Svitlana Oslavska

Old Khata Project is a visual and storytelling documentary project about traditional rural architecture in Ukraine and the people who created it, which recently expanded to include accounts of rural communities affected by war. It is being created by Anna Ilchenko (photographer) and Svitlana Oslavska (writer).

During 2021, we were visiting villages all over Ukraine, documenting rural houses and conducting interviews with residents. By the end of 2021, we had a draft version of the book. Then the Russian invasion changed our plans and we switched our focus to documenting villages affected by the war. 

Nevertheless, we are keeping the focus on delicate cultural things, not turning the project into the classic media story about the war. We want to give hope and light, not only to perpetuate horror stories. 

For now, the project exists on Instagram and Facebook pages, but the main aim was and still is to publish a photobook with selected visuals and fragments of the interviews. Now it will also contain relevant images and stories of war. 

On Their Own Skin is a book of reportages about ordinary Ukrainians’ experiences of war and the Russian occupation.  

The book is based on witness testimonies of Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine. People have witnessed murders, tortures, abductions, and were kept in dark and wet cellars. They have often physically experienced the Russian aggression—literally on their own skin. At the same time, they have managed to preserve light and hope inside of them, as well as a humane attitude.  

Svitlana Oslavska has been documenting Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine since 2022. This book is a result of hundreds of interviews, informal conversations, and the author’s observations during her trips to the South, North, and East of Ukraine—regions that have been occupied by Russia for a shorter or longer period of time.  

The book also invites readers to participate in a conversation on how we can write and talk about this war. It raises questions about our language, ways of collecting stories, and modes of writing. Are they sufficient and appropriate for this task?