Greetings from Novorossiya

. . . Raw and insightful. . . Combining war reporting, photojournalism, and a travelogue, Pieniazek brings to life the stories of soldiers fighting for their cause, politicians seeking advantage in the chaos of the situation, but most of all, civilians caught in the middle of a conflict trying to find food and shelter while attempting to avoid being killed or maimed by random shelling. . . . a unique look into one of the world's forgotten conflicts, offering a glimpse into the shadowy world of Russian power politics along its border as Putin seeks to reassert Russian power not only in Europe proper, but back onto the world stage.

Pieniazek has a wonderful eye and ear for details that are mundane in themselves, yet portray a great deal. . . . While his sympathies are clear--he succeeds at letting other people, along with his observations, do most of the talking.

Pieniazek's style is impressionistic. He describes the scenes and people around him, and cites his interlocutors-both powerful and powerless-to lend colour and authenticity to his accounts. Although his sympathies clearly do not lie with the separatists or (even less) their Russian backers, he gives them their voice, conveying their hopes and fears. . . . Overall, Pieniazek paints a vivid picture of the chaos and confusion of a society descending relentlessly into war, in which people, often despite themselves, are obliged to take-and sometimes to change-sides. . . . He is a witness to 'history in the making.' It is not a pretty sight.

This is some of the best reportage from a little-understood war. Pieniazek’s stories reveal the tragedy of hybrid war in the age of post-truth: people are being killed in fact for reasons that are fiction.