A visually stunning and deeply heartfelt project that gives voice to Ukrainian women whose lives have been changed by war.
The Russian Federation launched a military offensive against Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
As of April, more than 5.3 million refugees have fled Ukraine, making this the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II. A further 7.7 million people have been displaced internally within Ukraine. Approximately 13 million people in Ukraine are estimated to be stranded in affected areas or unable to leave due to heightened security risks, the destruction of bridges and roads, as well as a lack of resources or information on where to find safe places and accommodations.
5,317,219 Refugees fleeing Ukraine, 7.7 million internally displaced persons, 12.65 million people directly affected by war. The number of people fleeing their homes continues to increase. Saving themselves and their children from violence, threats of bombing, and shelling, many women were forced to separate from their men temporarily. As a result, thousands of women have faced unforeseen lives in other countries, often alone with children. Thanks to the support of European states, as well as the sympathy of their citizens, they manage to adapt and build their way of life in new conditions. The stories of these women are diverse and bear the full horror of the refugee crisis caused by the war.
Author of the project Chervona Kalina.
It’s me, Alina Ushcheka. I’m a professional photographer, recognized internationally (Silver FIAP, 5 world exhibitions, winner of photo contests).
On March 4, 2022, I left Ukraine with my 7-month-old son and two older children, aged 11 and 13, taking with me at least some belongings. I had helped an elderly woman evacuated from Odessa, as well as two women from Kyiv and Donetsk. Currently, I am alone with three children in Constance, Germany. As a refugee, as a photographer, as a mother of three children, living the current challenging experience, for the second time during the war in a foreign country, seeing the faces, burdens, and difficulties that Ukrainian women now face in other countries in separation from men and close ones, especially women with children, I had the idea of this humanitarian project. The project will tell the stories of brave women through portrait photos and essays. Every story of every woman who fled the war to save her children is valuable. These stories are about resilience and strength, the beauty of the Spirit of Ukrainian women, which I want to share with the world.
Project Goal:
Draw the attention of the international community to the problem and embrace it to intensify assistance to refugee women and show the impact of the current situation on European states and every Ukrainian family. Tell realistic stories that will inspire life and creation.
