March 4, 2022. Przemysl, Poland. Bert Wilhaus of Holland waited for a train to enter Ukraine to go help fight the Russians. A soldier himself, though not Ukrainian, he said he was crying inside when he saw the news and wanted to put his fighting skills to use to help the country. He didn’t know where he would end up but he would take the train to Lviv and offer his help.
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, over a million refugees are estimated to have fled the country, with more pouring into neighbouring countries every day. The vast majority are women and children, most of whom have travelled for days with minimal luggage. As they arrive at the border of Poland they search for transportation to their destinations by train, bus, volunteer or friends coming to pick them up. Aid stations have been set up in border towns to distribute donated supplies and help coordinate.
Natalie Keyssar is a documentary photographer based in Brooklyn, New York. She is interested in inequality, youth culture, and the personal effects of political turmoil and violence, primarily in the US and Latin America. She has a BFA in Painting and Illustration from The Pratt Institute.
Keyssar has contributed to publications such as The New York Times Magazine, Time, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, National Geographic, and California Sunday Magazine and been awarded by organisations including the Philip Jones Griffith Award. The Aaron Siskind Foundation, PDN 30, Magenta Flash Forward, and American Photography.