This piece is a part of Leah Robb’s collection, Portraits of Ukrainian Refugees in Denmark.
Acrylic and oil on canvas.
Dimensions: 24cm x 30cm
Polina, 21
“I fled from the attack by Russian people in Ukraine. I am an acrobat by profession, so I often travelled abroad, but I always returned home and knew that my family were waiting for me and loved me there. Russia attacked Ukraine at 5am on February 24th. My family stayed in Ukraine and everyday I worry about them. I know that people are raped, killed and tortured. It is very difficult for me to come to terms with the idea that people in the modern world are capable of such things. With the outbreak of the war, my anxiety and fear intensified. I have a distrust of people that I didn’t have before. I still can’t believe that people are capable of doing such things to other people… I have anger and fear. And everyday, I try to continue to live, despite these emotions. The war that the Russians unleashed in Ukraine is not a war, it is a crime against humanity that sick people commit and go unpunished. Pain and injustice in my heart will remain for life. I hope this atrocity ends soon.”