Dispatch from Ukraine - Ilvy Njiokiktjien

Ilvy Njiokiktjien

Soldier Volodimir (20) holds the hand of his girlfriend Tanya (21) while saying goodbye at the train station in Lviv, Ukraine on March 15,2022. He is leaving for Kramatorks, to fight in the war between Ukraine and Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Photo by Ilvy Njiokiktjien / VII.

I went to Lviv, Ukraine on March 11 to report on how the war was impacting everyday life in that city. In this audio dispatch, I describe how I've been working in Lviv, and talk about my personal project documenting the LGBTQi community in the city.

Maksym Pustovoit (41, l) and his boyfriend Timyr Tolchin (31, r) are both from Kyiv. They closed the door to their apartment on February 26, 2022. Timyr: 'I don't want to live here if Russia would win, but they won't. There would be no life for us if they would.' Photo by Ilvy Njiokiktjien / VII.

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Ilvy Njiokiktjien is an independent photographer and multimedia journalist based in the Netherlands, a member of VII Photo, and a Canon Ambassador.

Ilvy has worked in many parts of the world, with a focus on Africa. As a documentary photographer, she covers current affairs and contemporary social issues. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Der Spiegel, NRC Handelsblad, Telegraph Magazine, and Stern, among others, and was exhibited at Visa pour l’Image in 2012.

Accolades include a Canon AFJ Award, two awards at World Press Photo, and first prize in POYi’s Issue Reporting Multimedia Story.