War in Ukraine. The horrors of war by Ochakiv

5 September 2022
At the Olvio Nuvo vineyard in Mykolayiv region workers must dodge the cluster munitions that are strewn throughout the fields while picking grapes

The ukrainian winery Olvio Nuvo in the middle of a war zone. At the Olvio Nuvo vineyard in Ukraine's embattled Mykolayiv region, workers must dodge the cluster munitions that are strewn throughout the fields while picking grapes.

In 2013, former weightlifter Pavlo Magalias established the Olvio Nuvo vineyard on the slopes of the Southern Buh River in Ukraine. The vineyard owes its name to the ancient Greek city of Olbia, founded in the seventh century, whose ruins are just a few hundred meters away. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, this out-of-the-way, wind-swept spot has lost its usual tranquility.

— Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP
ukrainian winery Olvio Nuvo in the middle of a war zone
"We were not bothering anyone, we were quietly working and the Russians came. Why the hell are they here?" Magalias said forcefully as he talked about the conflict that has killed "many friends." Along with managing the vineyard, Magalias volunteers as a sapper in Ukraine's territorial defense, a skill that he puts to use on his own land.
— Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP
ukrainian winery Olvio Nuvo in the middle of a war zone
In addition to the collection of ancient storage jars unearthed at his vineyard, Magalias now has a pile of casings of banned cluster bombs that fell from the sky.
— Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP