For children across the world, pretend play is a way of escaping the realities of the world; a means for their imagination to run wild as they live out fantasies and dreams.
However, for Ukrainian children like Andriy Shyrokyh and Maksym Mudrak, playing soldiers is not just a fun game – it’s a disturbing reality they face every day.
The lives of 43 million Ukrainians changed irrevocably in February last year, when Russia invaded the country swiftly and unexpectedly.
While President Vladimir Putin expected his assault on Ukraine to be over quickly, due to Russia’s massive military might, the Ukrainian people bravely fought back, with the conflict still rumbling on.
The war has seeped into the everyday lives of Ukrainians, who find themselves having to adjust their usual routines to cater for drones and gunfire.
Even children’s playtime has been corrupted by the conflict, with young boys becoming increasingly fascinated with the war that has enveloped their lives.
Their army fatigues are small, and their guns don’t kill, but for these Ukrainian children, playing war now has real-life consequences.
In this picture, 10-year-old Maksym Mudrak (centre) and 6-year-old Valentyn (left) are dressed up in battle fatigues and wearing homemade body armour play a war game in the village of Stoyanka, in Kyiv region, which was occupied by Russian troops during the beginning of the Russian invasion last year.(Picture: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
Maksym, left, lost his father when the conflict erupted last year. He had been travelling to deliver supplies to volunteers in the Kyiv region, who were defending from advancing Russian forces. According to Maksym’s grandmother, the death of Maksym’s father was hard for him. ‘Maksym constantly thinks about him. He goes to the cemetery and cries,’ she says. (Picture: Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP)
For Maksym and his friends, playing war is a snapshot into their potential future if the conflict continues. ‘I really enjoy playing war,’ he said. ‘I want to grow up to be a real war hero.’ (Picture: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
The pretend game is taken very seriously amongst the children, who have encapsulated the anti-Russian sentiment overriding Ukraine. ‘I treat Russians like my worst enemies,’ Maksym says. (Picture: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
For millions of people across Ukraine, the war has resulted in major and significant upheaval, particularly for children. Loved ones have been killed, schools have been shuttered and the sound of gun shots permeates the air. Here, 13-year-old Andriy Shyrokyh watches on, holding a toy gun and homemade fatigues (Picture: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
After Russia declared war on Ukraine, over 8.2 million people fled the country to seek refuge in Europe. According to the UN, over 500 children have been killed since war broke out. Here, the children play in a field, mimicking warfare they’ve seen happening around them. (Picture: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
Other Ukrainian parents have noticed a marked change in their children and their attitude to Russians. Lesya Shevchenko, a 49-year-old dentist, was stunned when she saw her daughter, Dana, walk away from Russian children while on a beach holiday in Bulgaria after war broke out. ‘I just think that I don’t want to talk to them, that’s all,’ Dana explained. ‘Probably because I think that all Russians are a certain way, because in my eyes they are evil.’ (Picture: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
Watching such horrors unfold on a day to day basis can also have a significant impact on a young child’s psyche. Rachel Fairhurst, a psychologist and specialist in trauma and PTSD, explains: ‘When a child or teenager is exposed to ongoing traumatic events, such as a war, it results in complex trauma. ‘Psychological and pathological changes occur to accommodate and assimilate their experience. Changes will occur on almost every level: emotionally, physically and psychologically.’ (Picture: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
While Andriy walks home from a day of play, he also hopes in the future he will fight for real for Ukraine. ‘I really want to somehow take revenge for the soldiers who died at the front,’ he said. ‘I want to do to the Russians the same as they did to us.’ (Picture: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
The people of Ukraine are now braced for what comes next, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy planning a significant counter-offensive against Russia. Zelenskyy is continuing to appeal to Western nations for more offensive weaponry (Picture: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
Snapshot
Welcome to Snapshot, Metro.co.uk's picture-led series bringing you the most powerful images and stories of the moment.
If you have a photo collection you would like to share, get in touch by emailing Claie.Wilson@metro.co.uk
