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they hadn ’ t been able to fish , or tend their crops , for five months due to the constant shelling and had resorted to cutting down trees along the river for firewood to stay warm during the colder months . The riverbank confirmed their story as we saw most of the trees with multiple fresh scars from the removal of so many limbs .
It was just more hardship and suffering , and as Kiran made his pictures , I was again in hopeful mode that my words and his images could do something to help the people of Ukraine in their darkest hours .
We travelled with the fishermen for a few hours before they reached their home and then we taxied back to Andriy ’ s car . We had to be back in Odesa before curfew so made some haste . On our return we barely slowed for the block post that gave us all the problems earlier , and passed massive lines of trucks filled with grain waiting to cross into Moldova as we just made it back in time .
The following morning started with one of our more serious conversations . Mykolaiv had been hit by more than twenty-five missiles this morning and we needed to decide whether to go and cover it or not . Kiran made it clear we must all be on the same page , and within minutes we are loading Andriy ’ s Chevrolet with bullet proof vests , helmets , and camera gear . The mood in the car was good , but I could sense we were all dealing with our own thoughts as we travelled and soon , we were entering the city . It all seemed quiet , life was going on with cars and pedestrians filling the street and then we saw the line of people queuing for water . A large truck was filling every type of container imaginable as people stood quietly and patiently inline to receive their share .
I felt awkward taking photographs as I observed old
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