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Feb 23, 2025

Fallen Ukrainian soldier's photos go on display in Portsmouth - BBC News

Image source, Volodymyr Rakov Photos taken by a fallen Ukrainian soldier during his time on the front line have been turned into an exhibition. Volodymyr Rakov, who was killed in battle aged 30,

Image source, Volodymyr Rakov

Photos taken by a fallen Ukrainian soldier during his time on the front line have been turned into an exhibition.

Volodymyr Rakov, who was killed in battle aged 30, captured images of everyday life for soldiers and animals caught up in the war against Russia.

Mr Rakov's friend, Olya Andrushko, who now lives in Portsmouth, has put together the display, which opens at the Hampshire city's central library on Monday.

She said: "This exhibition is not about death, it is about life. Even in the darkest times, my friend found beauty."

Image source, Volodymyr Rakov

Ms Andrushko said of her friend: "He tried to save every animal he encountered, some of them are now safe because of him.

"He had the most beautiful and creative heart and I am grateful he kept a place in it for me."

According to Ms Andrushko, Mr Rakov was a well-known dancer in Kyiv before he volunteered for the Ukrainian army in 2013, shortly before Russia's invasion of Crimea, where he was born.

She described him as "a strong man, a dancer, a photographer, a great warrior".

Image source, Volodymyr Rakov

Ms Andrushko approached Portsmouth City Council about displaying Mr Rakov's work, in collaboration with Hotwalls Studios.

The exhibition's opening coincides with the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

A public flag-raising ceremony will also be held at 11:00 BST on Monday, outside the Civic Offices in Guildhall Square.

Council leader Steve Pitt said: "I hope people will come and see this fascinating exhibition of photographs at Central Library, which shine a light on life on the front line of the bloody war in Ukraine, which is still going on."

The exhibition - Souls and Bodies: Photographs by a Fallen Ukrainian Hero - will run from 24 to 27 February.

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