Maksym Yali’s three photographs depict the story of Mariupol. In the first, taken a year ago, his mother, Kateryna Yali, looks vibrant and glamorous as she celebrates her 77th birthday. The second, shot last month, shows bombed out Mitropolytskaya Street on the edge of town where Kateryna lived. The third, taken last week after Kateryna’s dramatic escape on her 78th birthday, evidences more than words ever can the devastating impact of living under constant bombardment – a haunted, traumatised-looking Kateryna appears to have aged 15 years in six weeks.
“You cannot imagine how sad it is for me to see my mother looking like this,” said Maksym, 42. “She is in a terrible psychological state. But the most important thing is that I got my mother and sister out – and that they are alive.”
