Chris Nunn on Donetsk: “I had no idea at the time that I’d probably never be able to return.”

I wrote a piece about Chris Nunn‘s photographs in Ukraine, for Vantage.

Read Accidentally Photographing War In Ukraine.

Nunn, an Englishman, has been hopping flights to Ukraine since 2006 — first with a Ukrainian a girl he dated at uni, and later to trace his roots.

In early 2013 and without a jot of the language he went in search of a connection to the country and its people.

To quote me:

“He had no idea that he was about to be wrapped up in a regional conflict that would draw the world’s attention. His photography became less a personal journey and more an accidental documentary of a nation in steady decline toward war.”

Nunn even ended up in camp with Ukrainian Army conscripts. His mix of portraits and environmental shots is quite poignant. I received an email from Nunn this morning:

“Donetsk. I had no idea at the time that I’d probably never be able to return there, as a normal civilian, [when I made the photos]. Maybe, now, only possibly with special press permission? It’s a mix of good and bad memories … which is true for Ukraine, in general, I think.”

Who knows what to think? With ceasefires crumbling, who knows what comes next?