Friends Or Foes

• Photographer
  Maija Bondar
• Technical Info
  Camera Canon R6, Lens Canon 24-70, f 2.8
• Photo Date
  2023

It so happens that in the war between Russia and Ukraine there are no friends or foes for me. I was born in Ukraine, but I grew up in Russia. It is very difficult to resist dehumanization during the war. That is what the “fighting spirit” is based on. It is much easier to kill an impersonal “fascist”, “drug addict”, “Khokhol” than a person like you who also lived, loved, and made plans. On the other side, it is easier to hate all Russians than to see in a person – a person in the first place. While working on this project, I am thinking on the phenomenon of resistance to dehumanization.

• Biography
  Maija Bondar is Fine Art/Documentary photographer from Finland. Born in Ukraine in 1981. She lived in Russia for 17 years. She is currently engaged in research on national identity and internal conflicts.
• Awards
  Awards: 2023 — Helsinki Photo Festival winner 2023 — Kolga Tbilisi Photo shortlist 2021 — “Documentary Family Awards” finalist 2020 — “Colors of Orthodoxy” winner and shortlist