A Scottish journalist will give viewers an insight of life in Ukraine one year on since war devastated the country as part of a new BBC Scotland documentary.
In March 2022, with Russian tanks still surrounding Kyiv, veteran photojournalist David Pratt travelled to Ukraine along with documentary maker Robbie Fraser.
Their intention was to bear witness to the biggest unfolding crisis in Europe since World War 2, and in the new two part series 'Pictures From Ukraine', David and Robbie's story will be told.
The films will form a compelling chronicle of the conflict so far, and a vital insight into its origins. In part one, after crossing the Polish-Ukrainian border against a tide of refugees, David travels to Lviv - the city is tense but relatively peaceful.
Buildings and monuments are covered up against attack, and the train station is jammed with refugees, but a Russian missile strike soon shatters any illusion of calm.
Part two will see David travel back to Kyiv - it’s the summer of 2022 and the Ukrainians have defied the odds. The Russians have been pushed back around the capital, but they have wreaked chaos in the east and south.
David visits the towns around Kyiv whose names have become synonymous with Russian brutality.
Speaking of his experience, he says: “My connection with Ukraine goes back many years as these films reflect. But above all they are about a war that is very much ongoing, one that directly or indirectly is impacting on all our lives.
“The ‘Pictures From…’ series has always looked at conflict through the prism of the stills image which has that unique quality to capture a moment in time and make us pause and ponder that moment. Pictures From Ukraine does precisely that.”
Robbie Fraser adds: “As always it’s a privilege to travel with David, and to have been welcomed by the Ukrainian people at a time of such struggle. News coverage these days can become a blur.
“Our goal with these films is to re-tell with clarity and immediacy the story of the last year in Ukraine, and give audiences a longer view of the fight.”
Both parts of ‘Pictures from Ukraine’ will be available to watch on iPlayer from Monday February 20, 2023 in time for the first anniversary of the war.
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