RIA PIZZA – Single channel video procjection. HD, 5 min. Sound.

In Kramatorsk, the city is transformed by the war.
A city in the eastern Donbas, which was occupied by the russians at the beginning of 2022 and  later retaken by Ukraine, its fate in free Ukraine hangs in the balance. constantly  under threat to be „liberated“ by the russians again. The proximity to the front makes the city a target. Most of the civilian citizens have fled .
The camera examines the ghostly, empty streets accompnied by the sound of air raid sirens, and finally descends on the grotesquely disfigured ruins of the „Ria Pizza“ restaurant. This busy restaurant was the target of an attack by russian missiles at dinnertime the 27 June 2023, which killed 13 innocent victims, among them Victoria Amelina, a ukrainian writer, poet and war crimes investigator, who had devoted herself to recording testimonies of russian war crimes in the occupied territories.
The video features one of her poems, „Testimonies“ and is a testament to the courage of her and the many ukrainian artists and intellectuals who have given their life for their country.