©Oleksandr Rupeta, from the series “Stages of Air,” 2025. An exhausted soldier rests on the ground during intensive pre-combat training, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

We would like to thank everyone who submitted to the inaugural Lenscratch Art + History Competition. We were impressed by the enormous number of compelling bodies of work, making it challenging to select just five outstanding projects. History and Art have been deeply intertwined for centuries. The winning projects we are featuring this week had a clear connection to history—exploring this relationship from personal, familial, and community viewpoints, extending to the history of places and countries, and even delving into mysteries and myths. Each image kept us wanting to discover more about the past, how it impacts the present, and—ultimately—the future.

Jeanine Michna-Bales and Sandy Sugawara

Ukrainian documentary photographer Oleksandr Rupeta has spent much of his time photographing social anthropology and social conflicts around the world. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, he has focused on the war there. In “Stages of Air,” he captures the dissonance between the peaceful landscapes of Donbas with the horrors of combat.

©Oleksandr Rupeta, from the series “Stages of Air,” 2025. The front line, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

What drew you to the topic of your Art + History body of work?

Being near the Ukrainian front line gives the sense of witnessing a pivotal moment in history. Russia, through both its unprovoked aggression and the “annexation” of occupied territories, disregards the established principles of international law—an act with consequences that extend far beyond the conflict between the two warring nations. This series is an attempt to convey the moment.

©Oleksandr Rupeta, from the series “Stages of Air,” 2025. Portrait of a paratrooper awarded the Golden Cross for bravery, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

What impact, if any, do you think this project has had or will have?

I dream of peace for Ukraine. And I believe that art can help—if not in solving problems, then in reminding us why they are worth solving.

©Oleksandr Rupeta, from the series “Stages of Air,” 2025. Abandoned trenches, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

©Oleksandr Rupeta, from the series “Stages of Air,” 2025. Soldiers participate in physical and psychological endurance tests near the front line, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

©Oleksandr Rupeta, from the series “Stages of Air,” 2025. Firing range, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

Artist Statement
The Donbas landscape near the front line radiates tranquility. It would be easy to succumb to its lulling beauty—if not for the constant echoes of aerial bomb explosions, drone strikes, and artillery fire. Sometimes, the blasts are so close you can feel the ground shake; other times, you hear the whistle of a ricocheting bullet nearby.

Occasionally, the scenery is marred by the scar of a trench or the remains of an abandoned firing range. Yet, it still beckons with an illusion of peace, as if the war is not quite here but somewhere just beyond the horizon—a few miles ahead. War cannot exist here, now. It is absurd, something unnatural in the modern world, in human nature. A few miles away, perhaps, there is another dimension, a gateway to something impossible, immeasurable. Did this really happen? Is it happening now?

In its fourth year, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine remains as brutal and uncertain as ever. Facing shortages of ammunition and personnel, along with mounting casualties, exhausted Ukrainian troops are forced to retreat under relentless enemy pressure.
Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, 2025

©Oleksandr Rupeta, from the series “Stages of Air,” 2025. Medical aid post on the front line, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

©Oleksandr Rupeta, from the series “Stages of Air,” 2025. A search team collects the remains of unidentified soldiers after combat, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

Oleksandr Rupeta is a Ukrainian photographer working worldwide. He carries out short and long-term projects about political, cultural, and social life in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. His works highlight the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Afghan Red Crescent Society, the life of the Iranian Jewish community, the Sufi Community in Northern Cyprus, people with disabilities in Southern African countries, ethnic minorities in Azerbaijan, the communist legacy in the Balkans, the LGBT community in China, and more. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Oleksandr has focused on documenting the situation within the country.

Instagram: @oleksandrrupeta

©Oleksandr Rupeta, from the series “Stages of Air,” 2025. A dog stands in front of a mine dump, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

©Oleksandr Rupeta, from the series “Stages of Air,” 2025. View from Mount Karachun, where the Russo-Ukrainian War began. In 2014, it was the site of battles between Ukrainian defenders and pro-Russian armed groups, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.