Journey across Ukraine (Patreon)

We were driving late at night along an empty Polish highway. The closer we got to the Ukrainian border, the quieter it became. Hardly any traffic, just the occasional local speeding past us, and convoys of civilian and military trucks under police escort.

There was a lot of uncertainty . We didn’t know if we would even be allowed through with all our camera equipment and camping gear. To me, it all felt suspicious. A few hours later we arrived at the border. There was a long line of trucks, vans, and cars waiting to import goods. At the passenger car lane it was surprisingly quiet, there was only one car in front of us.

After a short stop on the Polish side, we drove into the Ukrainian border post. The road was in poor condition, full of potholes and cracks. Above us, a large Ukrainian flag was waving in the wind. A soldier gestured for us to line up for inspection. We parked next to a series of banners showing proud soldiers, with the words underneath: “Be brave like Ukraine.”

After our documents and belongings were checked, we were allowed to continue. A dark landscape stretched out in front of us. No streetlights, barely any lights on in the houses. Behind us was the border, ahead of us a country at war.