Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine has been at the center of a geopolitical struggle, and its people are caught in the crossfire. The conflict has resulted in the loss of thousands of lives, the displacement of millions of families and the destruction of homes and infrastructure. But, according to Sarasota photojournalist Allan Mestel, even in the face of devastation, the people of Ukraine refuse to despair.

Mestel visited the border of Poland and Ukraine in early March of last year to photograph the region's mass displacement and refugee crisis, then journeyed to southern Ukraine in July 2022 to document the ongoing Russian attacks. During his most recent trip to the warzone, earlier this month, he donned a helmet and a ballistic vest marked “Press” with a tourniquet stuffed inside one of its pockets, and traveled through Ukraine’s “Red Zone,” close to the Russian border and frontlines. He says the sound of artillery was constant, and that what differnetiated this year's trip from others was the pervasive sense of loss he encountered.

“At this point, nobody is unaffected,” Mestel says. “Everybody I talked to has had someone killed. Everyone is mourning someone and collectively mourning the country."

"In Chasiv Yar [in eastern Ukraine], there's not a single building that hasn't been hit," he says. "The population has an elderly group refusing to leave and they’re living in shelters supplied by army and civilian aid groups."

But Mestel says what remains the same is the Ukrainian people's resilience. "The three predominant emotions I encountered were grief, anger and resolve," he says. "When you ask how this will end, they say, 'We’ll push them out and Ukraine will continue free from Russian rule.'”

“Their resilience is superhuman,” Mestel says. "They’re very creative and rely on non-traditional strategies with small tactical groups.” 

Many in the country have banded together to form organizations to help other Ukrainians, like Lana Liland (pictured below). She originally moved to the country from Canada to pursue a career in dance, but after the war started, she founded Ukranian Patriot, an organization that delivers supplies to shelters. 

Some (like the woman below) are rescuing abandoned pets, including cats, dogs and fish.

"The residents who can't or won't leave are living in the few shelters reliant on the military and private aid organizations for the means to survive," Mestel says. 

In late February of 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the regions in east Ukraine—the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic—as independent states, telling the world they were no longer part of Ukraine. Days later, he ordered troops into the two regions in what he said was an attempt to maintain peace. (For more background on the war and the two countries' histories, click here.)

“The sense of betrayal toward Russians is palpable," Mestel says. "Any public monument that references Russia as an ally is being destroyed or renamed.” 

The Friendship Arch in Kyiv (pictured below) was built in 1982 to symbolize the friendship between the Russian and Ukrainian peoples. In 2019, an activist painted a crack in the span. On May 14, 2022, it was renamed the Arch of Freedom of the Ukrainian People and will eventually be painted in the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Amid the destruction and loss, Mestel says many people spontaneously expressed appreciation for American support. “It would be beyond shameful to turn our back on this young country that was relatively unknown, yet was thriving before the attacks,” he says.

To hear from local Ukrainians about the war, click here and here. To donate to Ukrainians in Ukraine, click here.