Ukraine 242 Podcast

Ivano Frankivsk is a beautiful Medieval city, in western Ukraine. Near the city, in the Carpathian Mountains, is a small hospital where surgeries on wounded soldiers brought from the front are performed and their physical rehabilitation is overseen. Most of the patients are in treatment for crushed and lost limbs. These warriors face months and years of psychological therapy long after their orthopedic injuries have healed. At First Volunteer surgical hospital, a unique, robust program is in place to care for the emotional and social wounds of military patients. The recovering soldiers have access to activities that include trips to film, music and theater performances, pastoral walks and time to sit by one of the region’s pristine rivers. Inside the hospital English classes game nights and group therapy sessions take place on a regular schedule. The hospital staff fully participates in all activities alongside the patients and their interactions create a strong sense of family throughout the campus. One of the most popular programs offered by the hospital takes place at a local horse farm. Conceived of and built by young German entrepreneur Matthias Hopfner, the farm is a haven for horses and other barnyard animals rescued from the front. Thousands of animals have been injured, abandoned, and starved as a consequence of the Russian invasion. Hopfner's program brings hope and comfort to all sentient beings involved in this ingenious project. American reporter and photographer Patrick Patterson visited the hospital recently and I spoke to him about the equine program and other restoratives offered at Ukraine’s First Volunteer Surgical Hospital.

Texas Photographer Patrick Patterson recently lived in Ukraine, after taking several prior trips to Ukraine and Poland, to document war refugees. By connecting with volunteer networks, he was able to intimately document the terror and suffering the Russian invasion is causing for ordinary people. He speaks about his approach to photographing people, by connecting on a human level and listening to their stories with his promise of telling the world. He also describes war crimes he has documented, the experience of being under attack himself, and the intense personal consequences of danger and bonding with others in war. He makes a plea for the world to focus on the plight of everyday people in Ukraine, instead of on weapons.
GO TO UKRAINE242.COM TO SEE PATRICK AND HIS PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEOS
PATRICK'S WEBSITE: WILLIAMPATRICKPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Patterson has spent much of his career documenting human rights. His photographic narratives expose the invisible and can influence change. Each photograph is evidence that someone or something has been seen. His work on undocumented migrants in the Midwest provides an opportunity for viewers to question their biases of people crossing the US southern border. His work on Texas Death Row sheds light on wrongful convictions based on racial bias.
Patricks work has appeared in US and International press, including Playboy Magazine, De Groene Amsterdammer, and Poland Monthly.

Music: Misto Marii by Okean Elzy

Ukraine 2 4 2 features interviews with experts, key people on the ground in Ukraine and many others affected, who can give direct and personal accounts of the unfolding of the war in Ukraine, how people of diverse backgrounds and professional skills rally in the fight for freedom and the historical context of Russia's invasion.

Reported and translated by Volodymyr Anfimov

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