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The magazine of the art-form of the photo-essay “A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine.  Fabulous!” Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker
July 2015 back issue
My Life is a Bunker Everyday life in war torn Ukraine
by Yves Choquette
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Bomb shelter, 50 metres on the left.
Behind the entrance of the bunker is the coal mine which owns the bunker. It's initial use was for coal mine employees during the cold war.
One of the severals kids, living in the bunker, intrigued by my presence.
Inside the bunker, main entrance door. A separatist flag is hung on the upright side of the door. A dog on the lower left side is intrigued by the newcomers.
Kids's bicycles belonging to the several families that live in the bunker.  The bunker has space for up to 70 people.
Typical room for a family in the bunker. Here 7 people sleep and live in this room. The grandmother on the left, the mother and her five kids. The father has gone.
Tomas Vlach, emergency coordinator of the NGO "People in Need" giving a chocolate bar to one of the kids, asking her to share with other kids in the room.
Kids watching cartoons in a room inside the bunker.
Marina preparing the dinner, pasta for her four kids, in a small room reserved for cooking. Like for most of the families we saw, no husband was present.
Small room for single people.
Natasha, 11 years old, is severely traumatized by the conflict. She screams every time she hears an unfamiliar noise.
Czech photographer Iva Zimova trying to comfort a Babushka.  She cries often and has lost hope for her better life. This was the second day we visited the bunkers.
Louba, 52 years old, is a mother figure for the other woman in the bunker.
Two young men in a room trying to repair a soccer ball.
Pasha (5 years old) with his guinea pig, Masha.
When he saw my camera, he screamed and ran into his mother's arms.  He mistook my camera for a gun.
Anton, 30 years old. He has no work and can't join the separatist army because his legs were injured in a car crash a few years ago.
Inside one of the bedrooms. Typical bed in the bunker; made of empty cardboard boxes.
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