In early April 2024, a flood began on the Ural River and its tributaries. Due to the rapid melting of snow, the Ural River overflowed its banks, breached a dam in Orsk, and flooded over 12 thousand homes, triggering one of the worst floods in Russia and Kazakhstan in recent times. The cities of Orenburg and Orsk in the Orenburg region were the hardest hit by the floods. Once beautiful places were submerged and rendered uninhabitable.
In my project, I document the natural disaster that overflowed the river as a metaphor for once-safe spaces turning into something repulsive overnight. I photograph people who have lost their homes, individuals who feel alienated and rejected. I observe how people come to terms with their losses, grieve, and how the natural disaster both divides and unites people in the face of a common tragedy.
I explore the concepts of disorientation and anxiety in the project. Through photography, I am interested in understanding why and how people continue to live in countries where political changes restrict human rights, where people reside in zones of environmental disasters, and where the notion of home offers no guarantee of safety.
