I traveled to Ukraine twice last year, visited Kyiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and many other regions to gauge how cultural institutions were faring in the country’s second year at war. The initial idea of visiting Ukraine to spend time with Pavlo Aldoshyn, a Ukrainian actor who plays the protagonist in the film “Sniper: The White Raven” who became a real sniper without any military background. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Aldoshyn enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces—where he became a sniper.
I wanted to photograph Pavlo’s life between reality and fiction almost like a theatre of war. I visited schools, churches, museums, and performance halls—some destroyed, others still standing—and the people l met there, who were all making do as best they could. Before a show at the Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater
@operahouse.od.ua an announcement informed spectators of where to go in the event of a missile strike. Then the curtain rose, and the ballet began.
l am so thankful and grateful to work with an amazing editor
@kathumphries , for her patience and understanding during the hard times of this assignment. And dear
@magnumphotos friends especially
@giuliettapalumbo , and ofcourse
@paldoshyn for sharing his story and for unforgettable time together.
@leonovanastiia for all kind of help.
@anastasiapiliavsky for your uniq friendship and support and
@postdecadance . My lab in Istanbul
@fotoanalogue and dear
@jasoneskenazi 🩵
We need to end the occupation in Ukraine and in Palestine.
To read the full article at
@harpersmagazine link in my bio.
