Oksana Parafeniuk: "Russian Invasion of Ukraine"
© Oksana Parafeniuk
About: Oksana Parafeniuk
Oksana Parafeniuk (she/her) is an independent photographer based in Kyiv, Ukraine, where she is exploring the manifestations of human resilience and dignity among people facing hardships. Her main interest is to explore creative approaches in documentary photography.
In addition to her personal projects, Oksana has worked with and published her work in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Time, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, NBC News, BuzzFeed News, The Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera English, Rest of World, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, MSF Doctors Without Borders, UN Women, UNHCR, L’Oeil de la Photographie, and others.
Oksana was an instructor at the National Geographic Photo Camp in Moldova in May, 2023.
Oksana has completed Hostile Environment First Aid Training (HEFAT) and is PADI Advanced Open Water Diving certified.
She is a member of Women Photograph and The Journal Collective.
Oksana holds an MA degree in French/Francophone Civilization, Culture, and Society from Middlebury College where she was awarded the Kathryn Davis Fellowship for Peace.
Oksana speaks fluent English, French and Russian, in addition to her native Ukrainian.
Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions:
-War Threads, solo exhibition, International Center of Photography Incubator Space, NYC, USA, June-August 2025-International Month of Photojournalism, Padova, Italy, 2025 Ukraine. War and Resistance & War Artists Union Exhibit, -America House, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2024Ukraine Endures: Russia's War Against Ukraine in Pictures, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA, April 24 - June 30, 2023
-Solo exhibition Ukraine, Life Before, The Centre Photographique, Marseille, France, February 11 - April 15, 2023
Selected Publications:
“Expecting on the Front Lines: Motherhood in Ukraine’s Military”, The New York Times, August 25, 2025
“At a summer camp for war-traumatized children, two campers found love”, The Washington Post, August 24, 2025
“The Ukrainian children killed in Russian strikes this year”, The Washington Post, August 17, 2025
“Slowly, Ukrainian Women Are Beginning to Talk About Sexual Assault in the War”, The New York Times, March 15, 2025
“Russian metal shredded their faces. Doctors try to give them a new life.”, The Washington Post, December 31, 2024
“Dating on the Front Line: Ukrainian Women Travel to Keep Love Alive”, The New York Times, December 13, 2024
Oksana Parafeniuk is an independent photographer currently based in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Please contact:
oksana.parafeniuk@gmail.com