Post B7f81axMjCLx4nf6ky by appassionato@mastodon.social
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 (DIR) Post #B7f81aipbEj8LirV6O by appassionato@mastodon.social
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       A gift from friends (Подарок от друзей)A resident watches from his balcony as another flat burns after being hit by a Russian drone, in the frontline town of #Druzhkivka, June 22. REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov #photography #Ukraine #drones #AltText
       
 (DIR) Post #B7f81axMjCLx4nf6ky by appassionato@mastodon.social
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       An entangled Russian drone sits over a road covered with anti-drone netting in the frontline town of #Druzhkivka, April 24. REUTERS/Serhii Korovainyi #photography #Ukraine #drones
       
 (DIR) Post #B7f81bBtr9ylnsSiPY by appassionato@mastodon.social
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       Andrii, 60, a resident of #Druzhkivka, says goodbye to his dog as he leaves his house while being evacuated from the frontline town June 20. REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov  #photography #Ukrainer #pets #dogs
       
 (DIR) Post #B7f81bOf5iBgRSQuIq by jonlord@mastodon.world
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       @appassionato 💔 doesn’t begin to describe it
       
 (DIR) Post #B7f81dlmGjrlnjGObw by appassionato@mastodon.social
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       Monument to LoversAnti-drone nets and razor wire installed in the town center of #Druzhkivka, June 19. REUTERS/Nina Liashonok   #photography #Ukraine #AltText
       
 (DIR) Post #B7f81fN2JhGQlZhfKC by appassionato@mastodon.social
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       The sculpture is known as the "Monument to Lovers" (or the Lovers' Statue). Its background and current reality tell a incredibly poignant story:  The Origin: The statue was erected recently, in August 2019, during a major revitalization of the #Druzhkivka city center. Ironically, it was placed in the small central square exactly where a large monument to Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin used to stand before it was pulled down in 2015. #Ukraine #sculptures
       
 (DIR) Post #B7f81iXQXWMGafaVRA by appassionato@mastodon.social
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       2/Because the square sits directly adjacent to the city's civil registry office (where marriages are legalized), the monument quickly became a local tradition. Newlyweds, couples, and young lovers would go there for wedding photos and romantic strolls while trams rumbled past the bustling nearby market. Even after the 2022 invasion began, Ukrainian soldiers deployed to the Donbas region frequently used the backdrop of this statue to marry their partners during brief leaves from the front line.
       
 (DIR) Post #B7f81mUNqmIgqOC8FU by appassionato@mastodon.social
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       3/The Symbol Today: As the frontline has squeezed closer to the Kramatorsk raion, the vibrant square has emptied out. The local trams stopped running, and the surrounding buildings—including the apartment complex in the background of the photo—have been heavily battered by aerial glide bombs and rocket strikes.  #Ukraine
       
 (DIR) Post #B7f81o87kVgPvvnNpY by appassionato@mastodon.social
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       4/The razor wire in the foreground highlights how an installation built in a town named for friendship, designed to celebrate peaceful love, has been physically cordoned off and trapped within a landscape of active warfare. Here's a closer look at the sculpture:#photography #Ukraine #sculpture #AltText
       
 (DIR) Post #B7f81qVwstvfKOxRFA by appassionato@mastodon.social
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       5/The photographer has used a powerful juxtaposition here—framing an unyielding, intimate embrace of love in the crisp foreground while the fragile brick and mortar of the city literally crumbles to pieces right behind it. Remarkably, despite the proximity of the blast that leveled a chunk of the building, the bronze monument itself managed to survive the shockwave. #Ukraine #sculpture