UNDER FIRE

a second year under russian occupation

mala rohan, march 16, 2023

as the russian war grinds through its second year, russia continues to indiscriminately bomb Ukrainian civilians; the violence has further escalated during the Ukrainian counteroffensive and russian vengeance has exponentially increased the suffering of the Ukrainian people by blowing up the Kakhovka dam and increased aerial strikes across all of Ukraine

8 million Ukrainians have fled their homeland and 5.3 million are internally displaced in Ukraine without adequate access heat, water, electricity, food, medical care and basic necessities

most of them live in rural and de-occupied areas of east Ukraine and represent the most vulnerable segments of the population: women, children and the elderly

bobodyanka

march 8, 2023

borodyanka march 8, 2023

mala rohan, march 16, 2023

we are not helpless bystanders

we are not helpless bystanders

photo женя титаренко

they fight alone

they are traumatized, exhausted and live under constant threat of shelling, missile and drone attacks

many of them have endured unimaginable violence and loss under russian occupation: bombing, shelling, kidnapping, torture, rape, executions, loss of their loved ones and homes and livelihoods

kyiv, march 8, 2023

a second year into the conflict, even with help finally arriving, there remains a large chasm of urgently unmet need for specialized military equipment, protective gear and basic supplies for front-line defenders and all aspects of humanitarian aid for civilians

year ago, the world watched in horror what the russian occupiers did in Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka…and dozens of small villages that never make the news; it only took the russians 33 days to commit the wholesale crime scene of atrocities there

mala rohan, march 16, 2023

snihurivka, february 8, 2023

snihurivka february 8, 2023

eastern parts of Ukraine were under occupation for much longer, some for 8 months before the russians were pushed back eastward

today 17% of Ukraine remains under russian occupation, where people have been trapped with russia’s violent criminals, murders and rapists for over a year

imagine the horrors we will uncover in Mariupol when it is finally liberated

bobodyanka, march 8, 2023

the international community has been slow to respond politically, militarily and economically: countries and international institutions posture and deliberate about what to do and large humanitarian aid organizations are bogged down by overhead, administration, internal politics and lack of agility to respond to dynamic conditions

nova saltivka march 16, 2023

the horrors pictured here represent those who are lucky: their cities, towns and villages were liberated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine last fall

nova saltivka, march 17, 2023

kharkiv, march 14, 2023

kharkiv, march 15, 2023