Moments from the Battleground

A Brief Summary of the Project

War devastates everything. It cripples human souls, destroys buildings, and harms nature.  There are no winners and no losers.  All that remains are destruction, pain, and suffering.  War puts an unforgettable footprint on everything that it touches.

On February 24, 2022, Ukraine woke up to bombing, shelling, and an air raid alert. Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since, dozens of cities and villages have been destroyed, thousands of people have been killed, and millions have fled.  For nearly a decade, I have documented various aspects of the confrontation and unrest between Russia and Ukraine, Photographing the conflict from both sides from the Ukrainian Revolution, the annexation of Crimea, and the beginning of the war in Eastern Ukraine. What we are witnessing today is a final epic battle for freedom and democracy, the outcome of which is immensely important not just for the people of Ukraine, but also for a united Europe and the whole civilized world.  I can’t stay away from such an important historical period for the country, so I continue chronicling Ukraine in its period of self-affirmation as an independent country.  My work concentrates on the aftermath and the outcome of this battle between Soviet and European values.

I cannot get used to the fact that there is not a single day without war.  You can consume as much as you like in the news, magazines, YouTube, and on television but until the war comes to you, you will never understand what war is.  It is very unusual to live in anticipation of the first day of peace.

I invite you to view the photographs that I have taken and read in the captions the details I’ve chronicled as I have travelled through Ukraine over the past 24 months.

Thank you for supporting me and my work.

Maxim Dondyuk