Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, over 6.5 million Ukrainians have been driven from their homes to neighboring countries. A new series of powerful images shines a light on the ongoing struggle as these refugees rebuild new lives across Europe.
For Inversion, photographer Danila Tkachenko enlists the help of photojournalists covering the war in Ukraine. He enlarges their images showing the destructive effects of war, places them in well-known areas of Europe, and then asks Ukrainian refugees to pose in front of them. The powerful images are a poignant reminder of what these people left behind and the suffering of their homeland.
By positioning the large images in front of well-known monuments like the Colosseum and the Louvre, Tkachenko provides a stark contrast between these European hubs and war torn Ukraine.
Interestingly, Tkachenko is Russian. While this made the project a bit more challenging, as many Ukrainians did not trust him, others were drawn to this show of support for their country.
Tkachenko, who is based in Milan, was inspired to create the series to shine a light on the protracted war and the millions of Ukrainians who lost their homes. The photographer left Russia after vocalizing his opposition to the Russian invasion.
“I openly supported Ukraine and made several anti-war actions in Moscow for which the Russian authorities put me on the wanted list and falsified a criminal case against me,” he says. “They persecuted my family and friends. I managed to leave Russia and seek political asylum in Europe.”
He hopes that Inversion will inspire others to step up and support Ukraine in battling against Russian forces, and doesn't mince words when it comes to his opinion of Russia's invasion.
“I hope that people will start to support Ukraine more and give it more military aid,” he tells My Modern Met. “Russia today is unfortunately a terrorist country and no amount of negotiations with it can stop its military aggression.”
Scroll down to see more images from the series and follow Tkachenko's work on Instagram.
Photographer Danila Tkachenko shines a light on the protracted war in Ukraine with Inversion.
In the series, he has Ukrainian refugees across Europe pose in front of enlarged images showing the destruction of their homeland.
Tkachenko, who is Russian, was also forced to leave his country due to his vocal opposition of the war in Ukraine.
It's estimated that 6.5 million Ukrainians were forced to leave their homes and move to neighboring countries since the start of the war in 2022.
