The borders of Poland
For his latest series, photographer Tommy Sussex travelled to Poland to investigate and document the impact the Russian invasion had on the communities of the borderlands. His carefully selected subjects and deftly composed images visualise the tension of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and the territorial battle.
Words and Photography Tommy Sussex
Northern Poland
In previous personal projects, I have documented Ukraine and its community from within the country. In this series, I wanted to consider the situation inside this volatile territory from the perspective of one of its European neighbours. I chose to direct my focus on Poland’s territorial borderlands with a direct mental connection to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. The timing of this journey is close to a year since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022 in a significant escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The unprovoked and illegal Russian invasion has caused tens of thousands of deaths on both sides and has instigated Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. The effects of war on life along Polish borders have heightened tension and anxiety as Belarusian soldiers and Wagner PMC troops have been involved in training exercises near the border city of Brest, in Belarus in July 2023. In the last few weeks, Poland has chosen to deploy more troops at the border with Belarus after it accused Minsk of violating its airspace, raising tensions between the NATO member and a key Kremlin ally in an increasingly volatile security landscape in Europe.
Trucks and drivers wait to cross the border into Ukraine. The majority of these trucks have Ukrainian registration plates. Rava-Ruska, Hrebenne Poland – 0.5km from Ukrainian border.
Poland's history touches on the history of nearly everything that has happened in the last 1000 years, sometimes just a glancing reference. However, in many cases, Poland was right in the thick of the action along with the global powers at the time. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have witnessed the former Soviet region choosing to back Ukraine against Russia politically, militarily, and economically. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has challenged the established norms of border stability and territorial sovereignty. I intended to experience and document these border spaces. To visualise and feel the physicality of Poland's borders. These demarcation lines which oscillate between a physical iron border wall and, in other locations, become simply a river without any visible signs of physical security of enforcement patrol. I was drawn to the mental and geographical proximity to the most brutal war in Europe in living memory from the outside looking in. Here, the physicality of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict rubs shoulders with the tranquillity of the neighbouring borderlands, and the mental geography of communities living on the edge. The experiences of these communities converge with the harsh reality of a territorial invasion and the resulting destruction of life and environment. The future of Europe rests upon the outcome of these battles. The stability of territorial sovereignty is faltering in the face of aggression. This conflict will shape life in Europe for generations and reveals the current fragile nature of peace in Europe.
Local Priest following the Sunday Service. Biala Podlaska County Poland, January 2023.
Polish Border with Belarus, Eastern Poland, January 2023.
Werchliś Village, Gmina Janów Podlaski Poland – 6km from Belarus border, January 2023.
South East Poland – 10 km from the Ukraine border, January 2023.
Lubelski County – 15km from Ukraine border, January 2023.
Gabriela and her dog in Sokolka, Northern Poland – 15 km from the Belarus border, January 2023.
North East Poland – 3km from Belarus border, January 2023.
“I was drawn to the mental and geographical proximity to the most brutal war in Europe in living memory from the outside looking in.”
South East Poland – 8km from Ukraine border, January 2023.
Richard opens the local church on Sunday. This portrait was taken beside the River Bug. This body of water separates Poland and Belarus.
Polish January Revolution reenactment. Biala Podlaska County, Poland, January 2023.
Polish January Revolution reenactment. Biala Podlaska County, Poland, January 2023.
North East Poland – 30km from Belarus border, January 2023.
Przejście graniczne Kuźnica, North-Eastern Poland border crossing with Belarus – 0.5 Miles from Belarus, January 2023.
The Bug River is the border between Poland and Belarus, January 2023.
About Tommy
Tommy Sussex is an editorial, documentary, and portrait photographer currently living and working in London. The images he makes attempt to render an individual social reality that carries political weight. His process focuses on self-experience and attempts to navigate that which falls outside of expected photographic reportage, to encompass symbolic gestures and abstracted scenarios.
Tommy specialises in medium format film photography.
To see more of his work, visit his website or follow him on Instagram
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