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The PLUS 1 exhibit tells the stories of 22 Ukrainian soldiers who perished in the Russo-Ukrainian war through portrait photography and original texts written by eminent Ukrainians. In iconic and powerful moments captured by a photographer’s camera – Youry Bilak, a Frenchman of Ukrainian descent – Ukrainian families tell the stories of their loved ones – Ukrainian soldiers who perished in the war. Each narrative, each individual is but one small grain, one tiny unit of a module in a living organism. By telling his story, we bring him back to life.

Each family chose an object that most reminds them of their departed: a father’s jacket, a guitar, a suit of medieval armor, a book. These family artifacts reflect a living continuation of the departed loved one. Ukrainian artists, intellectuals, and journalists were invited to create original texts about each soldier.

Why PLUS 1? Plus 1 Ukrainian, plus 1 fighter, plus 1 daughter, plus 1 sister, plus 1 answer to Russian propaganda, plus 1 democratic state… Plus 1, plus 1, plus 1. The individual is one small grain, a plus 1 unit in a strong, united, and democratic state.

This traveling photo exhibition will tour the world. Euromaidan Press helped create its English-language translation, and so we decided to give it an online life, as well.

Vyacheslav Kyrylov He remained a faithful son of his Homeland Dmytro Prydatko “Please get this back to my wife. Tell her I love her,” he said before death 
Volodymyr Kyian He called a spade a spade, spoke calmly and without exaggeration
Mykola Zhuk You will always be our hero” Andriy Tereshchenko Son, your mother is the Warrior now
Sviatoslav Horbenko The last of his family line, fallen defending the Donetsk airport 
Roman Furyk He went as a volunteer, so that young people wouldn’t be killed
Vasyl ArkhipovHe was a maximalist, a romantic, and a man of action Stepan Stefurak Slaves are not admitted to paradise, he wrote
Wassyl Slipak The Paris opera singer who died from a bullet in Donbas 
Andriy Nazarenko He exchanged his guitar for a machine gun
Heorhiy Toropovsky He always fought his own battles Oleksandr Kondratiuk He dreamed of becoming a highly skilled surgeon
Volodymyr Rybak He died defending the Ukrainian flag
IMykola Kozlov I want to look my grandchildren in the eyes with a clear conscience,” he said  Andriy Yurha He left the monastery for his wife. But then he went to war 
Vadym Antonov No one but us!” was his battle cry
Volodymyr Pytak He left behind 10 years of life in the USA to enlist instead of his brother
Vasyl Kindratsky “Bless me, Father, for I am about to die for Ukraine,” he said quietly, but firmly Danylo DidikA 15-year-old boy from Kharkiv who loved Ukraine
Roman Nabiehov“I’m for Ukraine. I will die if needed!”, he wrote

Read more about the exhibition:

PLUS 1: traveling photo exhibition dedicated to the fallen Defenders of Ukraine

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