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Balaklava: Lost History
Oksana Yushko
Published on 19/10/11
Balaklava is a small town on the sea in the Crimea Peninsula. During the Soviet era it was a city that didn’t exist to the outside world. The town was closed to the public for more than 30 years on account of the submarine base that was situated there.Almost the entire population of Balaklava worked at the base, and even family members could not visit the town without a good reason or proper identification. I began shooting my story there, watching the people around me and trying to understand their past. My questions remained unanswered. I encountered secrets, legends, family stories: everything but the truth. You might not see military guards on every corner, but you can feel their presence, especially when you start talking to people. Underground submarines, spies, ghosts… I was standing on the brink of their memories, but their lives remained impenetrable. The Soviet Union hasn’t existed for 20 years, but the shadow of it lies everywhere. Things have changed, but the people’s minds and attitudes have not.
I was lucky to find some interesting people there, I caught some beautiful moments, yet when I came back to Moscow, I discovered that most of my pictures were gone. No kidding. They’ve disappeared. Something happened to my computer. I was in a panic. But isn’t that a great start for the project about a lost history? I came back there in some months, and that time I was luckier. Moreover I found the town covered in a fog, it looked like even nature didn’t want me to see what was happening there. So, my story is not finished yet. I want to keep following the memories of this place…