Kyiv's Left Bank

Although the drone footage and electronic music create a melancholy feeling surrounding Kyiv's Left Bank (east of the Dnieper River), the slow-moving camera's focus on architectural details that are unique and unexpected depicts a sincere appreciation for the Soviet-era buildings — buildings that are nevertheless symbols of a difficult past. Now, in the midst of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the inching of its ground forces toward Kyiv, the short film is poignant, especially given the Russian military's willingness to destroy similar apartment buildings and other civilian targets across the country. The news clips that follow the drone footage — showing fires, violence and protest in the Left Bank — eerily prefigure the war in Ukraine.

The Left Bank film was created by Nate Robert and Anton Lebedev of Yomadic, a group of tour guides who would normally be giving "untours" in "lesser-known places like Iran, Ukraine, and Tunisia." But the pandemic hit in early 2020, killing international travel overnight, and now the war in Ukraine has upended the lives of millions in that country, Robert included. While the above film is a year-and-a-half old, the public posts on Robert's personal Facebook page give nearly day-by-day accounts of life in Kyiv — horrific but also hopeful, with stories of neighbors helping neighbors and advice on how people outside of Ukraine can help.