Maria Volkova, who lives in the centre of the Kyiv, has been photographing her city since Russia’s Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion.
01 March 2022
A Ukrainian photographer has documented the “proud and determined” people of Kyiv after almost a week of military action from Russia.
Maria Volkova, who lives in the centre of the city, has photographed civilians and soldiers in the capital city since the Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion on Thursday.
Her black and white photographs, shot on a Canon 60D, depict Ukrainian soldiers, civilians and the destruction seen on the streets on her hometown.
In one photograph a child can be seen sheltering in the corner of Kyiv’s Metro station surrounded by bags of belongings and dressed in a winter coat and hat.
In another, civilians are seen huddled together trying to sleep under a blanket, wearing layers of clothing.
Ms Volkova, who was born in Kyiv but grew up in Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, described the mood of the people in the capital as “proud” and “determined”.
“I’m working with a war correspondent from France, who enlightens the situation in Kyiv from inside,” she told the PA news agency.
“We’ve met civilian guys who became members of territory defence parts and took a weapon for the first time in their lives (and) a family with three kids that are leaving Kyiv ‘for nowhere’.
“I spent a night in metro to see what’s going on there, went to the place where Ukrainian soldiers stopped an invasion… and followed a restaurant owner who makes free dinners for policemen and prepares Molotov cocktails instead of the alcohol cocktails.”
Her photographs show soldiers wearing camouflage trousers, jackets and helmets, carrying weapons and ammunition across rubble strewn streets.
While others show scenes of cars with smashed windows, makeshift road blocks occupied by territorial soldiers and a person holding a handful of bullets.
The UN refugee agency says that about 660,000 people have fled Ukraine for neighbouring countries since the Russian invasion began.
