“I WILL RETURN”: a documentary photo project by Oleksandra Zborovska
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“I WILL RETURN” is a documentary photo project created within the framework of the UAPP microgrant program.
This project tells the story of artist Daria Zymenko, a story in which occupation, violence, survival, and art are intertwined. In February-March 2022, Daria survived the Russian occupation of Kyiv region with her family, suffered sexual violence by the Russian military, and dared to speak out about it.
The project combines documentary photography from the village of Havronshchyna a Kyiv, places where a personal and at the same time typical war story unfolds, with artistic collages and drawings by Daria herself, created as an act of memory, resistance, and therapy.
It is not only a visual testimony, but also a space for reflection. A space where a voice is born out of pain. A space where a woman who survived says: “I will return”.
I WILL RETURN
The story of the artist Daria Zymenko, who in February-March 2022 survived the occupation in Kyiv region with her family and is a survivor of sexual violence committed by the Russian military. Daria decided to tell her story publicly and is cooperating with law enforcement.
This project is a collaboration with Daria. It consists of two parts: a documentary and a fiction. I began and continue to shoot the documentary part in the village of Havronshchyna (Kyiv region, Bucha district), where the events took place, as well as in Kyiv, where the heroine lives. The artistic part is Daria's collages and drawings, including those created during the occupation, which are her artistic and therapeutic practice.
This is a testimonial project and a reflection project. Its task is to tell a story of strength and courage, to convey painful personal experiences, and to give a voice to survivors. Daria's story is one of many. Some voices we will never hear because they died. Some are silent. We need to understand that sexual violence in the occupied territories is a weapon of the Russians. It knows neither gender nor age. It is a way to break a person, a way to subdue them. In March 2022, we were all half a step away from this. Kidnappings, torture and rape in the occupied territories continue to this day.
Daria's father lives here now, and the house used to belong to her grandparents. On the first day of the full-scale invasion, the whole family was here.
“I thought it was better to be together as a family at such moments” - from a conversation with Daria Zymenko
“This small window served us as a 'gap to the world'. In the first days of the invasion, we watched the movement of Russian vehicles from here and saw the Russian military surrounding the village.” - from a conversation with Daria Zymenko.
Februar 2025.
“On the third day of the invasion, we lost power and communication. During the first week, heavy shelling began, we hid in the cellar and spent most of our time there.” - from a conversation with Daria Zymenko.
“The worst thing started when the occupiers started walking around the houses. They were rioters, they were with guns all the time and were drunk almost all the time. They said: we received a signal that someone called from your house and handed over positions. They said, “We have orders to destroy those who have done this.” from a conversation with Daria Zimenko.
“The whole family was interrogated, it lasted about 4 hours. They said: either we will kill all of you, or the one who did it.It was very scary. We thought we would die in this house,” - from a conversation with Daria Zymenko.
“We were lined up in a row in the kitchen and threatened with execution. They said they would do it with one bullet to make it faster and more economical. They asked: do you want it outside or in the house? Maybe you don't want to stain the walls with your blood? Then the chief shot into the ceiling and said that this is a warning and next time we will be shot,” - from a conversation with Daria Zymenko.
“Buryat put me in the car, pulled a hat over my eyes so that I could not see anything and took me to the neighbors' house, which at that time was empty,” - from a conversation with Daria Zymenko.
“He took my hand and took me to the second floor. He put me on the bed and told me to undress,” — from a conversation with Daria Zymenko.
“I was frozen, my body was somewhere apart. I walked out of it and waited for it to end. Maybe it saved me” — from a conversation with Daria Zymenko.
“When I left the occupation, I felt like I was devastated. It's like I don't have guts, I don't have a soul, I'm just a shell of a human — and that's it. Over time, I tried to fill it with something new: awareness, life, emotions, communication with people.” — from a conversation with Daria Zimenko.
“For a long time I did not dare to talk about it and give demonstrations to law enforcement officers. The hardest thing was to tell Dad. And then there was awareness of what was happening, therapy, dealing with trauma, and choosing justice,” — from a conversation with Daria Zimenko.
“It was difficult for us to get along with Dima immediately after the occupation, because everyone had their own devastation,” - from a conversation with Daria Zymenko.
“We are now overcoming each of our own psychological trauma, each with our own psychologist. We trust each other, speak frankly and walk the path of recovery together” — from a conversation with Daria Zymenko.
For According to the Office of the Attorney GeneralAs of the beginning of November 2024, 326 facts of SNPC (Sexual Violence Related to Conflict) have been recorded. Of these, 209 - for women, 117 - for men, 17 - for minors.
The largest number of cases of SNPC was recorded in Kherson region - 103, in Donetsk region - 77 and in Kyiv region - 59. These figures in no way reflect the real state of affairs. The number of victims of sexual violence is much higher, war and occupation continue.
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