18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
The Receptionist of War

Nadja has worked in the Donetsk Olympic pool since its opening in 2012. Today the massive facility sits right on the edge of the frontlines in Separatist controlled territory.  “One day I was running late for work, this was already after the war had started. As I rushed to the building I found the severed head of my colleague sitting outside the soccer field, she had been struck by shrapnel from a Ukrainian rocket. I will never forget the look in her eyes. I start every day wondering if I will be bombed today, and go to bed every night wondering if I will wake tomorrow morning. "

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 01.2020
Date Uploaded: 11.2020
Photo Location: Donetsk, Ukraine
Copyright: © Samuel Eder