War in Donbass
In 2014, Russian-aligned separatists in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine declared independence from Kiev, setting off a brutal conflict that rapidly devolved into static trench warfare. Five years on, destruction and depopulation have crippled the region. Constant fatalities have become a fact of life for the soldiers stationed there, one which the world at large has been seemingly content to ignore. The situation continues to fester to the present day. These photos were taken in August 2019, on the Ukrainian-controlled side of the conflict zone.