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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Lorenzo Tondo and Jelle Krings

‘It’s how I contribute to victory’: inside Ukraine’s flower industry – photo essay

Anna sitting on bench holding flowers with soldiers nearby also waiting for train
Anna clutches a bunch of flowers as she waits for a train to return to Kyiv after visiting her husband, Vasyl, in Kramatorsk. Photograph: Jelle Krings

At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Moscow’s troops just a few miles away from Kyiv, a sudden explosion from an incoming mortar sent shock waves through the glass of one of the largest greenhouses in the outskirts of the capital. Despite the chaos, a few hours after the blast a small group of workers inside the facility carried on with their invisible yet crucial task for the country’s morale and resilience – to cut flowers.

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