20 March, 2022 - An alternative off-track route to reach Chernihiv. While the city is under attack as Russian forces try to besiege the town.
On March 19 2022, Nastya (21) was gravely wounded at her legs by a Russian rocket. She and her family had been staying in a community shelter for several weeks, because their home became too dangerous shortly after the Russian invasion.
Nastya was evacuated to Kyiv at six o’clock in the morning, during a 24-hour flash visit of a Red Cross convoy that took supplies into the city. The convoy at an average speed of 100 kilometers per hour, drove non-stop over bad roads and through open fields for 1,5 hours - until out of reach of the constant Russian shelling.
Nastya
Federico Quintana | Ukraine/Germany
Organization: SIPA press
Photographer: Federico Quintana
Organization: SIPA press
Exhibit Title: Nastya
Location: Ukraine/Germany
Nastya's story is a testament to the devastating effects of the war in Ukraine. While seeking safety in a community shelter, Nastya stepped outside to use the outdoor bathroom when a Russian rocket struck, resulting in the loss of one leg and severe damage to the other. It was March 21, 2023: she was paying a brief visit by a Red Cross convoy, and she was critically injured by a Russian rocket strike in Chernihiv. She was 21 years old.
Evacuated to Kyiv by the Ukrainian Red Cross, she underwent her first surgery and later moved to Leipzig for further treatment and rehabilitation. Two years later, she is still undergoing several complex surgical operations in the hope to improve her physical conditions. In the meantime, Her father remains in Kyiv, unable to leave due to conscription, while her brother and mother are in Europe.
Nastya is a reflection of the emotional toll of war, where families are torn apart and a reminder of the countless women refugees, whose journeys are intertwined with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The escalating Russian aggression and the deployment of almost 200,000 soldiers and heavy artillery surrounding and threatening the invasion of Ukraine had my complete attention since October 2021. Though my instincts warned me that the inevitable was going to happen, I struggled to accept this based on the history of events I have witnessed in my lifetime.
On February 21, two days before Russia's declaration of war, I found myself in Kyiv, Ukraine. It was an impulsive decision prompted by an overwhelming intuition that I had to be in Ukraine at all costs.I felt compelled to visualize a story that should never need to be told.Since that day I covered the conflict and humanitarian situation and contributed to the visibility of what is happening in Ukraine every day.
By capturing both well known and lesser known stories, the big and the small events, a multifaceted story of the atrocities of the conflict and its daily impact on Ukrainians has appeared.
I intend to continue my work until the final victory of Ukraine, as my views and beliefs that this conflict is of great importance for the future of our world and will have fundamental consequences as well as marking a radical awareness change in modern society while changing the course of history.
Independent work
Federico Quintana
Strada Nuova per Opicina 1
Trieste, Italy 34151
toshiak@me.com
+393460507946
federico-quintana.com
@federicomquintana
Make Comment/View Comments
