Lost Light - Sergei Stroitelev, photographer

Background of the project and my story

The war in Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022 at the whim of the President of Russia, overnight ruined the lives of thousands of people.
Almost immediately after the outbreak of hostilities, the government of Russia issued decrees that completely cut off the oxygen for free journalists, forbidding them to cover events from a truthful and disadvantageous side for the Russian politicians. Publications and magazines began to close, freedom of speech ceased to exist. As a freelance journalist, I had to leave Russia on March 4 to avoid repressions.

After staying a couple of weeks in Istanbul I felt that I had to be in the center of events, to be closer to the Ukrainians so I went to Moldova where I spent 2 months documenting migration crisis caused by this war. I felt incredible pain for what was happening and the work saved me.

I started documenting the events from the very border with Ukraine at the Palanka checkpoint. After that I worked in temporary accommodation centers, where I communicated with the refugees in more details, writing down their stories. Since the beginning of the war, more than 200 points have been opened across the country in the variety of locations from sports complexes to hospitals. At the Moldexpo - a former exhibition complex and later a covid hospital, I stayed for two months, making the project “Lost Light”.

Moldexpo refugee center from the outside.

Lost Light

Chisinau, Moldova, 2022

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, more than 400 thousand refugees have entered neighboring Moldova, most of whom continued their journey to Europe, but 90 thousand remained on the territory of the Republic. More than 70 thousand of them are minors.

The characters of this story are children from different regions of Ukraine that have been subjected to the Russian aggression - Nikolaev, Kharkov, Kherson and others. All of them live in a temporary accommodation center in Chisinau, Moldexpo. This is a former exhibition complex, and later a covid hospital. Children are forced to huddle in small gyproc rooms without doors or ceilings, in unsanitary conditions. These boys and girls are acutely worried about leaving home, they miss their relatives, friends who stayed in Ukraine, pets, toys, favorite parks and streets.

Within the framework of the story, with the help of a projector, I overlay photographs from the happy, pre-war past of these children onto their figures and current living conditions thus showing the consequences of this terrible war. I asked the children's parents for the projected photos, we chose them all together - these are the most memorable and dearest images, reminiscent of home, which capture favorite places and moments which were destroyed by the war.

I have also collected and photographed items which I found inside the rooms. These items have been left by children who moved to another refugee center or to Europe. The items have formed the second part of the project.

I: Portraits and stories of children

Lost Light - Mark, 1 month old. Mark was born in Nikolaev right before...

Mark, 1 month old. Mark was born in Nikolaev right before the start of the... READ ON

Lost Light - Timofey, 6 years old. The bоу fled from Nikolaev together...

Timofey, 6 years old. The bоу fled from Nikolaev together with his mother and... READ ON

Lost Light - Alya, 13 years old. The girl left Mariupol with her...

Alya, 13 years old. The girl left Mariupol with her sister. Their house was... READ ON

Lost Light - Tima is 8 years old. The boy is from Kherson. Tima fled...

Tima is 8 years old. The boy is from Kherson. Tima fled the city together... READ ON

Lost Light - Sofia, 7 years old. Before leaving Irpen, she spent 7...

Sofia, 7 years old. Before leaving Irpen, she spent 7 days with her mother in... READ ON

Lost Light - Sasha, 12 years old. The bоу has been living in this camp...

Sasha, 12 years old. The bоу has been living in this camp for а month. Не... READ ON

Lost Light - Elmira, 16 years old. She came from Nikolaev, frightened...

Elmira, 16 years old. She came from Nikolaev, frightened by the prospect of... READ ON

Lost Light - Slavik is 11 years old. He was born in Kherson, where he...

Slavik is 11 years old. He was born in Kherson, where he has lived all his... READ ON

Lost Light - Maxim, 4 years old. The boy is from Odessa. At first,...

Maxim, 4 years old. The boy is from Odessa. At first, when the boy and his... READ ON

Lost Light - Vera is 3 years old, she was born in Nikolaev and came to...

Vera is 3 years old, she was born in Nikolaev and came to Chisinau with her... READ ON

Lost Light - Kolya, 12 years old. The boy left native village after...

Kolya, 12 years old. The boy left native village after the his mother was... READ ON

Lost Light - Artem, 10 years old. The boy is from Mariupol. Artem and...

Artem, 10 years old. The boy is from Mariupol. Artem and his mother drove out... READ ON

Lost Light - Andrey, 7 years old. The boy came from Mariupol with his...

Andrey, 7 years old. The boy came from Mariupol with his mother. His father... READ ON

Lost Light - Lera, 13 years old. The girl came from Nikolaev together...

Lera, 13 years old. The girl came from Nikolaev together with her... READ ON

Lost Light - Olya, 16 years old. The girl was forced to leave Odessa...

Olya, 16 years old. The girl was forced to leave Odessa bу her parents when... READ ON

II: Photographs of the collected items

Sergei Stroitelev photographer

Sergei Stroitelev, photographer

Sergei Stroitelev
photographer