War in Ukraine, 2022
In the hall of a building, self-defence training is being organised, and the training of civilians in the use of weapons is intensifying. Houses are barricaded, the windows of churches and other artistic institutions are protected in case of Russian bombing.
In Lviv, a blacksmith makes anti-tank blocks on a voluntary basis to be taken to Kyiv and other cities in eastern Ukraine. Civilians gather in a secret factory to produce Molotov cocktails, which they prefer to call “Bandera Smoothies” to avoid the Russian name.
The Ukrainian military forces, for their part, are trying to protect and contain the Russian offensive as best they can : a roadblock has been set up on the road between Odessa and Mykolaïv ; the old historical centre of Odessa has become a fortress. The Ukrainian army expects Russian soldiers to arrive from the Black Sea…
The threat is constant, the territory is burning, the destruction is massive. Gert Jochems, who has been in the conflict zone since the end of February, documents the scenes of everyday life in wartime.
The Russian military victory was supposed to be a lightning one. One month later, Ukraine is still holding out.
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