“My name is Matvey-and-Ignat”

Russia, Yekaterinburg. A regular winter day’s night.

Matvey and Ignat are busy doing homework. They are twins. When I ask one of them what is his name, he replies: "Matvey and Ignat".

Eva hugs Daniel, her beloved older brother.

Daniel is "busy doing nothing", as he defines it himself. He survived a suicide attempt and is recovering with help of his large family.

7 family members (or 8 including a huge dog) share a standard Soviet-era 3 room flat. Family gatherings around the table are impossible due to the kitchen size - over 3 persons just don’t fit in it.

Mother’s Day picture

Masha with her mother.

Masha is 16 on this photo. Severe cerebral palsy made all her body twisted. She weighs 20 kg (44 lbs), all her organs are underdeveloped. She will never be able to say "thank you" to her mother Anna for all her love and selfless care.

I took this picture on this day 4 years ago in Kyiv, Ukraine