Julia Kochetova is a 28-year-old Ukrainian photojournalist and filmmaker who has been documenting the Russian invasion.She has interviewed and photographed civilians fleeing areas near Kyiv such as Bucha that were occupied by Russian forces and that are now revealing scenes of true horror as those troops withdraw.As a Ukrainian photographer documenting a war in her own country, Kochetova has felt a special emotional connection to the conflict’s victims.
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“Filming in destroyed residential buildings in Kyiv, small damaged houses in Ukrainian villages, it always makes me feel like an invader,” she said over WhatsApp.“I’m entering someone's bedroom without knocking on the door. Pillow with window fragments on it, kids toy or favourite book with burnt pages, portrait in a frame… Someone has been living, dreaming, and loving here. And now it’s littered with glass pieces and would never be the same.”She continued: “As a Ukrainian, in each bedroom, I see mine. In the mess of total war, I see what people left and how valuable things are not important anymore.”