Gallery
“It is right now, when the support for Ukraine is beginning to run out, a new push of hope and support is needed. If Russia paves its path with bloody lies, Ukraine counters it with truth that has been captured by the photograph,” said Antoņina Ņenaševa, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, on Thursday, 22 February, opening the photo exhibition “Ukraine. Chronicles of War” in the Saeima. The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Ukrainian Verkhovna, and the authors of the photographs are two prominent Ukrainian photojournalists – Maks Levin and Yan Dobronosov.
“I see countless crimes in these photographs. Here’s a ruined building, there’s a room burning, here the explosion has erased lives. But before the explosion, someone took a shell in his hands, put it in a barrel and shot it. Someone else supplied the projectile, someone else made it, but most importantly, someone gave an order to shoot. This is a crime, but unfortunately, many pretend to not see it. It is therefore necessary to show the entire world that the war in Ukraine is black and white," said Ņenaševa, emphasising the need to do everything possible for Ukraine to win. Putin will not stop, he needs to be stopped. This is precisely how simple Western politics should be, the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima said.
Honouring the photographers and commemorating M. Levin, who has given his life to the pursuit of truth, Ņenaševa thanked the Ukrainian Parliament and its Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk for participating in the opening of this exhibition.
Jānis Skrastiņš, Head of the Group for promoting cooperation with the Parliament of Ukraine, said at the opening of the exhibition that since the beginning of the war, the changes on the political frontlines worldwide have been significant and very worrying. Many allegedly democratic countries are still fairly lenient towards Russia’s criminal aggression, and covertly continue to be economically and politically linked with the aggressor. This war will show the strength of Europe and NATO, true democracy and freedom, said Skrastiņš.
With these photos we keep a memory for future generations so that we never forget what happened, said Anatolii Kutsevol, Ambassador of Ukraine to Latvia. In the photographs we see brave soldiers and the fallen, and we must also remember that for every fallen warrior there are ten civilians who have died, families and homes lost, said Ambassador Kutsevol, thanking Latvia for its support.
Photojournalist Levin was a reporter representing the internet portal LB.ua. He died at the age of 40 after two deliberately fired Russian shots in March 2022 near Kyiv. His heritage includes photographs documenting the first days of the war. Dobronosov is a photographer of the portal Telegraf.ua. He has documented people’s stories since the first days of the full-scale invasion. Most stories are tragic, but even in them he has been able to capture delightful and positive emotions.
Today, the Parliament’s Voting Room also features an exposition entitled “Ukraine’s Diplomatic Gifts to the Saeima”. It features diplomatic gifts received by Latvian parliamentarians from Ukrainian officials and people over the years. Among them are gifts with folk motifs and many of them tell about the events of the 20th century. There are also special gifts that illustrate the reality of the war, which the Ukrainian people are currently facing.
The Saeima today convened for an extraordinary meeting to commemorate the anniversary of the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. Expressing support to the Ukrainian people, the Saeima building is symbolically illuminated in the colours of the Ukrainian flag from Thursday to Sunday during the dark hours of the day.
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/albums/72177720314959535/with/53545142854/
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Saeima Press Service