Alexander Chamorsov, 54, participates in a breathing exercise during a morning routine with other veterans near Hruniv, Ukraine. The ongoing war in eastern Ukraine has dealt a profound psychological impact on civilians and soldiers alike. Pobratimi (“Brothers in Arms”) - an NGO that helps veterans overcome trauma and trains them to support their peers - brings former servicemen to an idyllic, forested setting in north-eastern Ukraine for a week of training, counseling and group exercises for the second part of their four-stage rehabilitation program.
Pobratimi participants take part in morning exercises, consisting of a mix of breathing, yoga, and other stretching and mental relaxation in a field near the retreat.
Pobratimi participants take part in an exercise using yarn to define their personal space and experiment with how it feels when those boundaries are broken.
Pobratimi participants make coffee in a cabin during a break in their program. The rural collection of cottages where the program takes place is referred to as a "sich," after the fortified communities of Ukrainian Cossacks
Slava Rybak helps Maxim Stodola remove stitches from his arms as Kiril Duba, 8. Stodola, a medic formerly with Azov Battalion, was injured in a fight unrelated to the conflict.
Pobratimi participants descend a hill following morning exercises, consisting of a mix of breathing, yoga, and other stretching and mental relaxation activities.
Pobratimi participant Max Hiatkov, a veteran from Azov batallion, poses for a portrait in the foyer of his cottage.
Pobratimi participants share a meal near in the dining hall of the sich.
Light falls on a window in one of the cottages used to house participants near Hruniv, Ukraine.
Pobratimi participants swim in a river following morning exercises, consisting of a mix of breathing, yoga, and other stretching and mental relaxation activities.
A Pobratimi participant hugs a horse after riding it.
A bowl of soup, one of three home-cooked meals that Pobratimi participants receive daily, is seen in a shaft of light.
Pobratimi participants take part in an afternoon group session.
Maxim Stodola, center, and Max Hnatkov take part in morning exercises, consisting of a mix of breathing, yoga, and other stretching and mental relaxation activities.
Pobratimi participants take part in morning exercises, consisting of a mix of breathing, yoga, and other stretching and mental relaxation activities.
Pobratimi participant Oleksiy "Dancer" Olekcyuk poses for a portrait.
A Pobratimi participant waits for a group session to reconvene.
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