Here are a few more photos I took (pre-war) in Kyiv Ukraine back in 2018.
Ukraine National Sports Stadium
Unique door in a building near Kyiv’s main square
Golden Gate - part of the original medieval city wall
My Thoughts Are With Ukraine
I am very sad for the citizens of Ukraine. The Russian attack is unnecessary, unprovoked, and dangerous to Ukrainians and Russians. Unfortunately, Russian’s leader is just another evil dictator who doesn’t care.
Here are a few photos from my trip to Ukraine a few years ago. I’ll post more from this trip over the next few days.
World War II Memorial park with Kyiv in the background
World War II monument
Church in Kyiv
Monastery in Kiev
When the world returns to normal, Blair wants to go back to Ukraine to visit Chernobyl again…and I’m ready as well. This is the St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kiev. It has a Cathedral, bell tower, refectory and gates, which are all built in the Ukrainian Baroque Style.
Blair and I visited this spot while completing a huge photo walk around a number of historic locations in the city near the Dnieper River.
Soviet Propaganda
I took this photo these Soviet Statues under the People’s Friendship Arch in Kiev back in 2018. The Arch, you can see a portion of it on the right side, and these Hero’s Statues were constructed in 1982. They are supposed to depict friendship between Russian and Ukrainian peoples (soldiers - left statue and workers - right statue).
After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian government announced plans to dismantle the arch as part of their 2016 decommunization laws.
Soviet Propaganda
I found these old Soviet propaganda signs at the back of the Pripyat Cultural Center. Pripyat had over 49,000 people before it was abandoned after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The Cultural Center building was a great explore.
To view a larger version, click HERE
Chernobyl Bumper Car
I’m not sure why I didn’t share this photo in the past. Regardless, here it is!! I captured this in Pripyat, Ukraine a few miles from Chernobyl nuclear reactor number 4. The entire region is abandoned and will be for decades to come. There was a carnival setup for a village celebration, which of course never happened, with the nuclear reactor meltdown. The carnival rides are some of the most popular tourist attractions within the Exclusion Zone.
To view a larger version, click HERE
Kiev Building Statue
Lots of the buildings around Independence Square if Kiev have items like this on their rooftops. Something about this specific statue caught my eye. I love our trip in 2018 to the Ukraine and to Chernobyl. I’m hoping to go back soon.
To view a larger version, click HERE
Motherland Monument
This sculpture in Kiev is part of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. This photo doesn’t do the sculpture justice….it is very big, very big. This stainless steel statue is over 203 feet tall and weighs 560 tons. The sword is 52 feet long and the shield is 43 feet long/26 feet wide. The Soviets build this to impress.
To view a larger version, click HERE
DUGA
I finally got around to editing some of my Chernobyl videos…… some of them. I probably have dozens left that I haven’t even looked at yet since our trip last year. I put this video together with drone video and photos I took during our time at DUGA which is an abandoned Russian early warning ballistic missile system.
Pripyat Kids Camp
During our trip to Chernobyl, we got a chance to visit this children’s summer camp outside of Pripyat in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Like everything in the Zone, mother nature is taking over. There is something beautiful about this scene, in a sad way.
To view a larger version, click HERE
Kiev Skyline
During our trip to Kiev Ukraine, we stayed in a hotel overlooking the Ukrainian Soccer stadium. I posted a photo of this perspective last October taken at sunset. Now you’re getting a version from later that evening.
To view a larger version, click HERE
Museum of Water
As Blair and I walked around Kiev taking photos, we came upon this facility. It was labeled the Museum of Water. We didn’t stand in line to enter, so I can’t speak about it firsthand. When I looked it up later, I learned it includes old water towers and reservoirs with displays on water.
Regardless of what was inside, I liked the looks of it and the scene that unfolded in front of us.
To view a larger version, click HERE
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery
I loved this cathedral in downtown Kiev, but I had a hard time capturing it. It’s large so you need to get back to get it all in, but you can’t due to the outside wall surrounding the building. You also can’t get a clean shot without dozens of people standing in the way. There are some clean perspectives around the back that are not as pretty. So, I went with this zoomed in perspective of the rooftop, which was also hard to capture due to trees (as you can see).
The position of this cathedral is great within the city. Its at the end of a major road overlooking the Dnieper River. The facility itself is amazing. I just failed as a photographer to capture it. Sorry about that.
To view a larger version, click HERE
Mariyinsky Palace
This beautiful palace sits on a hilly back of the Dnipro River in downtown Kiev Ukraine. Blair and I had a hard time capturing a photo of this building without hundreds of military soldiers around it. They were expecting protesters, so they called in the military to guard this and many other spots in the city that day. Let’s just say it made for an interesting day within the city.
This is the official ceremonial residence of the President of Ukraine. It was originally built between 1744 and 1752 for the Russian empire royalty. It also serves as the residence for Governors-General in the 18th and 19th centuries. Sadly, it was burned down by a number of fires in the 19th century but was reconstructed later using old drawings and watercolors as their guide. In the early 1900s, it was part of an agricultural school and museum. It was badly damaged in World War II and restored again in the late 1940s. Today it serves for official functions for the Ukrainian President.
To view a larger version, click HERE
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery
This amazing facility is still functioning as a monastery in Kiev Ukraine. It is located on the Dnieper River in a beautiful portion of the city. It was built in the Middle Ages by Sviatopolk II Iziaslavych. Unfortunately, the original cathedral was demolished by the Soviets in the 1930s and was reconstructed in 1999 after the Ukrainian independence. Blair and I climbed bell tower in the surrounding walled structure to get this photo.
To view a larger version, click HERE
Pripyat River Crane
Today’s post is another photo from our Chernobyl trip. I took this photo along the Pripyat River of an abandoned river loading winch. As you can see, it is starting to fall into the river. We happened to be here early in the morning at a beautiful time.
To view a larger version, click HERE
Motherland Monument
This massive statue sits on top of the National Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945)…we know it as World War II. This stainless-steel statue is 203 feet tall. Counting the museum building it sit on, the entire structure is 335 feet tall and it weighs 560 tons. The sword in her right hand is 52 feet long by itself and weighs 9 tons. That’s a huge statue by any comparison!! The State Emblem of the Soviet Union is on the shield. Even though this war ended in 1945, they didn’t start the construction of this statue until 1979 and it was completed in 1981.
In Kiev, Ukraine where this is located, the statue is controversial due to Ukraine’s complicated and currently rough relationship with Russia. Blair and I spent a few hours walking around this national park photographing the war monuments, tanks, etc…. If you’re wondering, the blue and yellow tank in the foreground is painted the Ukrainian colors.
To view a larger version, click HERE
Pripyat Cultural Center
It’s been about a month since I posted my last Chernobyl photo. So for this post, I’m sharing the performance room with the small stage on the right from the Pripyat Cultural Center. I hope you enjoy it.
To view a larger version, click HERE
Olympiyskiy
I’ve been absent from the digital world for the last 10 days, while Blair and I traveled to the Ukraine. We spent some time in Kiev (beginning and end of the trip), Chernobyl, and a few small villages. We spent most of our time within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, so you can imagine the number of future posts I’ll have from Chernobyl. I took this photo from our hotel window at the beginning of the trip in Kiev. This is their Olympic Stadium, used primarily as a football (soccer) venue.
To view a larger version, click HERE
Don’t forget to check out my photo galleries. I update and add to them often.
