After photographing Ukraine and its people for years, Mark Neville moved from London to Kyiv in 2020. When war broke out at the end of February, he initially decided to stay before seeking refuge in neighbouring Poland. He tells FRANCE 24’s Florence Villeminot about documenting the chaos of leaving his adopted country.
About six years ago, Mark started working on a collection of portraits of Ukrainians called "Stop Tanks with Books". He hopes people looking at his book will forge a kind of emotional connection and see a version of themselves in these portraits.
He also tells us that art – be it a poem or a pop song or a photo book – has the power to change public opinion more than the words of diplomats and politicians.