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Powerful war image on view during Ukrainian Week

Image of soldier hiding in a narrow trench.

A Ukrainian soldier hides from a helicopter airstrike amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine near Demydiv, north of Kyiv (see below for full image caption). Photo by Maks Levin.

Walk past 51 McCaul St. and you may be alarmed to see a startling photo of a soldier hiding in a narrow trench. OCAD University Galleries System is exhibiting the powerful photo taken by the late photojournalist Maks Levin, provided by Ukrainian exchange students from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, who are studying at the University of Toronto.

The initiative, part of Ukrainian Week, is a one-week festival that includes a pop-up art exhibition, a movie night, and educational posters. Levin’s photo is part of Ten Photos of War, an outdoor exhibition of 10 photos displayed around Toronto depicting 10 months of the Russian invasion of Ukraine through personal stories.

The photos were taken by professional photographers who placed their lives on the line to capture these moments and emotions. Levin, who worked with a number of major Western news outlets including Reuters and the BBC was killed while covering Russia’s assault on Kyiv last March.

Image caption:

"A Ukrainian soldier hides from a helicopter airstrike amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine near Demydiv, north of Kyiv. In March, the front line near Demydiv ran along the same line of defence of Kyiv during World War II. In places where the Ukrainian army stood in March, there used to be bunkers of the Soviet army. In 1941 the troops of Nazi Germany stood on the other side of the Irpin river. In 2022, it was the Russian army. Maks Levin, who took this photo, was tragically captured, beaten, tortured, and killed by the Russian army just a few days later on March 13, 2022. His photos of the early stages of the war shine a light on the initial heroism of the Ukrainians, choosing to fight the enemy against all odds."