Dark Days / Чёрные дни

The summer of 2014 marked the beginning of a disaster that would bring thousands of deaths, thousands of destroyed homes, and shattered lives. With each passing day, the sense of an impending catastrophe grew stronger, and soon the city became the center of war.

The photobook
Dark Days / Чёрные дни
is a documentary narrative about the tragic consequences of the armed conflict in Southeastern Ukraine — in Donbas.

Photographer Valery Melnikov found himself there in 2014, in the very first days of hostilities, and for eight years documented the consequences of a humanitarian catastrophe. His book is not about geopolitics but about those who found themselves caught between the front lines — about civilians whose lives unfold alongside a war they never chose.

Valery Melnikov is an independent documentary photographer, a three-time World Press Photo winner, recipient of the Magnum Photography Awards, and many other international prizes.

His projects have been exhibited in Russia, Europe, the United States, China, and other countries.

In his work, Valery employs the photographic style of documentary realism, creating profound visual narratives about conflict, memory, and human experience.

Photographer: Valery Melnikov
Design: Konstantin Eremenko
Photo Editor: Andrei Polikanov
Text: Valery Melnikov
Text Editor / Translation into English: Olga Bubich
Editor / Proofreader: Tatiana Timakova
English Proofreader: Galina Shkumat
Colour Correction: Vladimir Semenkov
Print Management: Agata Chachko