Two kilometers is an approximate distance which I was walking away during my evening promenades from the apartment where I used to live in Kyiv. Usually, I had no specific goal, except maybe the most trivial one – visiting a post office or shopping in a local store. But, most often, I wanted to breathe fresh air while walking familiar streets. As usual, I had my camera with me, taking pictures of different, mostly banal, things and events around me. I did several projects during that period, but these promenade photos I took without thinking about a particular series. I was just documenting what was near — people, objects, and events — trivia you don't consider important in everyday life.

On the 24^th of February, 2022, the time transformed and became fragile. Everything has changed, and Kyiv too. Many people left the city, finding shelter in safe countries. Many places I got used to will never be the same. There is no more need to make plans for longer than a few days ahead. Simple things from my photos turned into unique and unrepeatable artifacts, reflecting a carefreeness that will never return. Because those who lost everything will always be somewhere near. Even the late-night walks along the Dnipro with a bottle of wine became a luxury due to the curfew.

These pictures are the ode to my personal Kyiv of the times before the great war. Night cityscapes may look lonesome and withdrawn at first glance. But it's rather the view of a melancholy romantic who allows himself some prank and a bit more sadness, at least until daytime swallows him and makes to move faster.

The photos were taken in 2019 – 2021.

Printed in November 2022 – January 2023.