Along Closed Roads of Ukraine
For over eleven years, Ukraine has been embroiled in a war with Russia, which commenced in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions by Russian-backed forces. The lack of significant international repercussions for these initial acts of aggression allowed Russia’s imperial ambitions to grow unchecked, culminating in the full-scale invasion of 2022.
Today, three years into this brutal, large-scale conflict, the initial solidarity of Ukraine’s allies shows signs of strain. The stated commitment to support Ukraine indefinitely is being challenged by national self-interest. While Ukraine endures relentless destruction, this conflict between pledges of aid and the desire to maintain a safe distance raises a sobering question: can smaller nations truly be secure when they find themselves in the geopolitical sphere of influence of a far more powerful and aggressive neighbor?
While the allies are still discussing how to stop Russia, Ukraine is losing more and more of its citizens in a desperate attempt to stay independent.
Alexander Vasukovich
Alexander Vasiukovich is an independent photographer based in Warsaw, Poland. Born in Minsk in 1985, Alexander has dedicated his work primarily to human rights and social injustice.
He covered the 2020 protests against Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, an experience that led to his arrest and a three-year sentence. This forced him to flee his hometown and seek asylum in Poland.
Alexander has been documenting events in Ukraine since the Euromaidan protests in 2013 and the war’s onset in 2014, and he continues to cover the full-scale invasion.