May 29, 2025 // Local

‘When War Broke Out in My City, I Needed to Act’

Clare Hildebrandt

Reporter

War Photographer Shares Her Stories at Notre Dame

“I just have to do this because it’s personal,” said Iva Sidash, a Ukrainian photographer who has been documenting the war in her country. “[When I’m out on the frontlines], I’m not just a photographer, I’m not just a humanitarian, I am a resident of this country – I am a Ukrainian.”

This past March, the Nanovic Institute for European Studies at Notre Dame hosted Revolutions of Hope: Resilience and Recovery in Ukraine, a conference highlighting the hallmarks of Ukrainian culture, where presentations on Ukrainian visual art, poetry, and politics were all given.

Despite being only in her 30s, Sidash is a seasoned photographer who has spent the past three years on the ground in her homeland, assisting the vulnerable and downtrodden while also capturing their strife through her lens. At the conference, she showcased her art.

Three years prior, Sidash lived a normal life as a journalist in England. It was not until war broke out in Ukraine that she embraced this new calling.

“I worked in journalism before the war. I was always a documentarian, working with social subjects in most of Britain,” Sidash told Today’s Catholic. “My life changed dramatically when the full-scale war started. I never imagined myself as a photographer covering war.”

She continued: “I remember waking up because of the explosions, and my windows were shaking. I had never experienced anything like that before. I was not ready for it, but when the war broke out right here in my city, I needed to act. I needed to portray the people honestly.”

Since then, Sidash has been documenting the happenings of war, whether it be the migration of thousands across Ukrainian soil into safer lands, the armed forces defending the frontline, or taking aid to those previously under Russian occupation.

In order to enter combat zones, putting her life at risk, she dons body armor and relies on conflict media training.

“There is training for conflict journalists on how you act in these situations, taking care of yourself and your colleagues. It shows you how to behave responsibly and is, of course, for physical safety,” she said.

“Though, the most difficult part of this job isn’t the equipment and safety, it’s the emotional aspect: How do you talk to people who are so vulnerable and have lost so much?”

She first faced this difficulty when she travelled to the border at the beginning of the war, meeting thousands of people fleeing for their safety.

Displaced women, children, and the elderly were waiting in frigid temperatures for almost 24 hours, Sidash said. They were also clearly mourning the loss of their homes.
“I remember the first time I was taking photos, it was very difficult for me. How do I photograph these poor people? How do I not make them feel worse about their situation? What can I do to help them?

There were mothers … really vulnerable mothers. I just wanted to hug them all and do something, but I couldn’t,” she said.

By capturing the suffering through her work, Sidash realized she could help to show the world the true resilience of her people.

“And then I realized, I can’t hug them all, but maybe my camera can,” she said. “That gave me this courage to take photos that highlight them not as subjects of my pictures, but as truly human, the true heros of my photos.” 

Photographing Lida

In April of 2022, Sidash traveled to the frontlines to dispense humanitarian aid to previously occupied regions.

She and her fellow volunteers were some of the first people to travel to a village that was previously occupied by Russian forces for three months. There, she met an elderly woman whose kindness continues to inspire the young journalist.

“We came to this village, which was occupied three months prior, so we were the first ones there. The Russians were shelling all the time. It was still really dangerous because they [the Russian forces] were close,” Sidash explained.

She added: “We gave out all the humanitarian aid. We brought food and water to these people who had been under occupation for so long.”

“One man said to me, ‘Oh, by the way, there is another woman who lives a little bit away. She is much older, and she is alone in her house. I think she really needs help.’ But by that time, we gave away all of our food and medicines. We really didn’t have anything for her.”

Nonetheless, Sidash and the team packed their bags and made the trip to the women’s property. As Sidash approached, she noticed the house had been ravaged by artillery.

“She was very far out and living among ruins. Her house was half destroyed. She didn’t have windows. It was spring, so it was warm enough for her to survive, but she was getting along with no electricity, gas, or anything. Plus, she did it alone,” Sidash explained.

The old woman welcomed the team into what remained of her house, which had a giant hole in the roof.

“Her name was Lida,” Sidash said. “She was so hospitable. She started caring for us instead of us for her. She began telling us stories. She managed to save her chickens during occupation and was living off of the eggs. She also had her dogs – they would bark if they heard shelling off in the distance. That is how she knew when to take cover.”

Sidash added: “We only had water to give her, which I felt so bad about. She was just happy to see us.”

What touched Sidash the most from the visit was Lida’s generosity amid the most dire circumstances.

“When we were about to leave, she said, ‘Oh, I have to give you all before you leave. Let me give you some fresh eggs from my chickens as a gift.’”

When speaking about Lida, tears came to the photographer’s eyes.

“Here was this woman who had nothing – everything of hers was destroyed, and she was living in desolation. And yet, she showed us hospitality. She wanted to give what little she had to us. For me, that was a real moment of hope in humanity,” Sidash said.

Sidash was able to document her visit, taking profiles of Lida and her dilapidated house.

“I started to look at people differently after that. Especially when I go to combat areas and the frontlines, I see so much strength in the people. I feel so much humanity there as well. The strength is that these people continue to live their lives in a humane way. They don’t compromise,” she said.

“I always carry this story with me as I continue to take photos, and the photograph of Lida is very close to my heart,” she said. “I remember her eyes – in them was a desire to do something good for others, even though she was the one who needed it so much.”

Clare Hildebrandt is a staff writer for Today’s Catholic.