How far would you go to defend your loved ones? To protect your city, your country, your people? We might think we know the answers to these questions but only when we are faced with great adversity can we know our true strength.
When the war in Ukraine started, hundreds of thousands of civilians left their previous lives behind, and volunteered to protect their homeland. Who are these people? Is such bravery superhuman, or the most intrinsic human trait there is?
On day 2 of the war, we reached out to Ukraine’s Julia Kochetova, a phenomenal young photographer, and commissioned her to make a portrait series of defenders. In the months that followed, Julia focused on the people who stayed to fight, often becoming someone entirely new overnight. For DEFENDERS she used old soviet prism lenses to visualise how Russia shattered the lives of Ukrainians – but couldn’t break the country’s spirit.
“Every journalist wants a nice picture, but the reality is not like that,” says 21-year-old Nastya, one of the featured defenders, while treating an amputation wound. She was planning to become a nurse before the war – but instead, she became a full-time animal rescue volunteer. At her temporary house, you’ll find almost 30 dogs – all of them rescued from the Kyiv region.
“This constant cycle of goodness, this purity – without an expectation of a "thank you", it is a wonderful feeling,” shares Danylo Golota, who was a CEO before the start of the war, and now a volunteer. Despite the missiles and bombs he decided to stay in Kiev together with his wife Mary, an ex-running coach, who explains: “We immediately realized that we were not going anywhere. We immediately got involved in volunteering – it was inevitable.”
“Our huge goal justifies this fear. I love Ukraine and Ukrainians. I'm not afraid to die,” says Tanya Romaniuk, who used to be a university mentor, and is now a Red Cross volunteer.
These are just glimpses into the endless stories of bravery and honor. Words and images of resilience and courage. In the face of sheer horror and darkness, these defenders have decided to choose hope, light and humanity.
DEFENDERS is part of our Being Ukraine series, where we at Fine Acts have been working with amazing Ukrainian artists on creative collaborations focusing on the immense power and resilience of Ukrainian people.