GRANTEE
Every day of the Russian aggression means not only damages to Ukrainian villages and cities, but also tremendous losses of lives and fates. The war has resulted in many civilian and military casualties, but we tend to forget about people held captive by Russia. I was a prisoner myself in my native city of Donetsk. Having resisted the occupation regime by creating street art that mocked and showed the true colors of the so-called “Russian world,” I was detained and experienced its horrible torments firsthand. Torture, staged executions, detention in basements—these are the realities of Russian captivity for which I would like to raise awareness in the civilized world. I have already documented my captivity and would like to continue collecting testimonies from people who have had similar experiences. Together with director Oleksii Kirin I aim to conduct interviews with detainees and then transform them into graphic stories, believing that drawings enhance the impact of these testimonies.