18 Powerful Photographs That Capture The Reality Of Ukrainian Women And Children Who Have Fled The War To Poland
The moving images show women whose family members have stayed behind in Ukraine to fight for their country.
Polish photographer Aleksander Majdański has been documenting Ukrainian women who fled to Poland after the Russian-Ukrainian war began. His portraits focus on mothers, daughters, and children who left home with little more than what they could carry, while many of their husbands, sons, brothers, and fathers stayed behind to fight.
The women were photographed in the Polish homes where they found shelter, which gives the series a quiet, intimate feel. Instead of border scenes and chaos, the images show moments of rest, relief, and uncertainty after a long and painful journey.
The result is a powerful look at displacement, survival, and the people helping strangers feel safe. Read on.
1. Svitlana, Age 26, Kyiv
Aleksander Majdański2. Tetiana, Age 35, Alisa, Age 7, Lutsk
Aleksander Majdański3. Natasza, Age 36, Shlapan
Aleksander Majdański
4. Katia, Age 5, Farunku
Aleksander Majdański
5. Svetlana, Age 36, Shlapan
Aleksander Majdański
Their stories hit even harder when you see how young some of them are.
6. Vira, Age 26, Wiktoria, Age 6, Weronika, Age 6, Lviv
Aleksander Majdański
7. Yana, Age 14, Katerina, Age 36, Lviv
Aleksander Majdański
8. Maria, Age 48, Ivanofrankovsk
Aleksander Majdański
9. Myroslava, Age 25, Fastiv
Aleksander Majdański
Each portrait feels calmer than the journey that came before it.
It also echoes the passport panic, where a person left a stranded friend abroad after the travel documents went missing, in Leaving Friend Stranded Abroad After Passport Mishap, AITA?.
10. Jarina, Age 3, Ivanofrankovsk
Aleksander Majdański
11. Lida, Age 16, Maria, Age 26, Ivanofrankovsk
Aleksander Majdański
12. Sofia, Age 6, Tarnopol
Aleksander Majdański
13. Daria, Age 10, Iryna, Age 23, Berdichev
Aleksander Majdański
By this point, the series makes its point without saying much at all.
14. Maria, Age 26, Lviv
Aleksander Majdański
15. Olga, Age 40, Kyiv
Aleksander Majdański
16. Lena, Age 25, Farunku
Aleksander Majdański
17. Bogdanka, Age 33, Lviv
Aleksander Majdański
18. Julia, Age 27, Tarnopol
Aleksander Majdański
Aleksander graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan and has worked as a photojournalist and documentary filmmaker for more than twenty years.
After Kyiv and Lutsk families’ flight stories, see how Tom Dobinson makes everyday places unforgettable in 62 photos that turn real locations into cinematic scenes.
