‘I want peace’: Ukraine and a Christmas at war

Three Ukrainian photographers capture the lives of children who fled and those who stayed in Ukraine

Dmytro* lives with his mother and six younger siblings in northern Ukraine, near the border with Russia and Belarus (Anastasia Vlasova/Save the Children)

From an eight-year-old girl whose hair has started to turn grey to a nine-year girl who has put peace at the top of her Christmas wish list, a  powerful new photo series has documented the lives of children and their families living in Ukraine, Romania and the UK as they approached Christmas living in a war zone or as refugees in Europe.

Renowned Ukrainian photographers Anastasia Vlasova, Alina Smutko and Nina Sologubenko have captured children’s daily lives, and their hopes and dreams, as they face the end of the year in their new reality. 

Their images show the impact of almost 10 months of war, which has devastated the lives of 7.5 million children from Ukraine. Constant attacks including air strikes, missiles and shelling are estimated by the UN to have claimed the lives of over 400 children and left over 700 with life-changing injuries since February. The true figure is likely to be much higher.