A blacksmith in the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk is transforming wartime scraps into keepsakes.
Flowers Of War: Blacksmith Turns Guns And Ammo From The Russian Invasion Into Art
- By AP
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Viktor Mikhalev is busy in his workshop at home in Donestk on January 24. The eastern Ukrainian city is under Russian control. A trained welder, Mikhalev has been turning machine guns and shells into art.
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Friends and acquaintances have been bringing Mikhalev old weapons and ammunition that he turns into what he calls the "flowers of war."
Donetsk, the center of Ukraine's industrial heartland in the Donbas region, has been engulfed by fighting ever since the Moscow-backed separatist rebellion erupted in April 2014.
Donetsk, the center of Ukraine's industrial heartland in the Donbas region, has been engulfed by fighting ever since the Moscow-backed separatist rebellion erupted in April 2014.
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Mikhalev makes the art as a keepsake, a souvenir of the war in eastern Ukraine.
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“Real flowers will not last long, but my roses will be a reminder for a long time,” the blacksmith says.
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Mikhalev's "flowers of war" have been exhibited in a Donetsk museum.
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Mikhalev poses for a photo with his latest creation against the backdrop of religious iconography in his workshop.
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A customer holds a rose made by Mikhalev.