photo: Lithuanian Press Photographers Club/LTG Continues to Tell Russians the Horrific Truth: Another Set of Images of Russian War Crimes in Ukraine Are Visible to Passengers Heading to Kaliningrad
"Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine. It is happening because you don't believe it," this is the message greeting Russian citizens in transit to and from the Kaliningrad region at the railway station in Kena.
Lithuanian Railways (LTG), in cooperation with the Lithuanian Press Photographers Club, organized a photo exhibition on the platform of Kena railway station, where transit trains arrive. A total of 14 photos from Bucha, Mariupol, and other parts of Ukraine devastated by the tyrannical war unleashed by Russia more than two months ago were presented to passengers.
It is the second joint initiative to hold Russian citizens traveling to the Kaliningrad region collectively responsible for their country's war crimes.
"Since March, the images of the war captured by fellow photographers, which have been circulating the world, have been visible at Vilnius railway station to Russian passengers in transit to the Kaliningrad region. We are joining forces to continue our symbolic support for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine by opening a second exhibition to further spread the word about Russian war crimes. With our powerful images, we aim to touch Russian citizens traveling on trains and urge them not to remain indifferent," says Jonas Staselis, President of the Lithuanian Press Photographers Club.
The photos of Mila Teshayeva, Maksim Dondyuk, Evgenij Maloletko, and Mihail Palinchak are displayed at such a height that they can be seen through the windows by passengers on transit trains that stop at the station for about an hour.
"Russians are not even allowed to call the war in Ukraine a war: they can go to jail for it. In Lithuania, we have the opportunity to show even a small number of Russians what is actually happening in Ukraine. The exhibition, which opened earlier on the platform in Vilnius, has been met with different reactions from passengers on transit trains: some briefly glance at the photos, others linger longer at the window, and still, others take pictures. We see the point in noting the emotions and continuing to encourage people not to remain indifferent and to believe that Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine," says Egidijus Lazauskas, Director General of LTG.
Transit trains from Moscow to Kaliningrad and back run every day. Also, there are transit trains from Adler and St. Petersburg to Kaliningrad and back. An average of 100 transit trains a month pass to and from Kaliningrad combined.
At the end of March, the first exhibition was opened on the platform of the Vilnius railway station. It features 24 photographs from Kyiv and Mariupol (read here).