Ella with her 6-year-old son Kirvin. Her husband stayed in Kharkiv to fight. Together with them, Lea, Kirvin’s aunt. The shelling convinced them to leave. Medyka (Poland) — 2022
On February 24, 2022, the Russian offensive in Ukraine began. Millions of Ukrainian families fled, leaving behind everything they knew.
These Polaroid images capture the fragmented moments of those families: the instant the war began, the instant they made the heart-wrenching decision to leave, and the instant they started a journey into the unknown.
Nikita, 17, and her 15-year-old sister and 4-year-old brother from Kyiv. The parents, both policemen, remained to protect the city. Przemysl (Poland) — 2022Natalia with her sons Ivan and Timon, together with their cat. They left Kyiv to reach the Polish border after 24 hours. Medyka (Poland) — 2022
Maria and her twin sons Kostya and Liosha are the only ones of the whole family that left Kyiv. Ukraine soldiers helped them to reach the border after their car broke down. Medyka (Poland) — 2022Maryia and her sister Olga, together with their children, fled from Odessa to reach the Polish border after an extremely long journey. Family men take up arms to protect their country. Medyka (Poland) — 2022
Julia with her son Nikola, 7yo, from Ivano-Frankivs’k. Nikola’s father and all his relatives are now volunteering in their city, making Molotov cocktails. Medyka (Poland) — 2022
Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 were prohibited from leaving the country, bound to stay and fight.
Yelena, with her four children and her sister, left Kyiv after the continuous shelling. Both left their husbands enrolled in the territorial defence forces. Medyka (Poland) — 2022After a long journey from Mykolaïv through Odessa and L’viv, Anna with her three children and mother in law finally arrived in Poland, where Anna’s sister will host them. Her husband remains in their city, trying to protect it. Medyka (Poland) — 2022
20 hours by train from Kryvyj Rih. Veronika with her two children, Nasar (8yo) and Nikita (3yo), and her mother. Their father decided to protect their city while their parents are internally displaced in Ivano-Frankivs’k. Medyka (Poland) — 2022Polina, 23 years old, from Kyiv. She left all her family in Ukraine, they all decided to remain. Medyka (Poland) — 2022Arction, 9 years old, and his sister Victoria, 3 years old, alongside their mother. Their father and all the rest of the family are now fighting together with the army in Ivano-Frankivs’k. Medyka (Poland) — 2022
Marina with her daughter Veronica and Olga. Her husband Sergej is still in their city, Podolski, where he decided to join the army. Medyka (Poland) — 2022Julia, her mother and her two children, Sergej and Nicole. They fled from Okhtyrka, leaving behind husband and father, who are currently enrolled in the defence forces. Medyka (Poland) — 2022
After seven days spent in shelter, Victoria and her daughter Valeria, along with their dogs, left Ukraine. Finally, they reached the Polish border after travelling for two days. Victoria’s son and husband are now fighting against the Russian army from the first day. Medyka (Poland) — 2022Kateryna with her daughter and her two grandchildren. They left Zaporižžja by train until L’viv to reach the border by foot. Her daughter’s husband is now fighting with the army. Korczowa (Poland) — 2022
These are their stories. These are their incomplete family portraits.
About the project
On February 24, 2022, the Russian offensive in Ukraine began. Widely condemned as a war of aggression, it marked the most significant military conflict in Europe since World War II.
Cities like Kyiv, Mariupol, and Kharkiv became targets of relentless shelling, while ground troops advanced from Russia and Belarus. In a single moment, the lives of millions of Ukrainians were irrevocably changed. Families were forced to seek refuge in cold underground shelters, spending nights — and sometimes days — beneath the surface to escape the violence above.
Ordinary people, some who had never touched a rifle, took up arms to protect their loved ones and defend their homeland.
The invasion triggered one of the largest refugee crises in modern European history. Millions of Ukrainian families fled, leaving behind everything they knew. Most of these refugees were women and children, as Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 were prohibited from leaving the country, bound to stay and fight.
Their journeys — by car, train, bus, or even on foot — spanned days in sub-zero temperatures. They crossed borders into neighbouring countries, especially Poland, carrying only the hope of survival and the dream of reuniting with their husbands, sons, and fathers left behind.
Each frame is a testament to their resilience, their heartbreak, and their hope.
