Synopsis
We present this synopsis as a summary of the 14-part video blog series posted by director Steve Richards in real time from locations on his trek beginning in March 2022 through his return in late April.
Getting There
Very Rev. Archpriest Yaroslav Nalysnyk
Director Steve Richards began his trek to Bucha in Boston. After a visit to REI for a new backpack and other gear he also visited with Father Yaroslav at Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church in Boston where he documents parishioners gathering and shipping supplies for Ukraine. For more read the post: Announcing TheoEco's Ukraine Trek.
On March 28th Richards flew to Warsaw from Boston on his way to Lviv. He arrived the next day and hiked from Chopin airport to downtown recording as he went. For more check out: Flight to Warsaw.
On March 28th Richards flew to Warsaw from Boston on his way to Lviv. He arrived the next day and hiked from Chopin airport to downtown recording as he went. For more check out: Flight to Warsaw.
A Ukranian army veteran and his yellow van .
On March 30th Richards made his way through a harrowing gauntlet of cancelled trains, missed buses and a midnight crossing through multiple checkpoints into Ukraine. By two in the morning on March 31st he had reached his hotel thanks to the help of many along the way especially a Ukranian army veteran - and his yellow van - who provided a free ride to Richards from Warsaw to Lviv. That night he also heard his first air raid siren. For more see the post: Warsaw to Lviv.
Lviv
A tram in Lviv.
Richards’ first day in Ukraine at a Lviv hotel started with a kitten at his window. The rest of the day he explored Lviv this first day of April and finds a lovely city in full swing…aside from the frequent air raid sirens and recent memories of missile strikes nearby. For more go to: Lviv Walk Around.
It’s a funny thing when one begins a journey without much of a plan. Father Yaroslav in Boston told Richards to go to the UCU. He stayed close to a week waiting for the weather to clear a bit and editing a 25-minute short documentary about the place including the basements/bomb shelters and the student activities. For more go to: Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU).
During the stay in Lviv it became clear it was reasonably safe to go to Kyiv. So, Richards caught the first train he could and wound up in Kyiv 20 minutes before curfew in a blacked-out train station and soldiers with AK-47s everywhere. He started his hike to his hotel as there were no taxis. Thankfully, a soldier gave him a ride and he arrived at his hotel just in time. For more read the post: Train Ride to Kyiv.
During the stay in Lviv it became clear it was reasonably safe to go to Kyiv. So, Richards caught the first train he could and wound up in Kyiv 20 minutes before curfew in a blacked-out train station and soldiers with AK-47s everywhere. He started his hike to his hotel as there were no taxis. Thankfully, a soldier gave him a ride and he arrived at his hotel just in time. For more read the post: Train Ride to Kyiv.
Kyiv
A sandbagged statue in a Kyiv park near Independence Square.
When Richards first left Boston he never imagined he could go to Kyiv since the Russians and Ukrainians were still battling. But here he was, and he spent no time documenting the realities of a city with more soldiers than civilians on the streets. But he found life in a coffee kiosk, liquor store, electronics store, a bank and a restaurant making meals with World Central Kitchen. For more see the video at: Kyiv Walk Around.
One of the great highlights of the trip was when Richards found the folks at Match Restaurant in Kyiv when he was kind of desperate for a meal. They weren’t exactly open as the place had been converted to a producer of more than 1,500 meals a day in conjunction with World Central Kitchen. We took an extra day in Kyiv editing this video which includes an interview with the owner and director. Check out the video at: World Central Kitchen in Kyiv.
After a few days in Kyiv Richards and his team in Boston and Kathmandu decided it was worth the effort to go to Bucha and document what was happening there just days after the Russians had pulled out. But it wasn’t so easy to get there as there were no trains, buses or Ubers operating. There was really just one option - a two-day hike with a rest day in between. For more read the post: Hiking to Bucha.
After a few days in Kyiv Richards and his team in Boston and Kathmandu decided it was worth the effort to go to Bucha and document what was happening there just days after the Russians had pulled out. But it wasn’t so easy to get there as there were no trains, buses or Ubers operating. There was really just one option - a two-day hike with a rest day in between. For more read the post: Hiking to Bucha.
Bucha
A sticker on a statue on the way to Bucha
The most harrowing day of the month-long trek was the hike into Bucha where Richards navigated checkpoints, trenches, possibly mined dirt roads, and territorial dogs. What he saw when he arrived was even worse than the newscasts. The day concluded with a warm welcome by an unexpecting hotelier. For more see: Way to Bucha.
Shot up van in Bucha
Richards spent the next week touring Bucha. The sites of the atrocities are documented in Richards’ footage, and much more including interviews with a survivor who had been bound and blindfolded for days in his ransacked apartment and a with a man rummaging through the vehicle his mother was shot and died in. For more see: Bucha.
Church of St Andrew the First Called in Bucha
Richards spent Easter in Bucha at the site of the mass graves at the gold-domed church broadcast internationally. His typical brunch was exchanged for a bowl of chicken soup cooked over an open fire in a parking lot that just days before had an armored personnel carrier parked in it - and snipers on the roof. For more go to: Easter in Bucha.
A shelled apartment building in Irpin
Irpin represents the Russians final defeat in the Battle of Kyiv and was heavily shelled for weeks. It is the site of some of the worst damage of the battle and was largely a ghost town when Richards visited on his final tour of the western suburbs on April 18th before returning home. For more see: Irpin.
Going Home
A baby and her mother leaving Ukraine on a train to Poland.
The trip home for Richards began with his return to Kyiv on April 21st when he documents the return of life to Kyiv just a week after his first foray into the city. This footage includes a short encounter with a young family with baby recently returned to the city. For more see Kyiv (Part 2).
The final leg of the trek was a convoluted set of three train rides over two days back to Warsaw from where Richards caught a flight back to the USA. On the way he shared a compartment with a toddler and mother on their way to Poland to take refuge from the war. For more see Heading Home.
The final leg of the trek was a convoluted set of three train rides over two days back to Warsaw from where Richards caught a flight back to the USA. On the way he shared a compartment with a toddler and mother on their way to Poland to take refuge from the war. For more see Heading Home.