They Were Not Soldiers

This curated project shares photographs and personal perspectives from the Ukrainian front lines, focusing on the lived experiences of those often reduced to a single label. Through their own images, it explores how fathers, daughters, and ordinary people cope, survive, and hold onto humanity in extraordinary circumstances.

A Prisoner Near Kostiantynivka

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“We captured an enemy soldier! He’s originally from Belarus. He was working in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was arrested by the Russian police for selling drugs, and they gave him a choice: either spend 10 years in prison or sign a military contract and go fight in Ukraine!
And now here he is — a POW near Kostiantynivka! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

We gave him a German machine gun from World War II to hold!!!!!
After all, apparently we’re all “fascists” here in Ukraine 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣”

-submitted by Commander Serhii Kashyrin, Gimli Division”