We continue to share the documentary projects of the finalists within the framework of the grant support of documentary photographers from the UAFF, implemented with the support of the International Press Institute.
Elena Grom works at the intersection of social reporting and conceptual photography. On the topics of the life of refugees and displaced persons, she works in the territory of active hostilities and in the de-occupied territory. The artist sees her “mission” in highlighting the lives of people who found themselves in the “gray zone” or zone close to hostilities. The “Generation” project highlights the life and everyday life of children in Kharkiv region.
Since 2016, I have been documenting the lives of children of war. About 14,000 children lived in Donbas. Many of them had no life without war, for others war is already half a life. As a result of Russia's full-scale offensive, the geography and scale of the war changed: the cities of Donbass were destroyed, the children I photographed fell into occupation, became refugees, were injured. Some died.
I believe that it is necessary to maintain the discourse about children of war, so I created the photo project “Generation”. I document the life of young people who will soon become a full-fledged part of Ukrainian society. These children will gain identity cards, the right to vote and choose their future, gain powers and responsibilities, and inherit the mistakes and traumas of previous generations. They will have to carry on their shoulders a future that will grow out of today's militarized reality.
Zlata lives with her parents in Kharkiv region. Their village was under Russian occupation for eight months. The girl's house is located near the road, along which columns of Russian equipment walked around the clock. The house was scary: the girl's family lived in the basement for several months. The floor was covered with hay, on which they slept, warmed from the “bourgeoisie”. There was no electricity or communication in the village. After the de-occupation, more than a year has passed and memories of the horrors of war are dulled. However, the war does not let itself be forgotten — sometimes in the village you can hear the sounds of explosions.
Yaroslav is in the first grade. He lives in a de-occupied village of Kharkiv region. All children in the village study online. The boy loves mathematics and dreams of becoming a military man. In the first days of a full-scale offensive, the Russians shelled the village of Yaroslava. Most of the village went down to the basement of the school to hide from the shelling. A shell flew into the shelter and killed one man on the spot. The second man was seriously injured and died in hospital. The boy and his family were then in the cellar of their home. They spent several months there, without light and heat. Russian soldiers constantly came to the boy's house with searches. Each time they checked all the rooms and threw things out of the chiffonier — they were looking for someone.
Bogdani is 7 years old and she is in second grade. Bohdana lives with her parents, brother and sister in a de-occupied village of Kharkiv region. Her favorite activity is singing and dancing. However, it cannot develop in this direction. The House of Culture is destroyed and children are not able to attend the circles. In the early days of the war, the Russians heavily shelled their village. All the people were sitting in basements, and the neighbor did not hide and died in his kitchen. On February 26, a shell flew into his house.
People living in the village were forced to hide in basements for several months, living without heat, light, communication, water and the most necessary things.
Sofia is in the second grade. Like the rest of the children in her village, she is engaged online. Sofia loves to watch cartoons and draw. The girl with her older brother and parents lives in a de-occupied village of Kharkiv region. They spent the whole time of the occupation in the village and saw how Russian troops entered the village in March last year, and in September they fled under the pressure of the Armed Forces. The girl's house was damaged during the shelling. Fortunately, Sofia and her family were in the basement at that moment.
Alyoni is five years old. The educational process in kindergarten takes place online. The girl loves her dog Tim and often draws him. Alena's house is located in the Kharkiv region, from where it was almost impossible to leave during the occupation. Like most locals, the girl's parents stayed in the village. Some of them did not want to leave the house, farm, place of birth. Some thought the war would end quickly. Someone simply did not have time — but all of them ended up in occupation in Kharkiv region. Sometimes people were able to leave, but under the minute threat of shelling. During the fighting, Alyona was very afraid of the sounds of aviation. Russian helicopters and planes often circled over their village, and the girl was looking for shelter at these moments.
Sergey is in 6th grade and dreams of being a police officer. He lives in a de-occupied village of Kharkiv region. The boy and his parents were in his native village all the time of the occupation. Near the village, the Russians built a military base where they stored and launched Point-U missiles (according to an investigation by Human Rights Watch). The village suffered greatly from Russian aggression and occupation. It is impossible to imagine what fear the children experienced during the shelling.
Before the full-scale invasion, Anastasia lived together with her mother Tatiana in Kharkiv. In the first days of the war, Nastya was evacuated to the Dnieper, and later to Lviv. There the girl learned that her mother had died. Anastasia sheltered a family-type house, but she could not adapt there. In the end, the girl was adopted by Tatyana, an old acquaintance of Nastya and her mother. Currently, Nastya and her new family live in a liberated village of Kharkiv region.
Sofia and her brother live in the village of Kharkiv region, which has been under Russian occupation for almost 8 months. The first months of the war, the girl and her family spent in the basement, hiding from shelling. During the fighting, Sofia often heard shells and rockets flying over the house. After the de-occupation, it became quieter, but sometimes distant sounds of battle or rocket attacks can still be heard. Despite the difficult period in the life of the girl, she grows up to be a cheerful and inquisitive child. Sofia is in 4th grade. She is interested in art and drawing, and she also adores her hamster Homa.
Margarita spent the entire period of Russian occupation at home in the village of Kharkiv region. The girl is studying online in the second grade. In settlements that are in close proximity to the front, schools do not work and all children there study online. Popular targets for Russians are civilian facilities, including kindergartens. Schools and kindergartens in many Ukrainian cities were destroyed by the Russians. The situation in Kharkiv region is difficult, as the region is constantly subjected to enemy shelling. In such extreme conditions, only some kindergartens have opened part-time groups, and mostly children are in online classes.
Victoria lives with her older brother and parents in a de-occupied village of Kharkiv region. The girl is interested in history, loves to draw. Helps mom take care of rabbits. During the occupation, they had a cow sick and people could not access a veterinarian. The cow died, the family missed their beloved. Once Russian soldiers found a stray cow in the forest. Probably, its owners died or abandoned the animal, fleeing the war. The Russians caught the cow and brought it to Victoria's mother, ordering it to be looked after. In a few weeks, the Russians returned and wanted to shoot the animal right in the yard. Victoria's mother begged: “We are in the center of the village, do not shoot! There are a lot of children living around here.” They tied the cow to the car and tore it to the landing. The poor animal was carried from side to side. The cow fell, moaned and roared. Victoria's mother cried when she looked at it. The Russian soldiers occupying the village of Victoria were particularly cruel. The homes of local residents were constantly searched. One morning on August 29, they came to the girl's home. The military asked Vika's parents: “Are you handing over the coordinates?”. After that, they began to search the house. They went into the sleeping girl's room and switched the machines. Victoria's mother began to beg that they not frighten her daughter. Soldiers grabbed Vika's father and brother and led them outside. A gun was put to his brother's forehead, threatening to kill, and his father was taken into a car and electrocuted.
Rostislav together with his parents lives in Kharkiv region. His village was occupied by Russian troops for 8 months. Rostik's mother recalls that during the occupation, columns of military equipment went through the village, and there were thousands of Russians themselves. There was no electricity or communication, the shops did not work. They ate what was in store. They hid in the basement from the shelling. Rostik's house was damaged in the shelling. Rostislav came under fire several times. Once he and his mother walked through the center of the village and began shelling the hail. People fell on the road and lay down until it was over. Rostislav's school is destroyed, so he studies online. The boy loves to ride a bicycle and dreams of giving Ukrainian soldiers a drone to protect them from the Russians.
Vanya is passionate about electronics and dreams of becoming a blogger. There are no circles or any interest classes in the village. The only source of information for the boy is the Internet. Vani's school is ruined, so he studies online in fifth grade. The boy's house was also damaged in the shelling. In the first months of the full-scale offensive, she and her mother hid from shelling in the cellar. The locals tried to stay as far away from the Russian military as possible. The Russians constantly grabbed something from the locals — a rope, a saucepan, an ax, then they were looking for moonshine. Sometimes the soldiers stopped near the locals and switched the shutters, intimidating them.
Before the full-scale offensive, Vanya with his older sister and parents lived in Izyum. The Russians began shelling Izum from the first day of the offensive. To hide from shelling, people sat in basements. On March 3, an air bomb fell on their house. The boy's parents were in the house, and Vanya and her sister were sitting in the basement. Mom was thrown away by an explosive wave and she received a slight contusion, her father was wounded by a fragment and he lay unconscious for a long time. Vani's house was completely destroyed, but her parents miraculously survived. For several days the family huddled with friends, and on March 6 they evacuated to another village in the Kharkiv region, to their relatives. At that time, this settlement was under the control of Ukraine. But later it was captured by Russian troops. The boy's family was under occupation. One summer, Vanya and his family were digging potatoes in the garden and a Russian plane flew over them. The boy and his sister fell to the ground and could not get up for a long time. Having a traumatic experience, they were afraid that the plane would start bombing. The children cried and asked their mother to take them out of the village. On August 15, they left for Lutsk and returned to the village after the de-occupation. Despite the fact that the front moved away from the village, the sounds of battle sometimes reached Vani's hut.
Wari is 13 and she dreams of becoming president. The girl's school is destroyed, she, like all the children in the village, cannot get a full education. Varya lives in a large family, she has three brothers and two older sisters. They live in a liberated village of Kharkiv region. Throughout the occupation, the family was at home. Cole's fourteen-year-old brother was wounded in the back by a cassette shell. The boy underwent a complicated operation on his spine and survived. The younger brother, who was 4 years old, knew well that when the shelling began, you had to jump under the wall, and if the shelling intensified, you had to move to the cellar. During the fighting, Wari's house was damaged. At the moment, the girl's parents are trying to improve their lives and renovate the house.
Olena Grom was born in Donetsk. Since 2015, she studied at Bird In Flight photo school, Viktor Marushchenko photo school, art business school.
Elena works at the intersection of social reporting and conceptual photography.
Thunder sees its “mission” in highlighting the lives of people caught in the “gray zone” or zone close to hostilities.
Life in spite of everything is one of the main themes of the artist.
Finalist of LensCulture Portrait Awards UK, YICCA International Contest of Contemporary Art, Kaunas Photo Star Lithuania, Slovak Press Photo, The Tokyo International Foto Awards.
It was exhibited in Europe, in the USA, Japan, Colombia.
Read also: Documentary projects of 10 microgrant finalists from UAPP
We continue to share the documentary projects of the finalists within the framework of the grant support of documentary photographers from the UAFF, implemented with the support of the International Press Institute.
Elena Grom works at the intersection of social reporting and conceptual photography. On the topics of the life of refugees and displaced persons, she works in the territory of active hostilities and in the de-occupied territory. The artist sees her “mission” in highlighting the lives of people who found themselves in the “gray zone” or zone close to hostilities. The “Generation” project highlights the life and everyday life of children in Kharkiv region.
Since 2016, I have been documenting the lives of children of war. About 14,000 children lived in Donbas. Many of them had no life without war, for others war is already half a life. As a result of Russia's full-scale offensive, the geography and scale of the war changed: the cities of Donbass were destroyed, the children I photographed fell into occupation, became refugees, were injured. Some died.
I believe that it is necessary to maintain the discourse about children of war, so I created the photo project “Generation”. I document the life of young people who will soon become a full-fledged part of Ukrainian society. These children will gain identity cards, the right to vote and choose their future, gain powers and responsibilities, and inherit the mistakes and traumas of previous generations. They will have to carry on their shoulders a future that will grow out of today's militarized reality.
Zlata lives with her parents in Kharkiv region. Their village was under Russian occupation for eight months. The girl's house is located near the road, along which columns of Russian equipment walked around the clock. The house was scary: the girl's family lived in the basement for several months. The floor was covered with hay, on which they slept, warmed from the “bourgeoisie”. There was no electricity or communication in the village. After the de-occupation, more than a year has passed and memories of the horrors of war are dulled. However, the war does not let itself be forgotten — sometimes in the village you can hear the sounds of explosions.
Yaroslav is in the first grade. He lives in a de-occupied village of Kharkiv region. All children in the village study online. The boy loves mathematics and dreams of becoming a military man. In the first days of a full-scale offensive, the Russians shelled the village of Yaroslava. Most of the village went down to the basement of the school to hide from the shelling. A shell flew into the shelter and killed one man on the spot. The second man was seriously injured and died in hospital. The boy and his family were then in the cellar of their home. They spent several months there, without light and heat. Russian soldiers constantly came to the boy's house with searches. Each time they checked all the rooms and threw things out of the chiffonier — they were looking for someone.
Bogdani is 7 years old and she is in second grade. Bohdana lives with her parents, brother and sister in a de-occupied village of Kharkiv region. Her favorite activity is singing and dancing. However, it cannot develop in this direction. The House of Culture is destroyed and children are not able to attend the circles. In the early days of the war, the Russians heavily shelled their village. All the people were sitting in basements, and the neighbor did not hide and died in his kitchen. On February 26, a shell flew into his house.
People living in the village were forced to hide in basements for several months, living without heat, light, communication, water and the most necessary things.
Sofia is in the second grade. Like the rest of the children in her village, she is engaged online. Sofia loves to watch cartoons and draw. The girl with her older brother and parents lives in a de-occupied village of Kharkiv region. They spent the whole time of the occupation in the village and saw how Russian troops entered the village in March last year, and in September they fled under the pressure of the Armed Forces. The girl's house was damaged during the shelling. Fortunately, Sofia and her family were in the basement at that moment.
Alyoni is five years old. The educational process in kindergarten takes place online. The girl loves her dog Tim and often draws him. Alena's house is located in the Kharkiv region, from where it was almost impossible to leave during the occupation. Like most locals, the girl's parents stayed in the village. Some of them did not want to leave the house, farm, place of birth. Some thought the war would end quickly. Someone simply did not have time — but all of them ended up in occupation in Kharkiv region. Sometimes people were able to leave, but under the minute threat of shelling. During the fighting, Alyona was very afraid of the sounds of aviation. Russian helicopters and planes often circled over their village, and the girl was looking for shelter at these moments.
Sergey is in 6th grade and dreams of being a police officer. He lives in a de-occupied village of Kharkiv region. The boy and his parents were in his native village all the time of the occupation. Near the village, the Russians built a military base where they stored and launched Point-U missiles (according to an investigation by Human Rights Watch). The village suffered greatly from Russian aggression and occupation. It is impossible to imagine what fear the children experienced during the shelling.
Before the full-scale invasion, Anastasia lived together with her mother Tatiana in Kharkiv. In the first days of the war, Nastya was evacuated to the Dnieper, and later to Lviv. There the girl learned that her mother had died. Anastasia sheltered a family-type house, but she could not adapt there. In the end, the girl was adopted by Tatyana, an old acquaintance of Nastya and her mother. Currently, Nastya and her new family live in a liberated village of Kharkiv region.
Sofia and her brother live in the village of Kharkiv region, which has been under Russian occupation for almost 8 months. The first months of the war, the girl and her family spent in the basement, hiding from shelling. During the fighting, Sofia often heard shells and rockets flying over the house. After the de-occupation, it became quieter, but sometimes distant sounds of battle or rocket attacks can still be heard. Despite the difficult period in the life of the girl, she grows up to be a cheerful and inquisitive child. Sofia is in 4th grade. She is interested in art and drawing, and she also adores her hamster Homa.
Margarita spent the entire period of Russian occupation at home in the village of Kharkiv region. The girl is studying online in the second grade. In settlements that are in close proximity to the front, schools do not work and all children there study online. Popular targets for Russians are civilian facilities, including kindergartens. Schools and kindergartens in many Ukrainian cities were destroyed by the Russians. The situation in Kharkiv region is difficult, as the region is constantly subjected to enemy shelling. In such extreme conditions, only some kindergartens have opened part-time groups, and mostly children are in online classes.
Victoria lives with her older brother and parents in a de-occupied village of Kharkiv region. The girl is interested in history, loves to draw. Helps mom take care of rabbits. During the occupation, they had a cow sick and people could not access a veterinarian. The cow died, the family missed their beloved. Once Russian soldiers found a stray cow in the forest. Probably, its owners died or abandoned the animal, fleeing the war. The Russians caught the cow and brought it to Victoria's mother, ordering it to be looked after. In a few weeks, the Russians returned and wanted to shoot the animal right in the yard. Victoria's mother begged: “We are in the center of the village, do not shoot! There are a lot of children living around here.” They tied the cow to the car and tore it to the landing. The poor animal was carried from side to side. The cow fell, moaned and roared. Victoria's mother cried when she looked at it. The Russian soldiers occupying the village of Victoria were particularly cruel. The homes of local residents were constantly searched. One morning on August 29, they came to the girl's home. The military asked Vika's parents: “Are you handing over the coordinates?”. After that, they began to search the house. They went into the sleeping girl's room and switched the machines. Victoria's mother began to beg that they not frighten her daughter. Soldiers grabbed Vika's father and brother and led them outside. A gun was put to his brother's forehead, threatening to kill, and his father was taken into a car and electrocuted.
Rostislav together with his parents lives in Kharkiv region. His village was occupied by Russian troops for 8 months. Rostik's mother recalls that during the occupation, columns of military equipment went through the village, and there were thousands of Russians themselves. There was no electricity or communication, the shops did not work. They ate what was in store. They hid in the basement from the shelling. Rostik's house was damaged in the shelling. Rostislav came under fire several times. Once he and his mother walked through the center of the village and began shelling the hail. People fell on the road and lay down until it was over. Rostislav's school is destroyed, so he studies online. The boy loves to ride a bicycle and dreams of giving Ukrainian soldiers a drone to protect them from the Russians.
Vanya is passionate about electronics and dreams of becoming a blogger. There are no circles or any interest classes in the village. The only source of information for the boy is the Internet. Vani's school is ruined, so he studies online in fifth grade. The boy's house was also damaged in the shelling. In the first months of the full-scale offensive, she and her mother hid from shelling in the cellar. The locals tried to stay as far away from the Russian military as possible. The Russians constantly grabbed something from the locals — a rope, a saucepan, an ax, then they were looking for moonshine. Sometimes the soldiers stopped near the locals and switched the shutters, intimidating them.
Before the full-scale offensive, Vanya with his older sister and parents lived in Izyum. The Russians began shelling Izum from the first day of the offensive. To hide from shelling, people sat in basements. On March 3, an air bomb fell on their house. The boy's parents were in the house, and Vanya and her sister were sitting in the basement. Mom was thrown away by an explosive wave and she received a slight contusion, her father was wounded by a fragment and he lay unconscious for a long time. Vani's house was completely destroyed, but her parents miraculously survived. For several days the family huddled with friends, and on March 6 they evacuated to another village in the Kharkiv region, to their relatives. At that time, this settlement was under the control of Ukraine. But later it was captured by Russian troops. The boy's family was under occupation. One summer, Vanya and his family were digging potatoes in the garden and a Russian plane flew over them. The boy and his sister fell to the ground and could not get up for a long time. Having a traumatic experience, they were afraid that the plane would start bombing. The children cried and asked their mother to take them out of the village. On August 15, they left for Lutsk and returned to the village after the de-occupation. Despite the fact that the front moved away from the village, the sounds of battle sometimes reached Vani's hut.
Wari is 13 and she dreams of becoming president. The girl's school is destroyed, she, like all the children in the village, cannot get a full education. Varya lives in a large family, she has three brothers and two older sisters. They live in a liberated village of Kharkiv region. Throughout the occupation, the family was at home. Cole's fourteen-year-old brother was wounded in the back by a cassette shell. The boy underwent a complicated operation on his spine and survived. The younger brother, who was 4 years old, knew well that when the shelling began, you had to jump under the wall, and if the shelling intensified, you had to move to the cellar. During the fighting, Wari's house was damaged. At the moment, the girl's parents are trying to improve their lives and renovate the house.
Olena Grom was born in Donetsk. Since 2015, she studied at Bird In Flight photo school, Viktor Marushchenko photo school, art business school.
Elena works at the intersection of social reporting and conceptual photography.
Thunder sees its “mission” in highlighting the lives of people caught in the “gray zone” or zone close to hostilities.
Life in spite of everything is one of the main themes of the artist.
Finalist of LensCulture Portrait Awards UK, YICCA International Contest of Contemporary Art, Kaunas Photo Star Lithuania, Slovak Press Photo, The Tokyo International Foto Awards.
It was exhibited in Europe, in the USA, Japan, Colombia.
Read also: Documentary projects of 10 microgrant finalists from UAPP
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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