KOSTYA

Since the age of 11, Kostya grew up with war as a constant presence, shaping his childhood through loss, displacement, and uncertainty. When violence reached his home, it forced his family to leave and left him grappling with anger, sadness, and moments of deep despair. Over time, he arrived at a quiet but decisive understanding: that survival itself can be an active choice. On the football field, he finds a brief escape, a space where the weight of war recedes and another life becomes imaginable. From this, Kostya draws a simple conviction, that the meaning of life lies in finding something that allows you to move forward.

This portrait was made in co-production with the Volya Foundation, caring for children experiencing the war in Ukraine. https://www.ukrainevolya.org/