Photo project “Bil” about heroism and resilience of border guards was presented in Kyiv
In Kyiv, in the premises of the Ukrainian national news agency “Ukrinform”, a photo project “Bil” was presented, which tells the stories of nine border guards of the Separate checkpoint “Kyiv”. The photo project tells about the heroes of our time. About those who did not take advantage, did not fall to their knees, did not bow their heads, did not lower their hands...
The project tells about border guards and border guards who, despite the loss of loved ones, the suffering of relatives, their own experiences, being surrounded and imprisoned, did not break. About those who, after everything experienced, stand to defend the country even now. About the unconquered people of unconquered Ukraine.
“Pain is about life today. I am sure that every family, every Ukrainian has experienced what a full-scale invasion is, has felt that pain, being in captivity, losing a loved one, a colleague, being separated from the family for a long time, and not stopping, and then serving or working for the Victory of Ukraine. Border guards and border guards are unbreakable. We are honourably fulfilling our duties. We are the first to meet the enemy and we will defend our borders to the last drop of blood,” said Colonel Bogdan Humeniuk, the head of the separate checkpoint “Kyiv”.
The photographer of the project — Oksana Shevchenko, who worked on the photo project for free, noted that with this work she wanted to show the heroic people who are among us. She emphasized that the photos will help people and the country to know their Heroes face to face. The men who are participants in the project have passed through Russian captivity. The photographer tried to convey their courage, emotions and mood through appropriate lighting and play of contrasts, because the photos in the project are black and white.
“I have been serving in the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine since 2012. During the full-scale invasion, together with our brothers, we defended Mariupol. There was a very large number of enemy forces. At that time, we did not have enough ammunition. In the position I was left alone. I had one grenade with me. I didn't want to be captured. I decided to blow up and take the enemy with me. When he came close, I threw a grenade under his feet. The enemy was destroyed, I remained alive,” said project participant Denis Nesterenko.
“I was born in Latvia. Together with her husband, also a border guard, she came to Ukraine in 1991. Subsequently, they also joined the Border Agency. During the full-scale invasion, she was on duty in Mariupol. I was given the task of quickly collecting all the documents that could fall into the hands of the enemy. For almost a month we were surrounded, under fire. To save the lives of servicemen and women, we left Mariupol. It was difficult to get there. We passed more than 20 enemy checkpoints. My dream is to wait for our boys from captivity and return to Mariupol under the flag of Ukraine,” said project participant Olena Gorpinchenko.
Project participant Oleg Maistrenko says that the pain for him is February 24, 2022. On the day of the large-scale invasion, he was an employee of the communication department of the border service department “Gostomel”. The border guard not only destroyed all the information that could reach the enemy, but also saved the life of a fellow who was thrown away by the blast wave and he broke his leg. Oleg pulled him out of the line of fire.
Elena Grebenyuk is a civilian paramedic of the medical center of OKPP “Kyiv”, she has devoted 18 years to medical work in the unit. The medic was with the border guards for almost two months and provided medical assistance to those who needed it. Olena's daughter was left with two minor children — 2 and 6 years old. Elena's son-in-law in 2022 was seriously wounded near Maryinka. For half a year, the man fought for his life, but the heart of the warrior could not stand it.
The photo project “Bil” is the second successfully implemented work. In April 2023, OKPP “Kyiv” presented the photo project “Incredible”, which tells about border guards. With the support of “Free” spaces, this project visited more than 30 cities of Ukraine.
State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
