Ukraine: Chernihiv high school students celebrate their graduation in the rubble

Published on: 06/14/2022 – 18:26Modified on: 06/15/2022 – 15:32 For some Ukrainian high school students, graduation takes place amid the rubble, as the bombardments and fighting that have raged since February disfigured the country. To mark the occasion, some have decided to celebrate and mark the end of their schooling by knowingly organizing a photo session… among the debris. On June 5 and 6, 2022, high school students from Chernihiv, in northeastern Ukraine, had a very special photo shoot with photographer Stanislav Senyk on the occasion of their graduation: their graduate scarf on their chest , they take a break in the middle of destroyed buildings and on armored vehicles. Photos that contrast with the traditional festive atmosphere of graduation celebrations. {{ scope.counterText }} {{ scope.legend }} © {{ scope.credits }} {{ scope.counterText }} i {{ scope.legend }}© {{ scope.credits }} Chernihiv was attacked by Russia after the invasion of Ukraine began on February 24. Russian troops finally withdrew from the area on March 31, leaving the city in ruins. Some attacks in Chernihiv have been described as “flagrant violations of the laws of war”, killing many civilians and damaging the city’s infrastructure, according to the NGO Human Rights Watch. Many schools were among the targets. One of them, School 21 in Chernihiv, was destroyed on March 3 by a bomb while it was being used as a shelter. Officials of the city of Chernihiv claim that only 7 of the city’s 35 schools were spared from the war. disused military equipment… A high school student from Chernihiv poses among the debris left by the war in the city. © Stanislav Senyk “Our photos show the lives of graduates who were snatched from a happy end of adolescence” Olha Babynets is a 17-year-old high school student who graduated from Chernihiv. She participated in the photo shoot. Her school was fortunately spared major damage from the Russian attacks, but she is currently completing her online lessons. With these photos, we wanted to show our lives, the lives of the children who became adults on February 24, who have to fight for their lives and those of their families. We are the future of Ukraine and we will build a strong and beautiful European country. We also wanted to show the strength of the Ukrainians. “Our photos show the lives of graduates who were snatched from a happy ending of adolescence” Olha Babynets, a high school student from Chernihiv, poses with a graduate scarf in front of a broken window. © Stanislav Senyk “Some of my classmates say they will never come back to Ukraine.” Me, my mother and my brother left the city as soon as the war started. But my father and my grandmother are stayed here. I was so worried about them – we tried to call them every day. Many of my classmates also went to safer towns, some left the country. Some say that they will never come back to Ukraine. Others who will only come back when the war is over. Some of us have already come back here to go back to school and prepare for the final exams. I am finishing my schooling in two weeks. Personally, I’m very sad not to be at my desk in high school. But I know that each of us has a great and happy future ahead of us! I’m going to take my exams and go to university in Ukraine .Some of my friends and classmates also go contin to study in Ukraine and other countries in Europe. “These children will one day have their own children: they will be able to show them what is happening at the moment”Our editorial staff spoke with photographer Stanislav Senyk who created the photo series of graduates. Specializing in wedding photos and portraits, he has captured scenes of desolation and destruction since the start of the war on February 24, 2022. Before the war, I had made a series of photos for a graduation album in a village near Chernihiv , so I wanted to go back. I took pictures of one of the classrooms near their school. It was not completely destroyed, but a bomb exploded a few meters away, so it was very damaged. Another school we went to take pictures in Chernihiv was totally destroyed High school girls outside Chernihiv School 34 with their graduate scarves © Stanislav Senyk A high school student wearing a graduate sash stands in front of school 34 of Tchernih iv, damaged during the war. © Stanislav Senyk The main objective of this photo project is to preserve memories. History is being written right now. This is very important, not only for these high school students, but also for our entire nation. If, for example, we had pictures of how Russia acted in Ukraine in the past – if all the parents and grandparents had a photo album – I think we wouldn’t have the war of today. This is important, because these children will one day have their own children and they will be able to show them what is happening now. I also want to help these people [que j’ai photographiées]. I am a photographer, I can help by taking pictures. Photos can carry emotions. So I want to help them by sharing them. High school students from Chernihiv pose among the debris left by the war in their city. © Stanislav Senyk Stanislav Senyk explains that most of the high school students he has photographed will go to university. Nearly 40 students took part in this photo session, but many of their classmates had already fled the war. The photographer is now looking for a way to exhibit his work and organize an auction, in order to raise funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.Walking across the ruins of his high school Across Ukraine, high school students have found different ways to celebrate their graduation, despite the violence and destruction wrought by war. A class of graduates from Special School 134 in Kharkiv returned to what was left of their high school for the traditional graduation ball on June 5. Students danced and posed in graduate gowns on the rubble of their schools as Ukrainian soldiers watched. A photo of one of the high school girls wearing her graduation gown in front of the ruins of her school has even gone viral on Twitter. Valaray, the 16-year-old girl in the image, told the BBC: “Half my class went overseas, some civilians were living in hiding, but now some kind of normal life is starting to return. […] As for this photo, I wanted to show this contrast between my school and me. She describes the situation in the country.” The scene of fierce battles, School 134 suffered extensive damage in the first days of the war, on February 27, as videos posted on social networks show. Since then, many many students are taking their classes online, most having fled the war.A high school student told Ukrainian media Suspilne that only a third of his classmates were still in Kharkiv and had been able to attend the graduation ceremony. Ukrainian government says Russian bombings hit at least 1,778 schools in the country, completely destroying 194 of them Experts say the war has disrupted the education of 7.5 million Ukrainians of childbearing age go to school.