“Unfortunately, I have a sad story. On June 6, 2023, the occupying forces of the Russian Federation blew up the Kakhovskaya HPP dam. As a result, many settlements in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions were flooded, including my native village of Vasylivka.

Most of the houses were completely or partially flooded. We had to evacuate to the nearby village of Pavlivka. On our own, we salvaged what we could, including surviving belongings, equipment, and animals. Currently, my parents are trying to address the aftermath of the flooding in our house by themselves. The walls were destroyed, the floor was damaged, and all the furniture was affected. My family is now without a home because the house is uninhabitable.

Fortunately, my god-daughter Zlata and her family had moved to a safe place at the beginning of the occupation, so the child barely heard the shelling. We sought shelter in the basement several times. Their house remained undamaged during the flood. Despite this challenging period, we are doing our best to ensure that the child has a happy childhood.”

On June 13th, I captured a photo of Olha and Zlata patiently waiting at a community center in a village severely affected by the flooding. Zlata, the young girl, caught sight of me and whispered something to Olha, pointing in my direction.

In such situations, I usually seek permission from groups and individuals before taking photographs, promptly deleting any pictures if requested. Therefore, when the two of them approached me, I assumed it was to ask me to delete the photo.

Olha introduced herself and Zlata, her god-daughter, and surprised me by mentioning that Zlata wanted me to take another picture of them up close. I replied with a smile, expressing my own happiness at being able to capture the moment. Zlata beamed with excitement, clearly thrilled about the camera and the prospect of more photos. Ensuring a happy childhood, simple, yet such a struggle to maintain in a world affected by this war.