Donbas and Civilians in London: the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation tells Europeans about the tragedy of civilians in the Donbas
The unique photo book Donbas and Civilians from the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation was presented in London on Ukraine’s stand at the London Book Fair.
This event was held for the 49th time, and it is considered one of the most important events in the book world. Every year, the fair receives tens of thousands of visitors and participants.
According to Natalia Yemchenko, member of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation’s Supervisory Board, the photo book has already been presented in Ukraine, Brussels, Frankfurt am Main and Strasbourg. It became a shocking revelation for many Europeans, who found out for the first time that right in the center of Europe, one of the largest armed conflicts of the 21st century has been waged for the fifth year now.
‘The world-renowned London Book Fair is a worthy platform for the photo book Donbas and Civilians. This is an excellent opportunity to reach out to the hearts of Europeans. Via the stories presented in this photo book, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation shows the fate of millions of people. The reality in which people have to survive. These stories must be voiced, heard, preserved, lived through, and understood by the international community,’ Natalia Yemchenko said.
According to Mrs. Yemchenko, people of the Donbas still need humanitarian aid. The help from one man – Rinat Akhmetov – brings belief and hope for better tomorrow. One million human lives were saved thanks to him. And today, his help continues to come to the region’s hotspots. The places where artillery fire and explosions do not cease.
‘According to a survey held in October-November 2018 by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, 85% of the region’s residents believe that they would not have survived without Rinat Akhmetov’s help’, Natalia Yemchenko said.
Donbas and Civilians is a chronicle of horrible events that take place in the center of Europe today. This photo book features 11 stories of ordinary people from Kramatorsk, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Krasnohorivka, Pisky and other towns who found themselves in the epicenter of the War in Donbas. The book’s heroes are severely wounded children who saw with their own eyes exploding missiles and the death of their close ones. Old people who lost relatives and were left to live in destroyed homes. Schoolchildren and teachers who conduct classes in the area of continuing fighting. This book is about war and civilians. About burnt houses and charred hopes. About the people surviving with the hope for peace.
