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A city that wakes up from explosions. The consequences of the shelling of Mykolaiv in the photos of Serhiy Korovainyi

4.1.2024
2
min read

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Nikolaev  has become one of the hottest spots in the Ukrainian south. Residents of Nikolaev wake up from explosions almost every day. In the evening, missile attacks also continue. In 2019, Nikolaev chose for itself the slogan “City on the wave”. During the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, Nikolaev became a city that does not sleep.

Today, the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes photos of Sergei Korovayny, who captured the aftermath of the rocket attack on the city of Nikolaev at the end of July.

“Happy because I survived”

In the summer of 2022, the Russian military shelled the city of Nikolaev almost every day. Local residents woke up to the sounds of alarm and explosions, and in the evening everything resumed again. From the time of the full-scale Russian invasion until July 2022, more than 500 attacks were recorded in the Nikolaev area, of which more than a hundred fell on the city itself and its surroundings. The shelling was carried out using artillery systems and volley fire systems.

Bus burns after artillery attack on Nikolaev. July 22, 2022. Photo by Serhiy Korovaynyi

The summer of 2022 was very difficult for Nikolaev. Literally every night, around three to four o'clock, the city was bombarded. Photographer Serhiy Korovaynyi and his colleagues spent a week in the city and documented the consequences of Russian shelling of Nikolaev.

Consequences of enemy attack in Nikolaev. July 22, 2022. Photo by Serhiy Korovaynyi

“I went to bed and knew that in the middle of the night you would either be awakened by loud explosions or would come flying just after you. This fact is also undeniable and it was very nerve-wracking,” says Serhiy Korovaynyi. “We were in the city only a few days, got drunk and left. Instead, local residents lived with it constantly, even against the background of lack of fresh water and other troubles.”

Daily shelling stopped with the liberation of Kherson, when the Armed Forces pushed the Russian military away from Nikolaev.

People at the scene of the attack in Nikolaev. July 22, 2022. Photo by Serhiy Korovaynyi

One of the attacks on July 22 took place in the late evening, on the outskirts of the city, which is closer to the front line.

“We saw explosions, smoke, found out the address from the local SNS department and went to shoot,” Korovayny recalls.

There were several “arrivals”: in a parking lot with a bus, an apartment building, a school. No one was killed that evening, but many people were wounded, bloodied.

“I filmed a guy who in the last 48 hours was hit twice by missile attacks by the Russian military. He received minor injuries and considers himself lucky. It is amazing how accustomed we are to living under shelling,” says Serhiy Korovaynyi.

View of the site of the enemy attack in Nikolaev. July 22, 2022. Photo by Serhiy Korovaynyi

Serhiy Korovaynyi — Ukrainian documentary photographer, actively covering the events of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Collaborates with international publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Guardian, Financaial Times and others. In his projects, he focuses on the topics 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.

Photographer's social networks: Instagram, Facebook

The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Kateryna Moskalyuk
Bild-editor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar

Read also: Debris, flowers, severe fatigue. The consequences of the missile strike on Vinnitsa in the photos of Roman Pylypiy

The project is implemented thanks to support of ZMIN.

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Nikolaev  has become one of the hottest spots in the Ukrainian south. Residents of Nikolaev wake up from explosions almost every day. In the evening, missile attacks also continue. In 2019, Nikolaev chose for itself the slogan “City on the wave”. During the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, Nikolaev became a city that does not sleep.

Today, the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes photos of Sergei Korovayny, who captured the aftermath of the rocket attack on the city of Nikolaev at the end of July.

“Happy because I survived”

In the summer of 2022, the Russian military shelled the city of Nikolaev almost every day. Local residents woke up to the sounds of alarm and explosions, and in the evening everything resumed again. From the time of the full-scale Russian invasion until July 2022, more than 500 attacks were recorded in the Nikolaev area, of which more than a hundred fell on the city itself and its surroundings. The shelling was carried out using artillery systems and volley fire systems.

Bus burns after artillery attack on Nikolaev. July 22, 2022. Photo by Serhiy Korovaynyi

The summer of 2022 was very difficult for Nikolaev. Literally every night, around three to four o'clock, the city was bombarded. Photographer Serhiy Korovaynyi and his colleagues spent a week in the city and documented the consequences of Russian shelling of Nikolaev.

Consequences of enemy attack in Nikolaev. July 22, 2022. Photo by Serhiy Korovaynyi

“I went to bed and knew that in the middle of the night you would either be awakened by loud explosions or would come flying just after you. This fact is also undeniable and it was very nerve-wracking,” says Serhiy Korovaynyi. “We were in the city only a few days, got drunk and left. Instead, local residents lived with it constantly, even against the background of lack of fresh water and other troubles.”

Daily shelling stopped with the liberation of Kherson, when the Armed Forces pushed the Russian military away from Nikolaev.

People at the scene of the attack in Nikolaev. July 22, 2022. Photo by Serhiy Korovaynyi

One of the attacks on July 22 took place in the late evening, on the outskirts of the city, which is closer to the front line.

“We saw explosions, smoke, found out the address from the local SNS department and went to shoot,” Korovayny recalls.

There were several “arrivals”: in a parking lot with a bus, an apartment building, a school. No one was killed that evening, but many people were wounded, bloodied.

“I filmed a guy who in the last 48 hours was hit twice by missile attacks by the Russian military. He received minor injuries and considers himself lucky. It is amazing how accustomed we are to living under shelling,” says Serhiy Korovaynyi.

View of the site of the enemy attack in Nikolaev. July 22, 2022. Photo by Serhiy Korovaynyi

Serhiy Korovaynyi — Ukrainian documentary photographer, actively covering the events of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Collaborates with international publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Guardian, Financaial Times and others. In his projects, he focuses on the topics 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.

Photographer's social networks: Instagram, Facebook

The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Kateryna Moskalyuk
Bild-editor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar

Read also: Debris, flowers, severe fatigue. The consequences of the missile strike on Vinnitsa in the photos of Roman Pylypiy

The project is implemented thanks to support of ZMIN.

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