Exile ( s )

After having fled their country at war, at the gates of Europe, how do Ukrainian refugees view the world? Behind them, their lives, their families, their friends, their homes and often the brutal disappearance of loved ones.
How to get out of this chaos and start to hope again without knowing if we will return to our country and when?
This photographic series was exhibited, for the first time, at the Espace Cosmopolis in Nantes, accompanied by a text recounting each broken life. The aim was to show that behind the term "refugees", wherever they come from, whatever the conflict, there are faces and stories. That of Ukraine has raised awareness more than the others because it is close and shows us what we Europeans could experience, if everything collapsed in an instant.

Aleksey, Leila et Sofia – Karkiv We find it hard to believe what we have been through. We lived on the outskirts of Karkiv not far from the Russian border. From February 24 the Russians invaded and bombarded the city

Alona - Kyiv I had a normal life and worked on projects. The night of February 24 I did not sleep. I had a feeling. I read and watched television. At 5 a.m., I sa.w the video of the outbreak of war. It was a nightmare

Lidia - Vilshana et Olga de Karkiv We were both born in Kerson and we didn't know each other; exile meant that coming from Vilshana and Karkiv we became friends in France. Olga has her children close to her, we all support each other. It helps to cope with this situation. Everything fell apart so quickly.

Iryna et Vlada - Vassylkiv No electricity, no more shops, nothing. Total chaos. I decided to take my car. I found some gas and we left. There were traffic jams everywhere. I drove to Poland. We live day to day. But we are safe

Lelik - Kyiv I was an accountant in a garage in Kyiv and owned a small cafe that did well. On the morning of February 24 a friend calls me and tells me that the Russians were there. I do not believe it. It was not possible. Then there were shelling near my house.

Natalia - Tchernihiv On February 24, 2022 at 6 a.m. a friend called us to tell us “the war has begun”. I have breast cancer, the pharmacies were closed. With my husband, we drove to the West of the country without finding a place to take refuge. After weeks my husband, exhausted, decided that I would go alone. He dropped me off at the Polish border. It was a shock, a trauma.

Olha et Kiwi – Kyiv I lived in Kyiv and worked in digital advertising. For three weeks with the company that employed me, we worked with the Ukrainian army, making advertisements to alert the world to what was happening at home. It was exhausting. I worked day and night. Then I left with mob cat and a dog. I no longer remember the first three months of my exile.

Tatiana et Alieva Aisel Maria - Jytomyr At first I did not want to leave the country. But Zhytomyr is a strategic city, there is a military training center there. She was constantly bombarded at the very beginning. On March 5, I decided to leave by bus. Until we were taken care of with my daughter the trip was chaotic.

Ekaterina – Zaporijia I lived near the power station. When they bombed it on March 2, I decided to leave. My family could not leave because my father is 43 and my brother 22 and they can be mobilized. I don't know what my future will be.

Nadia, Oleg, Maria, Dimitri et Tares - Lviv Lviv is 70 km from the Polish border. From February 24, all stores and pharmacies are invaded. My second son has an autoimmune disease that requires regular treatment. At first we decide to take the train. It was impossible. Everywhere, in and around the station, there were families, children, animals who had been waiting for a long time. We are going home. A few days later, a friend from the Anjou Lviv Association suggested that we take a bus to France. On March 11 we arrive in France.

Svetlana Vasylenko , Zoe, Margot - Dnipro Chez moi j’enseignais le russe et l’histoire linguistique à l’université. Bien avant le 24 février 2022 j’avais l’intuition que les russes allaient attaquer. J’avais préparé mes sacs et mes documents. Ma fille Margot 8 ans est handicapée, je ne pouvais pas être prise de court. Nous sommes restées une semaine chez nous, mais le 2 mars la centrale nucléaire de Zaporijjia, située à 140km, a été bombardée en pleine nuit. Nous sommes parties pour un périple qui a duré un mois, avant de nous stabiliser. Mais j’ai encore beaucoup de mal. Je suis entre deux vies.

Olga Tatus et Avetik Mirzoyan - Kamenskoe With my companion we lived in Kamenskoe in the Dnepropetrovsk region. Avetik is of Armenian descent. As the air raids never ended, we were in the shelters permanently. We decided to leave on March 14. My two sons aged 26 and 24 stayed because they were not allowed to leave the country. I worry about them. . This war is crippled lives, shattered destinies.