A Hero

Hero isn’t a word one hears un-ironically in the West. It’s a word that belongs to myth and history, to a human past we thought we’d left behind. It’s a word that tastes artificially-sweetened in our mouths.

Of course: we also never thought we’d never see artillery-pocked fields scarring Europe again. Or totalitarian juggernauts blitzing their neighbors in a brutal land war. Or blatant war crimes committed before the eyes of the world.

But since Russia attacked Ukraine on the 24th of February, 2022, these horrors belong to the present. Our reality has been re-arranged. Words like valor, sacrifice and hero no longer feel cheap.

Because how else can one describe displaced mothers in train stations, hauling two babies and one backpack, who say they’d rather lose everything than give an inch to the Russians? Or grandmothers dodging bullets to give aid on the battlefield? Or the mayors whose towns have seen 60,000 refugees a day?

Everyone in Eastern Europe is waging this war in their own way. DRY SOULS is a compilation of their stories, collected across Poland and Ukraine, a month into war with Russians. We spoke with the fighters, leaders, healers and displaced persons fighting the good fight in ten thousand ways. We’ve compiled their stories--told in the subjects’ own words--to provide a human perspective on this inhuman war.

The Healers

Цілителі

Combat medics amidst war crimes. Lawyers-turned-aid-workers in the warzone. Financiers turned refugee coordinators. Expatriate translators in train stations. Doctors, aiding free of charge at the border.  Volunteers, all living out the better angels of human nature.

The suffering of the Ukrainian people is unimaginable. The selflessness of those who’ve put their lives on hold to heal this suffering in a million different ways, does the same.

These are THE HEALERS.

The Fighters

Бійці

Ukrainian soldiers, bleeding for victory on the frontlines. Polish spymasters, sounding unheeded warnings about the Kremlin’s intent. Disinformation experts, fighting Russia’s pernicious media spin.  Students, organizing arms delivery to the Ukrainian in lieu of their studies.

The heroes defending Ukraine hold vastly different stations. This war is fought on the internet, in the marketplace and most of all: on the battlefield. From coordinating heavy weapons shipments, to monitoring Russian chicanery in the Kyiv of yesteryear, to blitzing towards victory in Izium, THE FIGHTERS are the ones shedding blood and sweat to defend Ukraine.

The Leaders

Лідери

Ukrainian mayors, guiding their citizens through air raids and sieges. Polish mayors, opening their cities to refugees. Local officials turned into refugee coordinators. EU Parliamentarians, returning to their roots as humanitarian activists.

THE LEADERS are the pillars supporting their people through the darkest times Europe has faced since World War II. They’ve become wartime leaders, against their brightest hopes for the future. They’re no longer politicians or administrators, but bulwarks against the existential threat from Russia.

They have risen to the occasion.

The Displaced

Переміщений

Elderly rockers bearing radiation scars from Chernobyl. Youths, with their lives unfolding far away from their besieged homeland. So many mothers, with young children in tow, ready to take up arms against those who destroyed the peace they once inhabited.

THE DISPLACED are the innocent victims of this war. Those whose normalcy--whose lives--were shattered by Russia’s criminal invasion of Ukraine. They are spread far and wide across the world, seeking refuge. They have no homes to return to.

The injustice of their situation is staggering. So is the tenacity of THE DISPLACED. Their burning commitment to living. Their love of Ukraine. Their historic bravery in the face of chaos and evil.

Interview Locations

Warsaw, Poland

Przemyśl, Poland

Ustrzyki Dolne, Poland

Truskavets, Ukraine

Lviv, Ukraine

Interview Dates

Conducted Between

March 26th, 2022
(31st Day of the War)

And

April, 8th, 2022
(44th Day of the War)