Yellow Van Stories Bastian Fischer

Roman Pilipey is a Ukrainian photojournalist based in Kiyv. The first main event he witnessed as a photographer was the Euromaidan revolution in Kyiv, 2013-2014, when Ukraine showed its clear and unmistakable determination to be a part of Europe. It is no coincidence that the invasion and annexation of Crimea by Russian military happened only a few months later.  From 2014, Roman was covering the, then still isolated, war in eastern Ukraine, and, in the same year, became the staff photographer for European Pressphoto Agency (EPA). For the next few years, Roman's focus was mainly on Eastern Ukraine and its aftermath, while also working in other parts of the country.  In 2017, Roman relocated to Beijing for EPA where he worked on stories and covered major news events in China, becoming in 2022 the EPA bureau chief for the China region. Throughout his years in China, he has been traveling to almost every corner of the country. For his work in China he was awarded Photographer of the Year, POY Asia 2022.  

When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Roman had just finished covering the Beijing Olympic Games. He immediately left China and went to his native country to cover the war. Since then he relocated back to Ukraine, where he works on stories of the ongoing war. In early 2023, after eight years in EPA, Roman left the agency. Since then he is actively collaborating with Getty Images, and works as chief photographer for Agence France-Presse (AFP).  In 2023, with his picture from Bucha, which we will discuss in more detail a little later on, he was awarded Pictures of the Year International (POY) Finalist in "War in Ukraine: News" category, and in 2024 Roman was named Photojournalist of the Year, National at the 2024 National Press Photographers Association [https://nppa.org/] (NPPA) in the category Best of Photojournalism. An award he much deserves and I was very happy to see him receive.

Having him in the van with us today, we will look at the Russian invasion of Ukraine through the eyes of one its most accomplished chroniclers by discussing a selection of Roman's images from the last two years. And I am, therefore, incredibly grateful to have him with us today.

Welcome to the Yellow Van, Roman!

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SHOW NOTES

Image Gallery
https://bit.ly/yellowvanstories

Roman on the Web
https://www.facebook.com/roman.pilipey
https://www.linkedin.com/in/roman-pilipey-3a1a2367/
https://x.com/RomanPilipey

Ukraine Aid
https://www.hospitallers.life/
https://prytulafoundation.org/en
https://savelife.in.ua/en/

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MUSIC
Love In The Face Of Fear [https://jimkroft.bigcartel.com/product/love-in-the-face-of-fear], Jim Kroft [http://www.jimkroft.com/]

Support the Show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan]

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The Yellow Van on YouTube:  
https://youtu.be/voAIEy4j4Lc

Today is a double premiere! For the first time I made an actual home visit and I conducted the entire interview in German! My apologies to all English native speakers, the next one will be for you again as well.

Meine Reisegefährtin dieses Mal ist Iryna Schneider. Sie betreibt eine eigene Marketingagentur seitdem sie aus der Ukraine nach #München umgesiedelt ist. Über sich selbst sagt sie: "Tagsüber bin ich Marketingmanagerin und abends Künstlerin."

Wir unterhalten uns über ihre Kunst entlang der Grenze von Großstadt und Natur, den Wert des Ehrenamtes in unseren turbulenten Zeiten, und wie die Kunst, vor allem Kindern die den Krieg kennenlernen mussten, bei der Trauma-Bewältigung helfen kann. Und, wie immer, vieles mehr.

Neben ihrer ehrenamtlichen Tätigkeit betreibt Iryna eigene Initiativen und Hilfsprojekt|e zur Unterstützung der Ukraine. Die Links dazu findet Ihr unten in den Show Notes.

Willkommen im Yellow Van, Iryna!

SHOW NOTES
Schickeria [https://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/Schickeria]
Kateryna Bilokur [https://reisen-kiew.com/kateryna-bilokur/]
Banksy [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksy]
Tafel Deutschland [https://www.tafel.de/]
Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V. [https://www.malteser.de/]
Pablo Picasso [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Picasso]

ILIYA CHICHKAN On
Mutual Art [https://www.mutualart.com/Artist/Ilya-Chichkan/073633495B64AE80/Biography]
Adamovskiy Foundation [https://adamovskiy.foundation/en/works/chychkan-illya/]
Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/p/CnUH-rltdhv/?igshid=ODhhZWM5NmIwOQ==]

IRYNA'S INITIATIVES
https://www.instagram.com/irynas_artwork
https://www.instagram.com/donate_for_children_ukraine

MUSIC
Love In The Face Of Fear [https://jimkroft.bigcartel.com/product/love-in-the-face-of-fear], Jim Kroft [http://www.jimkroft.com/]

Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan]

Mykola Kondrashev is an award-winning cinematographer and photographer based in Kiyv who also holds a master's degree in psychology.

With his experience on a wide array of projects including commercial music videos, feature films, and television series, Mykola has honed his skills to create captivating and powerful visuals.

Mykola's impressive portfolio of projects spans the globe and he has worked with huge names like Coca-Cola, Radisson and Nescafé.

Mykola's dedication to his craft is evident in all of his work, and we are excited to welcome him on board the Yellow Van to learn more about his journey as a cinematographer, how his daily routine has changed during the war and how the deep divide of war can split right through the middle of a family.

And, as always, a lot more.

Welcome to the Yellow Van, Mykola!

Shortly after the recording of our episode, Mykola received mail from the army to be registered with them. As I am recording this, Mykola, like countless other Ukrainians is waiting for his marching order. It could come any moment of any day. Alex Kraev from Odessa, who you might remember from one of the previous episodes, has already been at the front for almost two months now. In one of his latest Facebook-Posts, he wrote: "I am not dead, I am learning." War becomes something else entirely when you know the people who are thrown into it.

SHOW NOTES

Nyvky - a suburb of Kyiv [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyvky]
V2 Rockets [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-2_rocket]
Bucha [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucha,_Kyiv_Oblast]
Irpin [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irpin]
Cossacks [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cossacks]
Khokhol [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/khokhol]
Oseledets [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oseledets]
Khmelnytsky Uprising [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmelnytsky_Uprising]
Takflix, Ukrainian film streaming service [https://takflix.com/en]
Wladiwostok [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wladiwostok]

Sergei Loznitsa, Ukrainian director [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Loznitsa]
My Joy, film directed by Sergei Loznitsa [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Joy]

Link to the episode with Alex Kraev [https://www.yellowvanstories.com/alex-kraev-punked/]

Mykola Online
Mykola's Personal website [https://kondrashev.com.ua/]
Mykola's Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/kondrashev.mykola]
Mykola's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mykola.kondrashev/]

Donations
Civilian: Psychological Association of Ukraine [https://www.npa-ua.org/donate?lang=en]
Military: Eyes On Ukraine, Support for Drones [https://eyesonukraine.eu/]

Love In The Face Of Fear [https://jimkroft.bigcartel.com/product/love-in-the-face-of-fear], Jim Kroft [http://www.jimkroft.com/]

Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan]

Yellow Van Stories is a Mind the Bump [https://www.mindthebump.de/] Production.

Gayane Arushanian is a multidisciplinary artist from Kyiv. She is the founder of the School of Experimental Art in Kyiv and the G-ART STUDIO in Zaporizhzhia.

Gayané is not only an outstanding artist, but she also has a Master's in Urban Construction and Design and Economic Cybernetics from the Zaporizhzhia State Engineering Academy.

Her mathematical knowledge and her artistic eye and love for colour enable her to create shapes, forms and colour patterns oscillating between harmony and chaos.

She says:
I have always believed that art was and is the source, the way, and the opportunity to be honest with myself and the world around me. Equilibrium is about finding the balance of the image of the world, the world within. Colour, shapes and composition are the only criteria of harmony for me. There is an ideal state of the world around - Chaos! And all of this is in the indefinite darkness that you and I reveal every day.

Gayané was born in Armenia and had to flee her home when the first war between Armenia and Azerbaijan broke out. The Russian invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February 2022 made a lot of those memories resurface.

Today, we want to take a look at Gayané's very personal story of becoming an artist, the Ukrainian art world in a more general way and the challenges it faces because of the war.
And a lot more, of course.

It is a great pleasure and privilege to have her in the Yellow Van today!

SHOW NOTES

Cybernetics [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybernetics]
ARC Gallery, Chicago [https://www.arcgallery.org/]
City of Kherson [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kherson]
City of Uman [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uman]
First Nagorno-Karabakh War [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Nagorno-Karabakh_War]
Khmelnytsky Uprising [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmelnytsky_Uprising]
Fibonacci Sequence [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_sequence]
Berlin Ensemble [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Ensemble]
Gaia, Greek goddess [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia]

Gayane's Inspiration
Yuryi Khymych [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuriy_Khimich] (painter)
Arkhyp Kuindzhi [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkhip_Kuindzhi] (painter)
Vasyl Symonenko [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasyl_Symonenko] (poet)
Myroslav Skoryk [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myroslav_Skoryk] (composer)
Sergei Parajanov [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Parajanov] (film director)

Gayane Online
Gayane's Online Art Classes:
www.airbnb.ru/experiences/1008843 [http://www.airbnb.ru/experiences/1008843?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=43765a1b-e94f-432e-a0ec-0cf00551a311]
Gayane on Instagram:
www.instagram.com/gaya_arushanian [http://www.instagram.com/gaya_arushanian/]
Gayane's Website:
www.gayanearushanian.com [http://www.gayanearushanian.com/]
Gayane on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayane-arushanian-702409ab

New York Group Exhibition "Design On A Dime" [https://www.classy.org/event/design-on-a-dime-2023/e462193?c_src=social&c_src2=social]

MUSIC
Love In The Face Of Fear [https://jimkroft.bigcartel.com/product/love-in-the-face-of-fear], Jim Kroft [http://www.jimkroft.com/]

Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan]

Yellow Van Stories is a Mind the Bump [https://www.mindthebump.de/] Production.

Anastasiia Sanzharovska is a producer, director, and video editor from Ukraine. She originally studied system analysis and maths but turned to her real passion film soon after finishing her studies. She has been working as a producer, director, 1st AD,  and video editor ever since. In February 2022, Anastasiia was in Egypt for a 3-week holiday but got stuck there due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She has been living there ever since.

We'll talk about her early beginnings in filmmaking, why she chose film over maths, the Ukrainian TV scene, and her life in Egypt. And, as always, a lot more.

Welcome to the Yellow Van, Anastasiia! Thanks for travelling with us.

SHOW NOTES
Links to a selection of Anastassia's works
What Is Wrong With Me (Short Film) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnht2ciexWs] - Direction
ZFeelZ Shame (Music Video) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znOKy1Zox5E] - 1st Assistant Director
Тизер ДВДС 2 (Short Movie) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GojHEtv7v0g] - 1st Assistant Director

Anastasiia's Social Media Channels
Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/AnastasiiaSanzharovska?mibextid=ZbWKwL]
Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/anastasia_snzh/]
LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasiia-sanzharovska-601196104]

Sinai Media Club in Sharm El-Sheikh [https://www.facebook.com/sinaimediaclub]

Initiatives To Support
Prytula Foundation [https://prytulafoundation.org/en/] - Support for the Ukrainian Army
Come Back Alive [https://savelife.in.ua/en/] - Support for the Ukrainian Army
National Bank of Ukraine [https://bank.gov.ua/en/news/all/natsionalniy-bank-vidkriv-rahunok-dlya-gumanitarnoyi-dopomogi-ukrayintsyam-postrajdalim-vid-rosiyskoyi-agresiyi] - Dedicated Account for the Humanitarian Assistance of Ukrainian Citizens

MUSIC
Love In The Face Of Fear [https://jimkroft.bigcartel.com/product/love-in-the-face-of-fear], Jim Kroft [http://www.jimkroft.com/]

Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan]

Yellow Van Stories is a Mind the Bump [https://www.mindthebump.de/] Production.

Today with us in the Yellow Van is Andriy Dubchak, a correspondent and photographer for Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty as well as the founder of the interactive media platform Donbas Frontliner. He specializes in telling the stories of soldiers and civilians caught up in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. He received a 2022 Free Media Award from the Fritt Ord and ZEIT foundations for his "courageous professional reporting from battle zones." Andriy also received a Lovie award for coverage of the Maidan protests in 2014 and a Gold Medal in the LifePressPhoto competition in 2020, and more. Andriy has captured the main pivot points of the younger Ukrainian history and I am thrilled that he has found the time to join us on the Yellow van today.
I had the chance to speak to him after he had just returned from Bachmut, where heavy fighting is taking place.

FOLLOW DONBAS FRONTLINER
Web [https://www.frontliner.com.ua/]Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/donbas.frontliner/]Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/FrontlinerUA]Twitter [https://twitter.com/frontliner_ua]YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh_kbW4p8By8rg3d9x30zDA]Telegram [https://t.me/donbasfrontliner]

SUPPORT DONBAS FRONTLINER
Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/donbasfrontliner]

MUSIC
Love In The Face Of Fear [https://jimkroft.bigcartel.com/product/love-in-the-face-of-fear], Jim Kroft [http://www.jimkroft.com/]

Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan]

Yellow Van Stories is a Mind the Bump [https://www.mindthebump.de/] Production.