Synkroniciti is stoked to welcome back Ukrainian photographer and writer Viktoriia Sorochuk with the first of a series of photo essays exploring her displacement from her homeland due to the war. “Diaries During Wartime Part One: Be Careful What You Wish For” relates the hopes of four generations for peace and Ukrainian autonomy and the disaster of invasion. Viktoriia’s grandfather was almost murdered by a Nazi soldier in World War II and the twentieth century was full of war and unrest, but her family, like many others, was confident and excited that those times were over in the new century. Then Crimea was invaded, but the threat remained vague to those not in the region. Until, after a pandemic that shook the entire globe, Putin launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine.
“Standing in line for 48 hours to get across the Ukrainian-Polish border was the most emotionally dreadful time of my life. I will never forget the rattling of suitcase wheels on asphalt that could be heard all night long. An endless line of women and children, the fathers helping to carry the little ones and bags to the border crossing and then returning back. These lonely figures of men were like ghosts, suddenly immersed in the light of the cars and then disappearing into the darkness again. Sometimes I wonder how many of them went to the frontline, how many of them returned on the shield.”
Viktoriia uses a short photo sequence to inspire and express the emotional content of the time in writing, a touchstone for feelings that could not be explored right away, but require distance and time to process. The imagery she relates is harrowing and serves to remind us that no culture is immune to attack and devastation. Ukraine is a developed nation, a vibrant, lively culture. If they can be attacked, so can any nation on earth.
Read “Diaries During Wartime Part One: Be Careful What You Wish For” in Synkroniciti’s “Belonging” issue, available here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/. You don’t want to miss this important voice.
My name is Viktoriia Sorochuk, and my superpower is—well, I am Ukrainian: I can cook a three-course meal even if my fridge is empty, make my husband nervous with just one phrase “Honey, we need to talk” and use Latin quotes just for the sake of making people look at me with round eyes.
While studying at school I hated writing essays. It was total torture for me and now I write with great pleasure. The best part is that others like to read what I write. As a kid I tried to learn watercolours but since I wasn’t patient enough today my best friend is a DSLR camera. The result is somewhat instant unless I forget to charge its battery or insert the memory card. I love dogs, good music and good visual art.