Tobias Zielony, MASKIROVKA, 2017

The term maskirovka commonly refers to a Russian tradition of covert warfare and military deception, and it has recently reemerged to describe Russian politics toward Ukraine since the Maidan uprising.

The “hybrid war” in eastern Ukraine has never been officially declared, yet in Crimea masked special forces, so-called “green men,” have occupied Ukrainian territory. On the other hand, masks also played a crucial role in protecting the Maidan protesters from tear gas, and helped to hide their identities from the authorities.

The publication presents photographs and interviews made in Kyiv, Ukraine, between October 2016 and July 2017, depicting the LGBTQI and techno scene. As Tobias Zielony explains, “I chose the title Maskirovka because it refers to the fragile and treacherous situation in which the protagonists live and act.”