The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a pivotal event in the history of Europe, resulting in thousands of civilian casualties and triggering a global food and energy crisis. Documenting the ongoing war and preserving that documentation is a historical necessity.
In this event, Katya Sergatskova, Eugene Safonov, and Emine Ziyatdinova gave us a first look at the Ukraine War Photo Archive they are building to preserve documentary visual materials about the Russian invasion and to support photographers who cover the events.
The Warchive platform will use technology from the Distant Viewing Lab at the University of Richmond in the U.S. to create an easy-to-use open and interactive platform. Users will be able to search the large photography collection by date, location, author, and theme. The images will be preserved on servers outside of Ukraine so they can not be destroyed. The project intends to launch a beta version of the platform in early 2023 with images from 100 photographers.
