantly more than now. And now, at least in my case, there are fewer of them. Maybe there are just as many of them, but they just don't call me there anymore, because there are still a lot of photographers.”
Oksana Parafeniuk:
“I am probably the strangest photographer of this time of the invasion, because I did not capture any aftermath of the arrivals. I am more interested in other stories that take place in Kiev, which seem like just a normal life, but it is not a normal life. Some stories outside of Kiev. It is not always something very dramatic or very visual, and it is very often difficult to take off.
For example, I shot a story for The Washington Post about how wounded servicemen find intimate relationships with their partners again. Visually, they were already injured, but I did not shoot them on the battlefield or in the first days in the hospital. I filmed one family in the Volyn region, where my wife came to her husband in the hospital after amputating his two legs. When we did this story, they had already had a baby. You arrive for half a day and you have to take a portrait, his history at the front, his wounds... And all this must be contained in one photo! I don't know what kind of photo it is. It is difficult, but at the same time it is important to shoot. The stories of ordinary life seem... Will it be interesting for anyone to watch? Will it impress a person at all? Well, it's just people at home. No one comes to shoot us.”
Such stories are not always visually expressive, but it is important to shoot them in order to show the human side of war. — Oksana Parafeniuk
How to film the return of Ukrainian prisoners so that it does not lose its meaning over time and speaks not only to the Western audience, but also to the people who will look at these pictures 100 years from now?
Sasha Maslov:
“Any event, even a dramatic one, has certain expected elements. My task was to write a story about how this happens. I can't think about how it was before or will be later, because my task is to tell a story on this particular day.
From an ethical point of view, this is also a special shooting, because people are in a very heightened emotional state. There was a case when a Ukrainian serviceman could not believe that he was exchanged. Perhaps he was deceived before, because the Russians practice such operations: they say that they lead to an exchange, and then simply transported to another colony. Or they say that they lead to the execution, and then return to the cell. I don't know if it happened to him, but he couldn't believe he had been returned.
Of course, here comes the question: if you interview him at this point, how much does it hurt him? As a photographer, I try to be very careful with people who are in a state of high emotional tension. But at the same time, we need to tell these stories. These are the most dramatic stories to show. My formula for working in this case is to work really fast, and try not to break boundaries when you become a trauma to a person even greater than they are going through.”
Don't you think foreigners tell our story better than we do?
Oksana Parafeniuk:
“In my opinion, in visual photography it depends on the personality of each photographer. A foreigner can come and notice something that we no longer notice, because for us it has become commonplace.
Storytelling is everyone's personal experience. It is formed under the influence of upbringing, culture, gender and other factors. It cannot be said that it is bad when our story is told by someone from abroad.”
Sasha Maslov:
“Analyzing personal cooperation with the media, I cannot say that foreigners are preferred. The most important factor is professionalism. Many Ukrainians own it, which gives them the opportunity to work with these media, not ethnicity. Of course, Ukrainian roots provide certain advantages, because it provides an understanding of the context, a deep vision and knowledge of the language. However, I emphasize that the key factor for success is professionalism.”
What story about our experience can be told in a single series of photos when we find ourselves safe?
Oksana Parafeniuk:
“I hope that Ukrainian photographers will not leave their business. We have to keep working, because millions of small and big stories about this war have yet to be told. Who will remove the families affected a year or three after the war? These events affected their entire lives. How to shoot it? This is a difficult question, but we have to find an answer.”
Sasha Maslov:
“We will talk and film the consequences of this war for many years to come, even when it is over. It is part of our lives, part of who we are. Our children and grandchildren may get tired of hearing about the war, but we cannot be silent. We need to talk about what we have seen and experienced so that nothing like this happens again.”
We are grateful Work.ua for supporting and assisting in strengthening the voices of Ukrainian documentary filmmakers.
Thank you.
Sasha Maslov— Ukrainian photographer, portraitist and documentarian. Sasha has lived and worked in New York City for more than 10 years. He collaborates with publications such as The New York Times, Esquire, New York Magazine, is the author of numerous editorial materials and portraits that have become iconic in the media sphere. His documentary projects have been honored with awards, including the Sony World Photo Awards and LensCulture.
Oksana Parafeniuk— an independent documentary photographer whose work has been published by the Washington Post, NBC, Women Photograph, Newsweek and others.
Elena Guseynova— Ukrainian writer, radio host, radio producer and moderator of the meeting. Since 2016, he has been working on Radio Culture (Social). She is currently the editor-in-chief of the Editorial Radio Theater and Literary Programs.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
Watch the full interview:
Danylo Pavlov:I believe that foreigners have a qualitatively different approach to the construction of history. A person who came from abroad has two weeks, she concentrates on something specific and makes history. And we are constantly in this content. And the vast majority of colleagues do the news format not because of the inability to create something else, but because of attachment to our Ukrainian context and to the war. And it is difficult to combine two foci of attention at the same time.
Serhiy Korovaynyi:I never thought before this war how important work we were doing. Because simply Russia commits atrocities that could not be imagined in the 21st century, if we, our colleagues, had not left after the de-occupation of Kyiv region to Bucha, Gorenko, Makariv, Trostyanets, then people simply would not believe in Ukraine and abroad that on the streets of the suburbs of the great European capital there are bodies of cloaked people, if there were no photographers and photographers. That's why we really do important work. And we have and will continue to work.
Vyacheslav Ratynskyi:A lot of bureaucratic obstacles stand in the way of a journalist, a photographer to the front line. But this is not a claim to anyone, presoficers very often try hard, do everything in their power, but this is not enough not to lose this information war.
Now Ukrainian photographers are very rarely allowed to stay at the front for a long time, although it is the long trips that give real results, as we see in Mariupol, the work of foreign journalists in our country.
Sergey Krovaynyi:In the East, everything depends on the press-fitters and on personal contacts. I have a feeling that our army with us is learning on the move how to cooperate together. To be honest, I have high hopes for Illarion Pavlyuk, who headed the Press and Information Department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Because he is a journalist with combat experience and I hope that he will improve the work with the media, as was previously impossible, and become better for everyone.
Danylo Pavlov:A lot of photographers want to get this access to places where the fighting takes place. Sometimes it is necessary for the pressoficer to understand that you do not want evil, but want to make a story so that it is of high quality in the first place, and you do not want to make a good picture that will not look entirely honest.
I can say that we can't compete with The New York Times because Reporters is a very small media in comparison.
However, the front is not a safari for photographers.
I understand this desire to constantly move closer, I also have it, but stories should be not only from the front line. We are surrounded by a bunch of different issues and a bunch of different stories that we can cover.
Vyacheslav Ratynskyi: War consists, like everyday life, of a gamut of moments, black and white. And they are sometimes very black and sometimes very bright. It's just that these moments change very quickly.
In the course of the day, several things can happen that will just completely turn you off, upset, or make you absolutely happy.
Serhiy Korovaynyi:I recently worked on a selection of photos to submit to the annual contests with colleagues from the Wall Street Journal. We made collective applications and I saw that it turns out that in my photos there is more light, just physically, more light, more colors. I live here and see this country as a breathing and living organism too.
Perhaps this is what makes me different from my fellow foreigners at the Wall Street Journal. That we see light where others may seek only grief.
Danylo Pavlov: From bright moments, for some reason I remembered the New Year and the Christmas tree on an empty square in Bakhmut, which we carried with the SNSniks and put there, meeting 2023.
It was a very joyful moment, and then we came back from there and it became unspeakably sad.
There is another bright thing about war: you can feel a person in seconds, see really very cool, bright people.
— Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Discussion participants:
Serhiy Korovaynyi— Photojournalist and portrait photographer. Collaborates with international publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Guardian, Financaial Times and others. He makes his documentary projects, where he focuses on the themes of the Russian-Ukrainian war, ecology, and various aspects of Ukrainian modernity.
Vyacheslav Ratynskyi — Ukrainian reporter and documentary photographer. Graduate of the Faculty of Journalism of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. Collaborates with Reuters.
He has been published in many Ukrainian publications (Ukrainska Pravda, Hromadske, NV, Reporters and others), as well as in a number of foreign publications (Time, The Guardian, The Wall Street journal, The Washington post, The New York Times, Der Spiegel).
Danylo Pavlov— Documentary photographer from Ukraine. Reporters.media photo editor, photographer of The Ukranians.
Lina Zelenska— journalist, TV presenter and moderator of the meeting.
We are grateful Work.ua for supporting and assisting in strengthening Ukrainian voices.
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A documentary filmmaker is an observer who, without interfering, records events that will remain in history. About how to turn on the camera when enemy bullets are whistling overhead, and the body shudders from the sounds of artillery or shells that, like rain, are falling nearby? We talk about the photographer's work on the front lines, during assaults, in trenches and in general in hot spots with military correspondent Marjan Kushnir.
Maryan Kushnir is a journalist for Radio Svoboda, who has been documenting the war since 2015. He is known for being directly involved in assaults with the military. The journalist received a contusion during the fighting for the Kiev region.
“Maybe they will write textbooks based on the materials we prepare in the future,” Marian explains, which is what motivates him to continue his work.
It works mostly near the front line, specifically on the front line with the infantry. Maryan participated in five direct assault actions. In particular, in the assaults in the area of Khromovoe near Bakhmut, filmed street battles in Bakhmut itself and the event of the International Legion during the Battle of Severodonetsk.
During fighting for the Kiev region together with Max Levine (Ukrainian photojournalist who was killed by the Russians — ed.) he went to Borodianka. This village in the Buchansky district was already occupied, only the guys learned about it too late. “We arrived 30 minutes after the plane had already crashed Borodianka,” Maryan adds, adding that we had to work in different conditions. “We always put on the scales — will we return or not, and whether this whole “double” of material is worth the material we get.”
Marian says that in 9 years of covering war, he has learned to manage fear, not fight it. “I am aware of all the possible risks that exist today in the war. I go there not to die or get injured, but to do my job qualitatively and professionally.” To show the world what is happening in the war, he prepares both morally and physically, in particular, he undergoes various security trainings.
If you stop documenting the war, he says, someone will fill this information silence. Marian believes that sometimes such a risk is justified, because, firstly, he is alive, smiles: “Well, of course, any picture taken where the journalist does not step foot is worth it!”
Marian says that it is always difficult to predict how long he will be at the forefront with the military. It happens that 15 minutes are allowed to shoot, and then it is taken away, sometimes you have to wait with the military for a day and a half while other military people change them. In some places, he can live with them for a week in certain positions.
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Once he had to stay with the military in a shelter, which was a pit, for a day and a half. The photo was taken in the Kupyansk direction in the forest at the front positions, about 300 meters from the Russians.
“I went there in the dark and had no idea when I would get out of there. So I had to wait a day and a half at this position, without leaving this hole. To be in the same conditions as the fighters, to feel that cold and that thirst. Feel this ton of metal, which spills every 15 minutes through this forest. Listen to the trees creak and fall. After 36 hours, the commander of the operation announced the organization of the departure from the positions. Also at night we managed to return to a safer area,” says Marian.
While working in the combat zone, it becomes immediately clear that not everything can be published. The photographer believes that the most valuable thing on the front right now is the story of the people and what they talk about, their opinions are so diverse. Marian is convinced that it is important to show the world these simple people who resist the aggressor: “Because it is quite surreal when in the 21st century people fly into space, and on Earth there are events that resemble the first century. When ordinary people with guns under artillery shells, who in pits with wooden shelters, sit in cold and hunger by candlelight, they repel attacks. Well, this is absurd! This should not be the case in the 21st century. That's my goal — to remove this absurdity and say to the world, “People, get ready!”
Marian notes that the military bears no responsibility or obligation for the life and health of the journalist. “This is all my responsibility and that of my editorial staff. The military can only contribute and help what they do. That is, I turn to them - they help in the organization. Together we are thinking how to do this so as not to endanger not only me, but also personnel,” Maryan emphasizes. “The military understands how important it is to show their presence at zero.”
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When working in a combat zone, the journalist recommends that you first assess the situation and think about how to act in the event of a worst-case scenario, take into account your actions and evacuation route, and consider the nearest safe zones where communication can be caught.
Marian works with both photo and video formats. However, sometimes he prefers photographs. “Photography is something that will live forever! - emphasizes Marian. - You shot it once and there will be no one again. I choose the frame that I will probably never shoot again. Sometimes it's just a cannon shot. But mostly I photograph people's eyes.” He is convinced that photography is easier to perceive and easier to distribute.
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In case of aggravation of the situation, there are a number of actions that the military will take: they will fire, report the situation, observe or present ammunition. At this point, someone can get injured. Maryan emphasizes that in such moments the media should realize how important it is to leave space for the military so that they can act correctly.
“Imagine watching from the side like a referee on a football field. When the ball flies at him, he must deviate from it, not interfere with this ball. Likewise, you should not interfere with flying along the trajectory of the story that is being created in your frame. You can follow, and you have to understand that you can be superfluous there.”
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During the 9 years of the war, including 2 years of full-scale invasion, it is difficult for Mariana to choose her own photos that have been remembered or impressed the most. The very first thing that comes to mind is a photo of a girl Sofiika, who had to leave her native village in Luhansk region after the de-occupation in the fall of 2022. “I was struck by the fear in the eyes of a child who drives away from his home under fire, goes to a peaceful territory. She doesn't understand what's going on around her now.”
He notes with sadness that he took many pictures of the military after the assault actions, who, unfortunately, have already died or disappeared. Marjan Kushnir says that people say little about the price of a photograph and the sacrifices that had to be made to make it, and it is not about money.
“The price of photography is lost youth and lost time in order to leave a mark in the future and prevent it from being repeated again. The price of a photograph can be worth a lifetime.”
Marjan Kushnir (30 years old) — Ukrainian journalist, videographer, photographer, since 2015 he has been working in the Ukrainian editorial office of Radio Svoboda. Since then, he goes to the front and covers the fighting on the territory of Ukraine, prepares reports on mass actions. After Russia's open military attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, it covers the events from hot spots where active hostilities are taking place. On March 11, 2022, he received a contusion in the Kiev region, in the village of Baryshivka.
Knight of the Order “For Merit” III degree (2022).
Photographer's social networks:
Facebook
Instagram
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
Burned houses and cars, smashed windows, blood stains on the asphalt, dead bodies covered on the ground — wounds on the body of the city. From every shelling, “arrival” or other consequences of Russian attacks, people suffer, and with them their property acquired during their lifetime. Favorite places disappear, historical architecture collapses, high-rise buildings become abandoned haunted houses, and the panorama of the city loses its usual appearance. For two years, the Russians have been mercilessly trying to take Kharkov: at first — by assault, but after failing they resorted to missile and drone terror. Someone's home, first place of work, a bar for dates and meetings with friends, a university, etc. are goals for Russians. The city is erased before our eyes, only memories and photos remain. We talk to Kharkiv residents — local documentarians who have to capture almost every place of pain in their hometown. Pavel Dorogoy, Yakov Lyashenko and Oleksandr Magula told about the wounds of Kharkov, which hurt them too.
Photographer Alexander Magula invited the girls to meet there, and Yakov Lyashenko and his friends dreamed of celebrating the upcoming victory there. However, on March 14, a Russian Iskander rocket hit the historic 1911 building on Svobody Street, where the Old Ham was in the basement. The pub, which was named after the famous American writer Ernest Hemingway, no longer exists. The place where creative youth gathered and Serhiy Zhadan held literary evenings is now a ruin. Then two people died. For Alexander, this bar was one of the favorite places of rest in Kharkiv: “When my friends and I were still students, we often went there. Just as often we left the bar for a smoke break and looked at the old building opposite. It is hard to believe that it is destroyed, like the bar itself. The Russians are erasing a lot of important places.”.
During the full-scale invasion of the Russians, the bar became an improvised bomb shelter for Kharkov residents: they stopped pouring beer there, but began to provide shelter. “I don't have a photo of this place and its ruins. Because we went there to rest, not to document.”,— photographer Yakov Lyashenko shares with sadness.
Pavlo Dorohoy and Oleksandr Magula lived in Saltovka, the largest residential area of Kharkiv for a certain period of their lives. Before the start of a full-scale war, about half a million people lived here, that is, almost a third of the city's population. Now it is one of the largest, most famous and most painful wounds of Kharkov, especially its northern part. From there, the invaders tried to storm the city.
“From my house I can see Russia,” Alexander Magula begins, “and when the alarm began, I noticed a light from the window on the horizon. Missiles flew from the Russian Federation. After 40-50 seconds there was an explosion in Kharkiv. It meant that the missiles had already arrived.”
Alexander Magula compares his house with an observation deck, where you could observe not only beautiful sunsets, but also what Russia will do with Kharkov in a few seconds. One day, when he was at home, it flew near his house to a nearby street. He felt the windows in his apartment close. “I saw a huge red flame. It looked like a gateway to hell. It was very scary then,” Magula recalls.
Pavel Dear's childhood was also spent on Saltovka, with which the best memories associate him. “I love this area very much. Many consider him to be depressed. I lived on the 9th floor and always loved to see what is out there beyond these houses. I looked at the edge of the city and the fields behind it,” Paul shares. For him, Saltovka is the first green area with developed infrastructure and native streets, where his mother still lives. “Block building of panels, where near the cinema “Russia” and shopping center “Ukraine” is such a combination,” Pavel notes.
Pavel Dorogoy says that it was difficult for him to shoot what the Russians turned his Saltivka into. There he saw what he began to call the “tree of war”, when someone's things hang on the branches, which were thrown from buildings by an explosive wave. “This is such a very scary thing for me, too. It is clear that these are just things, but they are someone's things. Where are their owners? What about these people?” — Paul shares.
Yakov Lyashenko calls Saltivka a “panel anthill”, he never lived here and did not want to, but even more would not like to see all these ruins and the misfortune that the inhabitants of this area had to face. The Russians mercilessly bombed all of Kharkiv and Saltivka as well. 70% of the northern part of the district is destroyed. People lived in the subway for weeks. Yakov Lyashenko still clearly remembers the first time he came to North Saltovka with foreign journalists during active Russian attacks in the spring of 2022.
“April 1st. It was very scary. 10 minutes before our arrival, the Russian “Grad” just worked there. We saw a high-rise building on fire, and a lonely grandmother was walking near it. Russian artillery worked, and an elderly woman calmly walked around this house. The military persuaded her to leave, but she did not want to. She remained in that danger. She chose to be at home. This picture impressed me very much,” says Yakov Lyashenko.
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After the counteroffensive of Ukrainian troops in September 2022, when our Defense Forces pushed the Russians to the border, life in Saltovka became calmer. Many of the people whose homes survived returned home.
On March 1, 2022, the Russians hit the city center with two missiles during the Battle for Kharkiv. Then the building of the regional military administration was damaged. As a result, 44 people died.
“This is the central square of the city. This is the heart of the city. Every resident of Kharkiv passes by there almost every day. There is a park and Derzhprom nearby. Such is the business card of Kharkov. Perhaps this attack was the most painful for me.” — shares Pavlo Dorogoy. Then for the first time the Russians struck the center of Kharkov, and the historical buildings were also destroyed. Before the eyes of the photographer, the bodies of the dead were carried out from under the rubble for two weeks.
“It was such a strong moral blow. Until that moment, it seemed that the war was somewhere around Kharkov, and then it seemed obvious. Closer. She's here. Since then, a lot has changed in the city and myself,” says Pavlo.
Pavel Dorogoy says that it was the photograph that gave him the strength to document everything that happens to his hometown. “Somehow it turns out to be strange that photography, on the one hand, makes it possible to be an observer, as if to look away, and on the other hand, it is impossible not to miss all these events through oneself,” says Paul.
In the center of Kharkiv are located one of the top institutions of higher education in Ukraine. Education was also not bypassed by Russian missiles. Russian troops attacked Kharkiv National University of Urban Economy named after O. M. Beketova, removing two floors. Alexander Magula documented the damaged building, where he had often visited before. There his friends studied, there he went to additional classes in English.
“It was hard to see these ruined walls when you remember them whole.” — says Alexander Magula. The number of places expensive for him, which are destroyed by the Russians, is becoming more and more. “In addition, my university named after V. N.D. Karazin, in particular the Department of Journalism, where I studied. The feeling that my city in general is turning into a ruin. This list also includes two of my first editions.”057.ua” and “Gwara Media”. I am afraid that one day I will come home and my city will turn into Gaza. — says Alexander Magula.
“I understand that there are many buildings that we have lost forever.” - ponders Pavlo Dorogoy. - They will not be restored. Because even before the war in Kharkiv there was a problem with the architectural heritage in general and with the development of the city. Now it's only going to get worse, I think. Of course, it upsets and even makes you angry. Sometimes it seems that we don't even need an external enemy. We ourselves will destroy what previous generations built, even if it is a generation of Soviet Ukrainians.”
The documentarian observes that the war hurts not only because of the lost architecture, yet the worst thing is that people who are left without housing suffer. In Kharkiv, there are those who were reached by Russian aggression for the second time, says Pavlo: “They came from an area where the Russians had already destroyed their home. This is the most painful thing that people get more than once.”
Incursions into a high-rise building or a private house, an industrial facility, an oil base, a terminal of Novaya Poshta, queues of people receiving humanitarian assistance, etc. — the list is long and constantly increasing. Yakov Lyashenko is among those Kharkov documentarians who almost daily record the criminal actions of Russians for foreign media. It is difficult for him to determine where the “arrival” of diseases is most severe. He learns about the explosions from the window of his apartment, so he instantly goes to the scene of the shelling. “When there is an “arrival” in Kharkov — I hear. I do not expect the alarm to go off, but immediately go to the place to document the events. Because if I wait, there will be nothing and no one there when I arrive,” says Jacob.
He does not hide that what is often seen on the shooting scene does not leave him indifferent: “One day at the scene of the tragedy there was a puddle of blood and a finger of a man. The wounded and dead were already taken away, and that finger remained on the ground. It's impossible not to think about it.”
Yakov Lyashenko concludes: “If I photographed something civilian, I could choose what to shoot. And now I choose nothing. This war chooses me. You have to take what is.”
Oleksandr Magula notes that, according to his observations, the portrait of the average Kharkiv resident has also changed, because previously the city was a student one. “I noticed this change in the subway. Before, there were always a lot of young people, now I walk in and notice that I can be almost the only young man in the car,” Oleksandr shares.
With fewer people and fewer cars. However, the roads — the arteries of the city — circulate, sometimes there are traffic jams and parking problems. “It is clear that people live, people fight, people celebrate life, somehow hold on. It is wonderful, but the ruins that have become scars remain. When you see them, it's always upsetting,” adds Pavlo Dorogoi.
But despite the drone attacks, Kharkiv is alive. Cultural events are held in the city. Kharkiv residents themselves are returning home despite the shelling. “In Kharkiv, even during the war, there are probably more events happening than in cities that do not know what war is. Concerts are held here and theaters work,” Yakov Lyashenko also notes that new cafes are opening in the city. “People start from scratch. They worked hard under shelling in extreme conditions to open up. Such Kharkov residents did what they could to keep their city alive. Respect them for that.”
Whether Kharkiv will be the same as before the invasion, no one can predict, but, perhaps, it is not worth it. A new page of the history of the Hero City continues to be written daily. However, unfortunately, it is filled mainly with dates of Russian attacks, notes on the number of victims and is visually confirmed by documentary photos, so that nothing and no one is forgotten.
“Once, military friends from Kraken told me: in order for everything to be fine in Kharkov, it is necessary that the border line with the Russian Federation passes at least through the center of Belgorod. Then, having moved such a leading edge, we will be able to install air defense in Kharkov, and it will be able to protect us. This is such a joke, but, perhaps, there is a lot of truth in this,” - Alexander Magula hopes that, perhaps, in this case, the Russians will stop attacking the city with at least S-300 missiles.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
This morning, June 24, there were explosions in Odessa. The Russians launched two missiles, probably the Iskander-K. One of them did not achieve the goal thanks to the work of air defense.
At the moment, three victims are known: a 19-year-old boy and two men aged 50 and 58. The wounded were hospitalized, doctors provided them with the necessary assistance. Head of the Odessa Military Administration on the air of the tele-marathon “United News” Oleg Kiper told that as a result of the morning attack of the Russian Federation, about 5000 square meters of territory were damaged, the fire occurred on 3000 square meters.
More than 90 rescuers and 20 units of equipment were involved in extinguishing the fire. While doing the emergency services for the second time, air alarms sounded, because of this, the rescuers were forced to move to a safe distance and stop the fire fight.
“Rescuers are currently working to repel the part occupied by the fire from the rest of the civilian infrastructure. Nearby there are many civilian buildings, high-rise buildings”, — noted Oleg Kiper.
In Telegram channel Defence Forces of the South of Ukraine It was noted that the warehouse was damaged.
Local authorities have deployed an operational headquarters for the elimination of the consequences of the morning attack, where they accept applications and provide advice on the registration of material assistance.
The Odessa Regional Prosecutor's Office has launched a pre-trial investigation into the morning Russian attack in criminal proceedings for violation of the laws and customs of war.
Recall that for two days in a row Russian troops shelled Kharkiv. On June 23, Russians shelled a school, industrial zone and private sector. The consequences of the enemy attack are captured in the photos Yevhen Gertner. On June 22, the enemy struck a KaB on a residential building in Kharkiv. War crime — from the perspective of a documentary filmmaker Georgy Ivanchenko.
Kharkiv is again under enemy attack. Russian troops fired at least three guided aerial bombs on the Ukrainian city.
10 people were injured, 1 person was killed as a result of the attack of the Russians on civilian objects in the Shevchenko and Kholodnogorsky districts of Kharkiv. This was announced by the head of the OVA Oleg Synegubov. Among the victims are two teenagers aged 15 and 16. It is also known that two are in serious condition, another person received moderate injuries.
“As of now, a total of 11 people between the ages of 15 and 63 have been affected. One person is in serious condition. Others are on average. A 73-year-old man died,” said the head of Kharkiv Ova Oleg Synegubov.
One of the blows came at a private school. There was a woman, she was given medical assistance and released.
“Intrusion directly into the educational institution, into the school itself. The premises, partly the main buildings there are destroyed. The destructive wave, the force of it, was quite serious. In fact, thousands of apartments were damaged. We were left without windows, without windows, etc.,” said the head of Kharkiv Ova Oleg Synegubov.
In apartment buildings, windows hung nearby. The facades of the buildings nearby are also partially damaged.
In the Kholodnogorsky district, intrusions into the private sector were recorded: two houses were destroyed. Also, one Russian CAB flew to the Kiev region, namely to the industrial zone.
Emergency services are working at the sites of the attacks. Search and rescue work is still ongoing. Currently, half of Kharkov remains without electricity, specialists are already working on its restoration.
Recall, yesterday, June 22, the Russians hit a KaB on a residential building in Kharkiv. Consequences of war crime in the lens of documentary filmmaker Georgy Ivanchenko.
37 people were wounded and three were killed - such are the consequences of another Russian shelling on Kharkov. The invaders hit the city with guided air bombs. The explosions thundered around 15 p.m. on June 22. Before that, the Air Force warned about the launching of guided aerial bombs by tactical aviation in Kharkiv region.
It is known about incursions into the area of dense residential development in the central part of the city. This was stated by the mayor of Kharkiv Igor Terekhov.
At first it was known that two people were killed and two wounded. However, it later turned out that the number of victims increased. “There is no military facility here. One CAB hit the house, and a total of four guided air bombs hit the city today. Others — hit enterprises in neighboring districts of Kharkiv. There is also one dead and three wounded,” Terekhov said.
Among those killed by Russian-piloted plane bombs was a woman waiting for a trolleybus. It was cut by the glass. A man passing by also died. His leg was torn off.
Head of the OVA Oleg Synegubov He noted that 16 people were hospitalized, including two children. Four are in serious condition. Doctors are fighting for the lives of four patients — two women and two men who are in serious condition, Sinegubov added.
As of 18:00 the number of wounded had increased to 37. Rescuers are working at the scene. The analysis of the blockages continues.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to another enemy strike on Kharkiv and published a video from the scene of the tragedy. This Russian terror of guided air bombs must be stopped and can be stopped, he assures presidente. “Strong partner decisions are needed so that we can destroy Russian terrorists and Russian warplanes where they are. We have already proven that protecting people and lives from missile terror is real, in particular by clearing border areas of terrorist launchers. You also need to protect yourself from bombs. We need that determination,” the president said.
Recall that on May 25, the Russian military struck two CABs on ”Epicenter” in Kharkiv. At that point, there were more than 200 people in the building. On that day, the air alarm in the city lasted more than 12 hours in a row. On the same day, the Russians tried justify attack on the Kharkov “Epicenter”, publishing fake videos in Tiktok.
Ten years ago, in March 2014, Russian hybrid forces began seizing the authorities in Donbas. Before that, Russian “green men” annexed Crimea, and then began to gradually occupy Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Ukrainian cities resisted, among them the million-dollar city - Donetsk.
Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes photos of photographer from Donetsk Sergey Vaganov. In his eyes, pro-Russian mercenaries took Donetsk from the Ukrainians, and from his own home.
After the escape of Yanukovych during Revolution of Dignity pro-Russian forces have intensified in the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine. They organized rallies with the participation of imported citizens of the Russian Federation demanding federalization and separation from Ukraine.
On March 5, 2014, the largest pro-Ukrainian rally was held in Donetsk under the slogan “10,000 brave for 45 million alone”. The large-scale action significantly overshadowed the paid pro-Russian rallies with the phrases “Hear Donbas”. Three years later, this date will officially become the Day of Civil Resistance of Donbas to the Russian occupation.
It was the last peaceful rally in the city. A week later, on March 13, a social activist, a participant in the Revolution of Dignity, 22-year-old Dmitry Chernyavsky, was killed at the protest action. Ukrainian security forces did not disperse pro-Russian mercenaries, but silently watched as they attacked peaceful activists with various types of weapons: knives, reinforcement, batons, etc. Pro-Ukrainian rallies in the east continued until April 28, 2014. Yet further: the occupation and the war that continues until now.
In the eyes of photographer Sergei Vaganov, the Russians took away the city in which he lived for 15 years. The Russians occupied Donetsk gradually. At first, pro-Russian activists went out on weekends, then began to seize administrative buildings.
“Then I had no feeling that we would lose Donetsk for 10 years,” Serhiy says. “From the very beginning, my friends and I expected that our security forces would somehow restore order. Unfortunately, the security forces turned out to be weak. There were a lot of traitors. It was a hybrid attack that no one was ready for. Neither the authorities on the ground nor the authorities in Kiev. They gradually captured the city, the region. There was a feeling as if some snake was strangling you, but gradually. There was no such thing — once and for all! At first, they held rallies on weekends. Then they began to capture the police, the prosecutor's office, the SBU and military units. There was no resistance from the security forces. That was the worst part. For quite a long time there was such a period when barricades were standing around the captured Donetsk administration, they copied the Maidan.
On April 7, 2014 in Donetsk, a crowd of pro-Russian mercenaries seized the regional state administration building, announcing the creation of the so-called “Donetsk People's Republic”. The day before that, on April 6, Kharkiv proclaimed the “KhPR”, which lasted only a day, according to the same scenario.
Sergey Vaganov watched the events in both cities hoping that the “DPR” would repeat the fate of the “KhPR”, that is, he notes a fiasco. “We were waiting for help. And I remember, here in Kharkiv, the police of the special forces drove these pro-Russian people from the Kharkiv Regional State Administration. We were waiting for this to happen in Donetsk. They waited the next day too. And nothing happened,” the photographer does not hide his disappointment.
Sergey emphasizes that there were a lot of visitors in Donetsk. He recalls that they were very easy to distinguish from the locals: “They asked where the toilets were. Did not navigate the city at all.
They went to capture the regional militia, and stopped near the city. It was the same with prosecutors. I'm not saying that there were no Donetsk residents, but they did bring many visitors.”
Over time, Moscow will begin to use the “DPR” as a tool for controlling Ukrainian territories to resolve a major war.
Sergey remembers these events with pain. He admits that antidepressants helped at least somehow to withstand all this. The photographer to the last continued to document everything that was happening in the city. Even when the militants have already declared themselves “power”. On July 5, 2014, Igor Girkin entered Donetsk. He fled there from neighboring Slavyansk, which the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated on July 4.
Sergey Vaganov went to shoot a press conference of the separatist leader. Even before the arrival of Girkin, there were already a lot of Russian fighters in the city: “There were Chechens, and Ossetians, and Don Cossacks, and all this woolly filth. And on July 10, both administrations were already captured, there was a press conference of Hirkin.
Before the conference, Sergei was detained by unknown people who said that they appreciated his professionalism and “do not recommend working for enemies”, that is, Ukraine. The photographer was offered to work on the TV channel of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation “Zvezda”. “I said to them, “What if I refuse?” I was answered: “Then you will go dig trenches for free!” I said I had asthma and showed an inhaler. And they told me: “Well, then you will die sooner.” And while they were waiting for some leader to solve my question, I asked to appoint Hirkin. They let me go and said they would find me later. But I shot and flew home, gathered my things and went to Mariupol,” Serhiy says.
Sergey Vaganov lived in Mariupol until March 2022. He again had to leave his city because of the invaders.
“I graduated from school in Mariupol. And then he worked for 15 years in Avdiivka by a doctor. Then he went into journalism, lived in Donetsk for 15 years, where he worked as a photographer and videographer. All of these cities of mine have already been captured or destroyed. All my geography stayed there.”
Serhiy Vaganov — Ukrainian reportage and documentary photographer. 1958. He graduated from Donetsk Medical Institute, after which he worked as a traumatologist in Avdiivka for 15 years. Since 1999 he worked as a photojournalist in Donetsk. After the occupation, he moved to Mariupol, where in 2022 he survived the siege of the city. Photographer's social networks: Facebook
Recall that the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers has started a series of materials dedicated to key events of the Russian war against Ukraine, where he publishes memoirs and photographs of Ukrainian documentary photographers.
On the night of June 19, the Lviv region was attacked by Russian “shaheds”. Five kamikaze drones were able to reach the region, which were destroyed. The village of Malekhiv in the suburbs of Lviv was damaged. There were several explosions: there are casualties and destruction.
In the private sector of Malekhov there are broken windows in houses and damaged barriers. Also knocked out windows and destroyed balconies in the high-rise building.
Mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi reported two casualties as a result of the night attack. These are men aged 70 and 47 years. One of them went to the hospital in serious condition. Sadovyi also specified that a total of 15 private houses and two office buildings were damaged. Among them are a private company and a research institute.
Head of Lviv Regional State Administration Maksym Kozytskyi noted that the Russians destroyed the roof, walls and floors of the 2nd floor with an approximate area of 800 square meters of the building of the State Research and Control Institute of Veterinary Drugs and Feed Additives. “Russia is fighting with civilians. Russia is fighting with scientists,” Kozytsky stressed.
In addition, air lines and electrical equipment were damaged in Lviv region as a result of a night enemy strike.
“285 points of record have been de-energized. Restorative work continues,” the report said. message press service of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.
In total, the Air Force of the Armed Forces reported the downing of 19 of the 21 Shahed drones launched by Russia at night.
On November 21, 2013, the Azarov Government thwarted the signing of the European Integration Agreement. As a result, the first protesters began to gather in the center of Kiev. Subsequently, on November 30, students were beaten at Euromaidan. This was the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity, which forever transformed Ukrainian society and initiated political changes in the country. The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes pictures of Vyacheslav Ratinsky, who documented the main events of the Revolution. \
In November 2013, Ukraine was supposed to sign an association agreement with the European Union. But on November 21, 2013, the then President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign it.
On November 21, 2013, Ukrainians began a protest for the European future of their country on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv. People united because Viktor Yanukovych and the cabinet wanted to stop preparations for signing the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. Mass protests and rallies in the main square of the country turned into the Eurorevolution or the Revolution of Dignity. In the end, protests swept across the country.
The refusal to sign the Association Agreement was a great disappointment for Ukrainian students: they felt cheated because Europe would be closed to them. In the evening of the same day, Ukrainian journalist Mustafa Nayem wrote on his Facebook page: “Okay, let's get serious. Who is ready to enter the Maidan today by midnight? Likes do not count. Only comments under this post with the words “I'm ready.” As soon as we get more than 1,000, we will organize.”
That night, the students came to the Maidan. They chanted the slogan: “Ukraine is Europe!” At four o'clock in the morning on November 30, 2013, Yanukovych sent the Berkut special unit to the Maidan to disperse the students. Violence against young people caused a wave of resistance, many people joined the students.
The Maidan became not only a place of protest, but also a kind of city. There were “field” kitchens, musicians performed, artists painted. Also on the square were a library, an open university and a piano. People pitched tents, made fires, cooked soup in iron cauldrons. Volunteers cleared snow and ice.
On January 16, the government of Viktor Yanukovych passed the “Laws on Dictatorship”, which deprived the right to freedom of speech and assembly. All the people present on the Maidan were automatically declared criminals. “Berkut” used tear gas, rubber bullets, light noise grenades and water cannons against the participants at sub-zero temperatures. The protesters disappeared. The body of one of the activists, Yuriy Verbitsky, was found crippled and frozen in the forest...
On January 19, after the Viche on Maidan, around 15 o'clock and later on Hrushevsky Street in Kyiv, there were numerous clashes between protesters and security forces. People tried to go to the building of the Verkhovna Rada. Vitaly Klitschko tried to stop the force confrontation, but he did not succeed. Light noise grenades, rubber bullets, batons, water cannons, Molotov cocktails, stones were used against the protesters; protesters used firecrackers, Molotov cocktails, stones, slingshots, they burned five units of special equipment, the remains of which were used as donkeys new barricades. On the same day, Vitaly Klitschko met with President Yanukovych, as a result of which an agreement was reached on holding another “round table”. However, the planned negotiations did not take place.
On the night of January 21, at the same time, the attack of special forces on the barricades of protesters and pogroms committed by titushes began. Some of the aunts were detained by protesters. Around 8 a.m., priests clashed between the protesters and the special forces, so the fighting was stopped for almost a day.
During the month, negotiations between the authorities and the protesters took place with varying success. In particular, on January 28, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigned “in order to create additional opportunities for socio-political compromise, for the sake of peaceful settlement of the conflict”.
The Verkhovna Rada, in accordance with an agreement between the president and the authorities, repealed 9 of the 11 laws that restricted citizens' civil liberties and were adopted on January 16 in “manual mode”.
On January 31, Viktor Yanukovych signed an act repealing the dictatorial laws adopted on January 16 and the amnesty law adopted on January 29.
On February 18, when the Verkhovna Rada was to consider possible amendments to the Constitution, Protestants approached the building of the Verkhovna Rada, most of whom, due to the peaceful nature of the procession, were without sticks, stones and Molotov cocktails. Special forces met protesters with water jets and gas. At the same time, the protesters were attacked from the flank by significant forces of security forces and detachments, as a result of which the column of demonstrators was cut into several separate parts. This led to the resumption of confrontation between the rebels and the security forces. The fighting took place, in particular, with the use of firearms. Several people on both sides were killed.
On the morning of February 19, the number of dead was already 25, including: 9 employees of the security structures; 16 civilians and self-defense fighters of the Maidan.
The Revolution of Dignity lasted 94 days, up to 4 million Ukrainians took part in it. The most tragic days of the Revolution were February 18—20, when during large-scale clashes in the center of Kiev, the House of Trade Unions was set on fire, and snipers killed 107 protesters. On February 20, Ukraine annually celebrates the Day of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.
The main geopolitical consequence of the Revolution of Dignity was the beginning of Ukraine's exit from the zone of influence of Russia in the economic and political spheres, the reduction of dependence in the cultural aspect. The non-bloc status of Ukraine was abolished, which meant that it did not join the international collective security and defense structures.