On March 15, 2022, a Russian missile hit a 16-storey residential building at Chornobylska Street in Kyiv. It caused a significant damage and subsequent fire on storeys 1 to 16. 64 out of 126 apartments in the building were totally burnt out and another 62 were partially damaged.
Dmytro, who lives in the neighbourhood, shared his memories of that day with The War Up Close team. The family was at home when the attack took place and they didn’t even realize what was going on at first. We asked Dmytro how his children felt about the ongoing war. Being a father of two boys and a girl, he said that they weren’t quite aware of it yet. Today, their safety is the family’s top priority. The youngest son seems a bit apprehensive lately. He doesn’t panic, but warns us when he hears explosions, then runs to the hall where his elder siblings stay. Almost all of Dmytro’s neighbours have moved out, but he doesn’t intend to leave.
“I guess there’s no 100% safe place in Ukraine now.” And this is true. In a single year, Russia launched over 5,000 missiles at Ukraine. The War Up Close project records crimes committed by the invaders in various regions to show their evidence to the international community using 360-degree panoramic images, 3D models and virtual reality. We have just come back from our first world tour with immersive exhibitions held in Washington DC, Berlin, Paris, Warsaw and Brussels. They’ve got much publicity, so now we’re planning even more events around Europe.
