“The war Russia wages against Ukraine is the urban war. Towns are deliberately turned into battlegrounds thus increasing economic, logistic and human losses. Cities and towns are losing the advantages of the centres. These are the new realities of urbicide – destruction of civil infrastructure, terror against civilians with elements of genocide”, – Igor Dubrovskyi, Ph.D.

“Fracture” is a collection of unique high resolution photographs and aerial views of the destruction of educational and cultural institutions, architectural monuments and memorials, residential buildings, and sports grounds in Kharkiv, the second biggest city of Ukraine located 27 kilometres away from the border with the Russian Federation, and in the territories of Kharkiv region, which were occupied or contested in 2022.

The “Fracture” exhibition has been in circulation since August 2022. There were 9 versions produced – 7 mobile versions and 2 custom versions.

Why?

Our objective is to spread awareness of Russian war crimes outside of the Kharkiv region.

1.500.000 people lived in Kharkiv before 24 February 2022. It had the biggest number of students per capita in Ukraine.

As of January 7, 2023 8000+ residential buildings, 500+ schools and 269 medical facilities have been estimated as destroyed by Russian artillery, missiles and bombs in Kharkiv city and region.

Where?

The exhibition was displayed in Czech Republic in Prague; in Ukraine in Uzhgorod, Berezhany, Zbarazh, Poltava, Lviv, Odesa; in Poland in Krakow, Gdansk, Olsztyn; in UK in London; Romania in Bucharest; in Germany in Berlin, Erfurt, Bohn, Kromberg, Karlsruhe, Munchen; in Lithuania in Telsai; in Belgium in Brussels in the European Parliament, The exhibition was on display during high profile international conferences, fundraisers, and artistic events.

Exhibitions are planned in Stuttgart in Germany, in Chișinău in Moldova, in Warsaw in Poland the grand Czech tour is planned.

The only school in the Slatine village north of Kharkiv city, where children from several nearby villages studied. Since February 24 to April 23, 2022 the village was the contested area and the Russians shelled the village and the school with rockets, mortars and multiple launcher rocket systems many times. Aerial photo. Photographer: Yevhen Tytarenko. November 22, 2022.

Who?

The photos were taken by the NGO Maidan Monitoring Information Centre while helping the Ukrainian state investigators to document Russian war crimes in Ukraine as a part of pretrial criminal investigation since March 2022. Read more about this work here Russian War Crimes Documentation

This project has been funded by Crown Agents International Development.

Photographers – Yuliia Hush, Serhii Petrov, Yevhen Tytarenko, Kateryna and Oleksii Svid, Petr Pojman, Adam Sybera, Nataliya Zubar and our drones. Designer – Darya Semenyuk. Curator – Nataliya Zubar. This exhibition is presented and produced together with our long-term partner Team 4 Ukraine.

licence CC BY-SA 4.0