Photo Essay: Wheels of Hope

Twice a week, at a German skateboarding hall, young Ukrainian refugees can escape from reality.

7 MIN READ

Dec 19, 2022

Being on a skateboard requires incredible concentration: You must find your balance and keep your body tensed and ready for action. Skateboarding leaves no space for brooding. Thoughts of an unhappy love or the war in your country disappear for just a moment.

Seven months since Russia invaded Ukraine, 6 million refugees have fled the country. Of those, 1 million Ukrainian refugees have been welcomed to Germany. The city of Hanover is a significant drop-off point, where thousands of families are hosted in the huge Hall 27 of the trade exhibition grounds. Here, countless children and teenagers are lost on the outskirts of the city.

This sad situation gave 25-year-old Ukrainian professional skater Yurii Korotun an idea.

All photos by Thomas Girondel.

Skateboarder Yurii Korotun holds a skateboard with the Russian words 鈥淣o War鈥� in the colors of the Ukrainian flag in Hanover, Germany, on April 27, 2022.

As one of Ukraine鈥檚 best skaters, Korotun had been sponsored by brands and was even expected to compete in the Olympics. But when Russia deployed troops near the Ukrainian border in December 2021, companies started pulling out of the country, and he lost all his sponsors. As the situation escalated, and Korotun sensed the Russian threat looming, he decided to flee Ukraine with his girlfriend in February 2022. After a short stay in Turkey, they moved to Hanover.

While Makar, 11, from Dnipro struggles to find his balance, Korotun performs an 鈥渙llie鈥� and lifts his board off the ground under the curious eyes of Karina, Abdullah, and Svyatoslav at Gleis D Skatehalle, in Hanover, Germany, on April 27, 2022.

Distraught by the war and the monotonous daily life of his fellow refugees, Korotun wanted to help. Convinced of the benefits of skateboarding, Korotun was determined to support the displaced young people in his own way: by teaching them how to skateboard.

The best technique to 鈥渄rop鈥� a halfpipe is to place the feet parallel to the board, 鈥渙n the screws,鈥� advises Korotun. Twelve-year-old Vadim from the Zhytomyr Oblast quickly succeeds in this risky move.

Seventeen-year-old skateboarder Daniel from Odessa performs a 鈥渇lip鈥� over the pyramid-like
wooden ramp.

With the help of members from Hanover鈥檚 indoor skatepark, Gleis D Skatehalle, and a call for donations, Korotun has been giving free skateboarding lessons to young refugees since April 6. After weeks or months of exile, living in Hall 27, young refugees can once again be physically and mentally active. For five hours per day twice a week at Gleis D, they can escape from reality.

While a German train I.C.E. (Intercity Express) passes by the Gleis D Skatehalle, 12-year-old Abdullah watches Korotun performing a trick on an outdoor mini halfpipe. Created five years ago, the hall has 2,300 square meters of indoor and outdoor space for skateboarders and BMX bikers of all skill levels to practice.

In the Nordstadt district, Korotun and the Ukrainian rookies walk toward the Gleis D Skatehalle for the skateboarding workshop, which starts at 10:30 a.m. In addition, volunteers distribute prepared lunches to the Ukrainians, funded by donations from an online campaign.

As the days go by, the youth overcome language barriers to learn the vocabulary of skateboarding. They progress fast: Their balance on the boards stabilizes while rolling, and everyone鈥檚 confidence increases. Eventually, smiles return to their faces.

After having learned how to keep their balance, the rookies learn how to roll without falling. Here, Karina is held by Korotun to move forward.

At Gleis D, Korotun and the young participants of his free courses are warming up on a mini halfpipe. He explains how to stretch before performing tricky moves.

Because skateboarding is both playful and difficult, it demands attention and perseverance while allowing everyone to express themselves freely. These activities and the community they foster are a breath of fresh air for these displaced rookie skateboarders. It gives them hope of rolling one day on the streets of their respective hometowns.

Top left: Vadim, age 12, from Zhytomyr Oblast: 鈥淏efore Yurii came to us, we were bored. 鈥� I鈥檓 surprised that I can already ride, push, and move freely 鈥� as I practiced only once skateboarding in Ukraine.鈥�

Top right: Erika, age 12, from Dnipro: 鈥淗ere, you can let off steam and feel free with a board. 鈥� It鈥檚 not like football; you can do it wherever and whenever you want.鈥�

Bottom left: Dyma, age 15, from Kharkiv: 鈥淚 could not carry my board with me when we fled. 鈥� When the war will be over, I will go back to the big Ukrainian skateparks with my friends. I will show them all the tricks I鈥檓 learning here.鈥�

Bottom right: Bogdan, age 10, from Donetsk: 鈥淚 arrived in Hanover on March 16 after fleeing Donetsk at the end of February. 鈥� This is my third time here, and I love it.鈥�

Bottom right: Makar, age 11, from Dnipro: 鈥淚 am very happy to be able to skate. I started skateboarding in Ukraine, but here, you really have the possibility to progress, and at the same time you have so much fun.鈥�

As the war rages, skaters and bikers back in Ukraine struggle to access their creative outlet. Supply disruptions and the difficulty of transporting equipment from the Western countries makes it hard to get what they need. In the spirit of solidarity, Gleis D Skatehalle鈥檚 volunteers organized a humanitarian convoy in August to deliver skate equipment to Ukraine.

Korotun helps load skateboards in the van, but he cannot join the humanitarian convoy. Since he fled Ukraine in February, the border guards won鈥檛 allow him to leave the Ukrainian territory. Gleis D Skatehalle鈥檚 members organized a contest in Hanover to collect the necessary funds to cover the cost of the convoy鈥檚 gas and food. Berlin, Germany, Aug. 8, 2022

View of the van loaded with skateboards and BMX bikes prior to the Cargo Mission鈥檚 departure. Berlin, Germany, Aug. 8, 2022

Participants of project Cargo Mission traveled by van 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles)鈥攆rom Berlin, Germany, to Poland to Lviv, Ukraine鈥攐ver the course of four days. Korotun couldn鈥檛 join the convoy due to the risks posed by martial law, so Gabriel Goldsack, founder of the nonprofit Share a Bike/Share a Smile, accompanied the volunteers.

At the last rest area before entering Ukraine, many humanitarian trucks from the United Nations World Food Program are parked before reaching the border crossing of Korczowa鈥揔rakowiec. The Cargo Mission team is anxious. Goldsack is texting his girlfriend. This is first time these volunteers have gone to Ukraine, and they鈥檝e never been to a country at war. Korczowa, Poland, Aug. 9, 2022

In the morning, Goldsack (left) walks the streets of Lviv accompanied by local skateboarder Vitalii Hulian (center), 22, and Mykhailo Tevkun (right), 31. Lviv, Ukraine, Aug. 10, 2022

Despite apprehension about entering a country at war, volunteers managed to distribute 74 skateboards, nine BMX bikes, and many spare parts in Lviv and other cities most heavily impacted by the Russian offensives.

Hulian (right) is offering decks to local skateboarders. Eighteen-year-old Ruslan checks if the shape, the grip tape, and the size are good for him. Hulian created the association Lviv Skateboarding three months ago to support the local community during the war.

Under the eyes of his friends and passersby, promising skateboarder Rotislav, 17, tries a trick by jumping off the Taras Shevchenko鈥檚 monument, which honors a famous Ukrainian poet. He attempts a risky 鈥渇lip鈥� to land on the alley near Freedom Avenue (Prospekt Svobody). Lviv, Ukraine, Aug. 10, 2022

Exhausted from the short but intense humanitarian trip, on the way back to Poland, the Cargo Mission is blocked at a surprise checkpoint held by the Ukrainian army. The wait will last from 10:30 p.m. until midnight, before reaching the border crossing of Hrushiv鈥揃udomezh, where the Polish customs will block Gabriel鈥檚 van until 2 a.m. The crossing of the Ukrainian border to Poland is particularly tense, because the Ukrainian army is looking for deserters from 18 to 60 years old breaking the established martial law. As for the Polish authorities, they carry out in-depth controls to search for stowaways and identify refugees seeking exile in the European Union. Lviv, Ukraine, Aug. 10, 2022

With this surge of solidarity, Ukrainian youth skaters both in and out of the country can use the sport for freedom of expression and to foresee a peaceful future.

Thomas Girondel is a 37-year-old geographer and former natural risks officer working as an independent photojournalist and documentary photographer. He is distributed by INSTITUTE Artist. In 2014, he spent several weeks in Ukraine, where he documented life amid a conflict zone with his analog Fujica camera. His work Reaching Donetsk was exhibited in a solo show at the Espace Cosmopolis in Nantes. He returned to Ukraine many times to document the country's transformation since the conflict broke out. In 2015 and continuing in 2016, he recorded various protest movements, both in France and Germany, as well as social issues in Eastern Europe. He then returned to his roots as a geographer by reporting on Seattle鈥檚 water-based community. After having completed an internship at the photo desk of Le Monde newspaper, he decided to focus on a long-term project on Yeu Island (2018 鈥� 2021) to document the youth鈥檚 perceptions of freedom on a limited territory. In 2022 after the Russian invasion, he documented the genesis of a dedicated skateboarding school for Ukrainian refugees in Hanover, Germany. Suffering from PTSD due to the Donetsk 2014 memories, he preferred focusing on more positive than the anxiety-provoking breaking news images. His visual work has been featured internationally, including, among others, STERN Magazine, Telegraph Magazine, Financial Times, S眉ddeutsche Zeitung, the international editions of GEO, GoodWeekend Australia, De Standaard, Fluter, Zeit Leo, VICE 麻豆社事件, Rhythms Monthly, L'OBS, and Actes Sud publishing house. He can be reached at: [email protected]

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