This year marks 10 years since the Russians are trying to kill Ukrainians, and February 24 is the second anniversary of how the northern neighbor wants to achieve its goal with particular brutality. The largest war in Europe since World War II is multifaceted, it has many faces, symbols, images, heroes that convey its essence. War is in touch, in the eyes and hearts of civilians and military, in the helping hand of rescuers, it is in the trenches and in empty ruined houses, in the walls of rehabilitation centers, in the temporarily occupied Mariupol and Bakhmut, in the dilapidated Nikopol and wounded Kharkiv, in the heart of Kiev and on the Black Sea coast. War is not a geographical concept, it is omnipresent.
What kind of war did those who look at it through the prism of their camera see? What is hidden behind the frames that are seared into the memory of the photographers themselves? For the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion, the UAFF has collected key images of Ukrainian documentarians that highlight pain, loss, invulnerability, humanity, hope, home and everything that takes away or adds to the word “war”.
“This photo for me is the best illustration of true feelings and mutual support. A photograph of hope and light, which are more difficult to find every day.” ----says Ekaterina Moskalyuk.
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Ivan Marchak is the hero of the picture of Kateryna Moskalyuk. He serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine since the fall of 2021. He met a full-scale war in the village of Malekine near Mariupol. The soldier received the badge “For exemplary service”. In October 2022, he evacuated the liberated territories in the Kherson region, and a few months later, in February 2023, he was wounded while performing a combat mission. He underwent prosthetics and rehabilitation at the Superhumans Center, where the documentary filmmaker met him and his wife.
Zhytomyr ----the photographer's hometown, which was attacked by the Russians in the early hours of the invasion on February 24, 2022.
“I arrived in the city on the third day of the war to see how my hometown and its inhabitants were experiencing the invasion. The first rockets have already hit the city, the Zhytomyr-Kiev highway has been cut, and fighting has already been raging in the north and west of the region. People were shocked and frightened, but wanted to protect their city and country. They could make a choice: run away or defend. The city was preparing for the encirclement, following the example of Chernihiv, Sumy, Kherson or Mariupol. In the early days it was still possible. Many people joined the Armed Forces, and unarmed people built barricades around the city, learned how to throw Molotov cocktails at Russian tanks as they approached the city. ----tells Vyacheslav Ratinsky.
“For me, this photo carries light and hope for the future, no matter what.” ---- explains Pavel Dorogoy.
“I took this photo in the most difficult conditions in which I shot: at training, quickly going into service with weapons, in armor and with a shoulder bag heavily soaked from the constant rain. Knowing that I would not have access to the camera, I even updated the phone before mobilizing so that it shot as best as possible. Actually, it was filmed on him. In short, while I was a civilian photographer, I lacked an inside look, and that's how I saw what it was like to be a military man, in my own skin. And now I have the opportunity to devote all my photographic attention to the topic of war,” says Valentin Kuzan, who now serves as a photocorrespondent of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade named after the Black Zaporozhtsy.
“We chose this particular photo because it was taken in the most difficult and dangerous conditions. In this picture you can see how terrible the routine of our military is, and how cruel this war is.”---- Vlada Liberova noted.
“Ecoticide is the destruction of Ukrainian nature in the Black Sea by the military actions of the Rashists. Since the beginning of the invasion of the Rashists and their military actions, the Black Sea has recorded the mass death of dolphins and other representatives of the marine fauna. ----comments Yevgeny Samuchenko.
“This photo shows the horror faced by civilians on the front lines. Then the Russians were destroying Bakhmut daily, fighting was already on the outskirts of the city. ---- says Yakov Lyashenko.
“No one knew that there was anyone else in this village of Teterivske. At that moment, the Russians actively covered the village with shells. 90-year-old grandfather Valentin did not want to run away from his almost destroyed house. We had to run, but we couldn't leave without him. Grandfather managed to save on a toothpick. Valentine took a portrait of his youth from home. The pressofitter of the 10th brigade is somewhere 2 km to the car, this is how my grandfather drove. Then we gave it to volunteers. Somewhere in Zhytomyr he was found by his son. Now I know that this grandfather is dead. He passed away for eternity among his relatives and from old age, and not in solitude and through war. ---- narrates Marian Kushnir.
“It's hard for me to add words to this photo. Such is the truth of war. But besides blood and death, I see here rage and mutual aid.” ---- explains Evgeny Zavgorodny.
“The man received a shrapnel wound to the chest. He is in serious condition. Despite the constant threat of enemy attacks, rescuers successfully pulled him and the woman's body from under the rubble of their home. Nikopol, located on the right bank of the Dnieper, is under constant attack as Russian troops occupy the left bank of the river.” ----says Alexander Rupeta.
“I worked for a long time on environmental ecology issues, highlighted the consequences of the work of factories in Mariupol. Now this photo and this story have taken on a completely different meaning. Problems, challenges and symbolism are completely different. And I chose this particular picture because I miss my Mariupol and my Donetsk region.” ----explains Sergey Korovayny.
“The key for me is the photo I took at the beginning of the invasion. Then the Russians only withdrew from Kharkov and North Saltovka became safer. I was able to see this area from the height of the 16th floor and visually assess the scale of the destruction“, ---- explained Alexander Magula.
“This is a story about a soldier who, having lost a leg while serving in the ATO, not only refused the status of a victim, but also returned to the ranks of the Armed Forces when a full-scale invasion began. The lack of one leg for him is not an obstacle, but only a new challenge. And here he is — not just a driver, but a driver of a huge truck carrying a C-60 gun. Imagine: a huge car roaring like a beast, under the command of a man who, with the help of a crutch and his indomitable spirit, drives it almost better than any other driver. This military is a living symbol of the fact that nothing is impossible for those who have true courage and unshakable faith in their own strength. It demonstrates that limitation is only a state of mind, not of the body. ---- explains Oleg Palchyk.
“Bakhmut 2023. There is a confusing story, without specifics, but, most likely, this is a Ukrainian serviceman who was wounded and then froze. He appeared here, as well as the inscription “With Christmas from Prigozhin” on the night of January 6 to 7. For Christmas. The police and services, of course, did not give us a specific answer, what kind of man it was, but to understand by the form ---- It is also impossible.” ---- explains George Ivanchenko.
“In my opinion, this is a sensitive photo. On a destroyed bridge in Irpen, a Territorial Defense fighter reassures an elderly man. There are explosions in the background.” ----says Alexander Ratushnyak.
“This picture reminds me a bit of Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. It shows how desperately emergency personnel extinguish the fire and search for people under the rubble. The problem was also that gas continued to burn under the rubble, which they could not turn off. Because of this, people under the rubble were trapped. Rescuers tried to extinguish the fire as soon as possible in order to have time to pull people alive from under the rubble. For me, this photo is meaningful because I was with those firefighters, breathing in that smoke and steam, seeing and experiencing everything that they did.” ----says Eugene Gartner.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
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This year marks 10 years since the Russians are trying to kill Ukrainians, and February 24 is the second anniversary of how the northern neighbor wants to achieve its goal with particular brutality. The largest war in Europe since World War II is multifaceted, it has many faces, symbols, images, heroes that convey its essence. War is in touch, in the eyes and hearts of civilians and military, in the helping hand of rescuers, it is in the trenches and in empty ruined houses, in the walls of rehabilitation centers, in the temporarily occupied Mariupol and Bakhmut, in the dilapidated Nikopol and wounded Kharkiv, in the heart of Kiev and on the Black Sea coast. War is not a geographical concept, it is omnipresent.
What kind of war did those who look at it through the prism of their camera see? What is hidden behind the frames that are seared into the memory of the photographers themselves? For the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion, the UAFF has collected key images of Ukrainian documentarians that highlight pain, loss, invulnerability, humanity, hope, home and everything that takes away or adds to the word “war”.
“This photo for me is the best illustration of true feelings and mutual support. A photograph of hope and light, which are more difficult to find every day.” ----says Ekaterina Moskalyuk.
Ivan Marchak is the hero of the picture of Kateryna Moskalyuk. He serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine since the fall of 2021. He met a full-scale war in the village of Malekine near Mariupol. The soldier received the badge “For exemplary service”. In October 2022, he evacuated the liberated territories in the Kherson region, and a few months later, in February 2023, he was wounded while performing a combat mission. He underwent prosthetics and rehabilitation at the Superhumans Center, where the documentary filmmaker met him and his wife.
Zhytomyr ----the photographer's hometown, which was attacked by the Russians in the early hours of the invasion on February 24, 2022.
“I arrived in the city on the third day of the war to see how my hometown and its inhabitants were experiencing the invasion. The first rockets have already hit the city, the Zhytomyr-Kiev highway has been cut, and fighting has already been raging in the north and west of the region. People were shocked and frightened, but wanted to protect their city and country. They could make a choice: run away or defend. The city was preparing for the encirclement, following the example of Chernihiv, Sumy, Kherson or Mariupol. In the early days it was still possible. Many people joined the Armed Forces, and unarmed people built barricades around the city, learned how to throw Molotov cocktails at Russian tanks as they approached the city. ----tells Vyacheslav Ratinsky.
“For me, this photo carries light and hope for the future, no matter what.” ---- explains Pavel Dorogoy.
“I took this photo in the most difficult conditions in which I shot: at training, quickly going into service with weapons, in armor and with a shoulder bag heavily soaked from the constant rain. Knowing that I would not have access to the camera, I even updated the phone before mobilizing so that it shot as best as possible. Actually, it was filmed on him. In short, while I was a civilian photographer, I lacked an inside look, and that's how I saw what it was like to be a military man, in my own skin. And now I have the opportunity to devote all my photographic attention to the topic of war,” says Valentin Kuzan, who now serves as a photocorrespondent of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade named after the Black Zaporozhtsy.
“We chose this particular photo because it was taken in the most difficult and dangerous conditions. In this picture you can see how terrible the routine of our military is, and how cruel this war is.”---- Vlada Liberova noted.
“Ecoticide is the destruction of Ukrainian nature in the Black Sea by the military actions of the Rashists. Since the beginning of the invasion of the Rashists and their military actions, the Black Sea has recorded the mass death of dolphins and other representatives of the marine fauna. ----comments Yevgeny Samuchenko.
“This photo shows the horror faced by civilians on the front lines. Then the Russians were destroying Bakhmut daily, fighting was already on the outskirts of the city. ---- says Yakov Lyashenko.
“No one knew that there was anyone else in this village of Teterivske. At that moment, the Russians actively covered the village with shells. 90-year-old grandfather Valentin did not want to run away from his almost destroyed house. We had to run, but we couldn't leave without him. Grandfather managed to save on a toothpick. Valentine took a portrait of his youth from home. The pressofitter of the 10th brigade is somewhere 2 km to the car, this is how my grandfather drove. Then we gave it to volunteers. Somewhere in Zhytomyr he was found by his son. Now I know that this grandfather is dead. He passed away for eternity among his relatives and from old age, and not in solitude and through war. ---- narrates Marian Kushnir.
“It's hard for me to add words to this photo. Such is the truth of war. But besides blood and death, I see here rage and mutual aid.” ---- explains Evgeny Zavgorodny.
“The man received a shrapnel wound to the chest. He is in serious condition. Despite the constant threat of enemy attacks, rescuers successfully pulled him and the woman's body from under the rubble of their home. Nikopol, located on the right bank of the Dnieper, is under constant attack as Russian troops occupy the left bank of the river.” ----says Alexander Rupeta.
“I worked for a long time on environmental ecology issues, highlighted the consequences of the work of factories in Mariupol. Now this photo and this story have taken on a completely different meaning. Problems, challenges and symbolism are completely different. And I chose this particular picture because I miss my Mariupol and my Donetsk region.” ----explains Sergey Korovayny.
“The key for me is the photo I took at the beginning of the invasion. Then the Russians only withdrew from Kharkov and North Saltovka became safer. I was able to see this area from the height of the 16th floor and visually assess the scale of the destruction“, ---- explained Alexander Magula.
“This is a story about a soldier who, having lost a leg while serving in the ATO, not only refused the status of a victim, but also returned to the ranks of the Armed Forces when a full-scale invasion began. The lack of one leg for him is not an obstacle, but only a new challenge. And here he is — not just a driver, but a driver of a huge truck carrying a C-60 gun. Imagine: a huge car roaring like a beast, under the command of a man who, with the help of a crutch and his indomitable spirit, drives it almost better than any other driver. This military is a living symbol of the fact that nothing is impossible for those who have true courage and unshakable faith in their own strength. It demonstrates that limitation is only a state of mind, not of the body. ---- explains Oleg Palchyk.
“Bakhmut 2023. There is a confusing story, without specifics, but, most likely, this is a Ukrainian serviceman who was wounded and then froze. He appeared here, as well as the inscription “With Christmas from Prigozhin” on the night of January 6 to 7. For Christmas. The police and services, of course, did not give us a specific answer, what kind of man it was, but to understand by the form ---- It is also impossible.” ---- explains George Ivanchenko.
“In my opinion, this is a sensitive photo. On a destroyed bridge in Irpen, a Territorial Defense fighter reassures an elderly man. There are explosions in the background.” ----says Alexander Ratushnyak.
“This picture reminds me a bit of Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. It shows how desperately emergency personnel extinguish the fire and search for people under the rubble. The problem was also that gas continued to burn under the rubble, which they could not turn off. Because of this, people under the rubble were trapped. Rescuers tried to extinguish the fire as soon as possible in order to have time to pull people alive from under the rubble. For me, this photo is meaningful because I was with those firefighters, breathing in that smoke and steam, seeing and experiencing everything that they did.” ----says Eugene Gartner.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
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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