The photographer Misha Friedman went to Ukraine this year with a pressing question on his mind: What does it mean to have to choose between what’s best for your country and what’s best for your family? Friedman interviewed and photographed Ukrainian families who were forced to leave their country due to the Russian invasion. He then juxtaposed these portraits with images from the land they left behind. Yet, underlying all of these images is the realization that the country left behind no longer exists as it once did.
RIGHT: Natasha has had to flee her home twice. In 2014, she was forced to leave Crimea for Kyiv and then again in 2022, she fled from Kyiv to England. She now lives in Reading just outside of London. Natasha is a single mother of two and was a successful small business owner in Ukraine but finds it is nearly impossible to recreate what she had built in Ukraine.
RIGHT: Maryna and her daughter spent the school year in Columbus, OH. But when summer came Maryna found it difficult to afford a camp for her daughter. With her husband back in Ukraine, Maryna ultimately decided to return to Ukraine despite the continued Russian bombs. This photo was taken at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. just before flying back to Ukraine.
RIGHT: Dilya (the girl in the mirror) is 17 years old. She and her mother fled Kharkiv for Warsaw, Poland. Her mother eventually returned to Ukraine but Dilya decided to stay in Poland on her own.
RIGHT: Katya is a painter from Odesa but once the war started, Katya left for Paris with her daughter who is now studying film there. Her ex-husband, with whom she’s on very good terms, is still in Odesa.
RIGHT: Victoria is from the occupied Melitopol’. Her parents managed to leave, while most of her relatives, including grandparents are still there. She works in online education and splits her time between Kyiv and London.
RIGHT: Tanya is a small business owner from Kyiv where she sold school supplies to education boards around the country. She now lives in Fairfax, VA and is working for United Help Ukraine in Washington D.C.
RIGHT: Nataliia left Ukraine a week after the war started. She spent six months with a single suitcase, sleeping on friend’s couches all over Europe, before moving to New York in late 2022. She works in finance.
RIGHT: Maryna left for Germany when the war began. She’s a filmmaker, but after struggling to find work she returned to Ukraine.
This story was made possible by the Pulitzer Center. It was originally published in Stranger’s Guide.
