On June 27, 2023, a Russian ballistic missile “Iskander” hit the cafe “Ria Pizza” in the city of Kramatorsk. The pizzeria was a popular meeting place for local youth, volunteers, journalists and military who were stationed nearby or returning from scratch. The city of Kramatorsk is located less than an hour's drive to the front line, but in the pizzeria “Ria Pizza” you could briefly feel the comfort of a peaceful life.
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes photos of Sasha Maslov, who recorded the consequences of rocket fire at the popular Kramatorsk cafe “Ria Pizza”.
On June 27, 2023, around 19:30 the Russian army launched a missile strike on the center of Kramatorsk. The Iskander ballistic missile hit the popular cafe “Ria Pizza” in the city, which was crowded with people. The restaurant space has been transformed into a mixture of mangled windows, twisted metal and collapsed walls. The missile strike killed 13 people, including four children. At least 60 people were injured, including an eight-month-old baby.
Photographer Sasha Maslov and colleagues arrived at the scene the next day — June 28. Local residents continued to clean their homes, rescuers were still sorting through rubble, and friends and relatives of the pizzeria workers awaited news of their loved ones.
“I remembered the elderly — a woman and a man who covered their faces with their hands. They sat on the bench and hoped that their granddaughter was alive,” recalls Sasha Maslov.
Later, the eighteen-year-old granddaughter Tatiana and Yuri are found dead under the rubble.
“Many journalists, volunteers and military personnel always gathered in the pizzeria. The missile strike was on Tuesday, and the day before, on Sunday, we spent a lot of time there with colleagues: we talked and worked on materials from ten in the morning until seven in the evening,” says the photographer.
He adds that it was very difficult when he learned about the missile strike on Kramatorsk. There were many acquaintances of Sasha Maslov, including foreign photographers, who, fortunately, all survived.
“I am always impressed by the rescuers, police, military and municipal workers who responsibly and calmly do their job. The next day of the “arrival”, the utilities remove the glass fragments, clean everything carefully, - says Sasha Maslov. - I saw a girl cleaning her apartment in the window of a neighboring house. Climbed up to her floor, knocked on her accommodation. She impressed me with her calmness and peacefulness.”
Sasha Maslov explains that she tries not to violate people's personal boundaries and, if they are against, will not photograph them. However, if you need to make a portrait of a person, Sasha always asks permission, tries to gently get closer.
“Usually people want to share their impressions and tell them what happened to them. People want to share their grief — I save their stories, photograph them, and in that case I feel like I'm doing something useful,” Maslov says.
“The employees of the cafe in Kramatorsk, who brought us food a few days ago, were now under the rubble or waiting for news about their relatives and friends. They did not know whether they would find them or not, - says Sasha Maslov. “This is the surrealism in which we constantly find ourselves. It would seem that we have been living in such conditions for a very long time, and you can get used to everything. But I still can't.”
Sasha Maslov— Ukrainian documentary photographer, born in Kharkiv. He shot for Ukrainian media, then moved to the United States, where he continued to engage in photography, creating his own projects and collaborating with international publications. At various times he has collaborated with publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Esquire, Billboard, WWD and the Wall Street Journal Magazine. With the start of a full-scale invasion, he regularly comes to Ukraine and documents the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Social networks: Facebook, Instagram
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: “A minute from hope to judgment.” Consequences of the missile strike on the Kramatorsk station
The project is implemented thanks to support IWM Documenting Ukraine.
On June 27, 2023, a Russian ballistic missile “Iskander” hit the cafe “Ria Pizza” in the city of Kramatorsk. The pizzeria was a popular meeting place for local youth, volunteers, journalists and military who were stationed nearby or returning from scratch. The city of Kramatorsk is located less than an hour's drive to the front line, but in the pizzeria “Ria Pizza” you could briefly feel the comfort of a peaceful life.
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes photos of Sasha Maslov, who recorded the consequences of rocket fire at the popular Kramatorsk cafe “Ria Pizza”.
On June 27, 2023, around 19:30 the Russian army launched a missile strike on the center of Kramatorsk. The Iskander ballistic missile hit the popular cafe “Ria Pizza” in the city, which was crowded with people. The restaurant space has been transformed into a mixture of mangled windows, twisted metal and collapsed walls. The missile strike killed 13 people, including four children. At least 60 people were injured, including an eight-month-old baby.
Photographer Sasha Maslov and colleagues arrived at the scene the next day — June 28. Local residents continued to clean their homes, rescuers were still sorting through rubble, and friends and relatives of the pizzeria workers awaited news of their loved ones.
“I remembered the elderly — a woman and a man who covered their faces with their hands. They sat on the bench and hoped that their granddaughter was alive,” recalls Sasha Maslov.
Later, the eighteen-year-old granddaughter Tatiana and Yuri are found dead under the rubble.
“Many journalists, volunteers and military personnel always gathered in the pizzeria. The missile strike was on Tuesday, and the day before, on Sunday, we spent a lot of time there with colleagues: we talked and worked on materials from ten in the morning until seven in the evening,” says the photographer.
He adds that it was very difficult when he learned about the missile strike on Kramatorsk. There were many acquaintances of Sasha Maslov, including foreign photographers, who, fortunately, all survived.
“I am always impressed by the rescuers, police, military and municipal workers who responsibly and calmly do their job. The next day of the “arrival”, the utilities remove the glass fragments, clean everything carefully, - says Sasha Maslov. - I saw a girl cleaning her apartment in the window of a neighboring house. Climbed up to her floor, knocked on her accommodation. She impressed me with her calmness and peacefulness.”
Sasha Maslov explains that she tries not to violate people's personal boundaries and, if they are against, will not photograph them. However, if you need to make a portrait of a person, Sasha always asks permission, tries to gently get closer.
“Usually people want to share their impressions and tell them what happened to them. People want to share their grief — I save their stories, photograph them, and in that case I feel like I'm doing something useful,” Maslov says.
“The employees of the cafe in Kramatorsk, who brought us food a few days ago, were now under the rubble or waiting for news about their relatives and friends. They did not know whether they would find them or not, - says Sasha Maslov. “This is the surrealism in which we constantly find ourselves. It would seem that we have been living in such conditions for a very long time, and you can get used to everything. But I still can't.”
Sasha Maslov— Ukrainian documentary photographer, born in Kharkiv. He shot for Ukrainian media, then moved to the United States, where he continued to engage in photography, creating his own projects and collaborating with international publications. At various times he has collaborated with publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Esquire, Billboard, WWD and the Wall Street Journal Magazine. With the start of a full-scale invasion, he regularly comes to Ukraine and documents the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Social networks: Facebook, Instagram
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: “A minute from hope to judgment.” Consequences of the missile strike on the Kramatorsk station
The project is implemented thanks to support IWM Documenting Ukraine.
UAPP is an independent association of professional Ukrainian photographers, designed to protect their interests, support, develop and promote Ukrainian photography as an important element of national culture.
UAPP's activities span educational, social, research and cultural initiatives, as well as book publishing.
UAPP represents Ukrainian professional photography in the international photographic community and is an official member of the Federation of European Photographers (FEP) — an international organization representing more than 50,000 professional photographers in Europe and other countries around the world.
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