URGENCY! Ukraine: Tatiana Petrovna, 72, a relative, mourns in the garden where three civilian bodies lay in the recently liberated town of Bucha on April 04, 2022 in Bucha, Ukraine. Three civilians lay in the garden of a house in Bucha, two of their dogs had also been killed. A man named Serhiy was killed in his own backyard, and his son Roman, and an unknown man lay in the garden. The Russian forces also killed their two dogs. According to locals, Serhiy stayed back at his home to look after his dogs. © by Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times Image provided by the Bronx Documentary Center.

Written by Margarita Matta

Photo Edited by Tania Flores

Copy Edited by Parker Renick

Urgency! Ukraine, the new exhibition curated by the Bronx Documentary Center, illustrates the harsh and unsettling reality of the war in Ukraine. These photographs are not meant for print, not meant to please the eye, but are meant to vocalize the difficult, gut-wrenching stories of those in Ukraine as Russia terrorizes the country. The BDC has done an exquisite job of not only emphasizing the importance of these photographs but also educating every single observer who walks through the doors of their center for this exhibition. At the Q&A panel for this exhibition, held on June 28th, BDC Director Michael Kamber put it best by saying, “these photos are the perfect example of why photojournalism is not dead.” Many of these photographers have just returned from Ukraine themselves; the obvious emotional and physical hardships they have seen and experienced are more than apparent in their photos, and the BDC should be applauded for putting this exhibition together in just a few weeks.

URGENCY! Ukraine: The burned remains of a civilian convoy sits on a road leading out of the village of Lypivka, Ukraine on April 15, 2022. Some village women had begged Russian commanders for permission to evacuate and the Russians seemed to agree. So on March 12th, a group of older men, women and children piled into 14 cars and slowly began to drive to safety. “All of us had white flags and we had permission,” said Valriy Tymchuk, a shopkeeper, who was driving a minibus in the convoy. But then Russian armored personnel carriers swiveled toward them, villagers said. A shell ripped into the first car. And then another. And then another. The convoy turned into a fireball. © David Guttenfelder for The New York Times Image provided by the Bronx Documentary Center.

David Guttenfelder for The New York Times has a photo of the burned remains of a line of cars on a road leading out of Lipovka, taken just two months after Russia’s initial invasion in late February. This is just one example of Russia's obviously targeted attacks on Ukrainian civilians. One of the photographers at the panel explained that while on assignment in Ukraine, they noticed civilian drones above them as women and the elderly were attempting to evacuate. Another mentioned how bodies had been found tied up and burned, despite Russia losing occupation of a town. These photographs are not just sharing the vulnerability of Ukraine, but are also showing the obvious evidence of war crimes by Russia.

URGENCY! Ukraine: Group portrait of Ukrainian soldiers before the liberation of one of the villages in theDonetsk region. Vlg. Vremivka, Donetsk region, 18.04.2022 © Maxim Dondyuk Image provided by the Bronx Documentary Center.

Maxim Dondyuk’s image of a group of Ukrainian soldiers before the liberation of a town shows even more of this vulnerability. These men, both young and old and adorned in camouflage and serious facial expressions, create a sense of perseverance and endurance. Although the images of the immense destruction of infrastructure are heartbreaking, the personal relationships created by the many people depicted in this show give a look into Ukraine that is not seen anywhere else. From a child taking shelter underground and covering her ears in response to the loud sounds of war, to the countless shots of mourning and despair, to the injured, the soldiers, and the families, this exhibition demonstrates the immense hardships faced by the Ukrainian people. I strongly urge anyone who can to go to the BDC and see just how much Ukraine deserves attention and help on an international level.

A woman in a village, that was the former frontline on the outskirts of Cherniv, April 4, breaks down when she is visited by armed forces bringing supplies. © Ron Haviv/VII Image provided by the Bronx Documentary Center.

A special tip of that hat to Ukrainian photographer Sasha Maslov, who did not include his own photos in the show he helped to curate. He shared some of his own photographs at the panel, and the emotional endurance it took for him to share such a personal documentation should not be overlooked. Thank you to the BDC and all those involved in this exhibition for their hard work in sharing and educating those on the crisis in Ukraine.