Anastasia Taylor-Lind: 5km from the Frontline

Since 2018, the photographer has been following the lives of three families from the Donbass for her long-term project. In the selection of images published here, she focuses on the devastating effects of war on the environment – which also have dramatic consequences for the people.

In times of peace, poplar trees line the roads of the Donbass, their large, elegant leaves rustling softly in the wind, as if waving cheerfully to every car passing by. In summer, they protect the landscape from dust, in winter from snow. But ever since Russia’s large-scale military invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the environment throughout the country has changed enormously, with the war leaving its mark on habitats that are actually intended for life. The poplars are being cut down and are taking on new, protective functions in face of the fighting, ones that are closer to concepts of cover, shielding and guarding, than of tranquillity, support and security. “One of the things that has happened is, for example, that trees that were originally planted for purposes of design are now being used as roadblocks,” Anastasia Taylor-Lind explains. “All aspects of the landscape – especially in the Donbass – have been impacted by the war: flora, fauna, water sources, rivers, soil. There are injuries and death, not only among the people, but for all forms of life.”

5km from the Frontline is an ongoing project by the British photographer, which she is producing together with anthropologist and journalist Alisa Sopova. Taylor-Lind first travelled to the Donbass in 2014 to report on the experiences under Russian occupation of the civilian population there. Since 2018, she and Sopova – who herself comes from Donetsk in the Donbass – have been following the daily lives of people and families who are facing new challenges against the backdrop of war: flight, displacement, separation, and the struggle for survival. In 2020, Taylor-Lind’s sensitive portrait series was shortlisted for the Leica Oscar Barnack Award; now her pictures explore in particular the environmental impact of the war, which has been ongoing in this region for over a decade. Sponsored by the National Geographic Society, the reporter team research how materials, objects and landscapes change, and how the massive environmental destruction affects Ukraine – and, above all, the people. “We concentrated on the eastern part of the Donbass, where the war began,” says Taylor-Lind. “It’s a very industrial area, where we not only became aware of the catastrophic devastation for the flora, fauna and waterways, but also the collapse of industry. Closed-down factories present just as much danger to the surroundings, because if they are not accessible, this can lead to enormous environmental damage.” 

Taylor-Lind’s images often show details that tell a whole story: a danger sign beside a path through a field dotted with mines; a destroyed bridge over the river; barrier tape in a wheat field that has been cleared of unexploded ordnance. Behind every photograph, you can sense the consequences of war on nature, and thus on everyday life, where suddenly paths, roads and places become unusable. Or to express it in another way, in a war, every step out into life is like a step into uncertainty.


Anastasia Taylor-Lind’s series was submitted by David Y. Lee, who is among this year’s group of international LOBA nominators.