A classic game tells us that the war never changes. On the contrary, the war changed the human being in ways almost impossible to imagine. It seems there will always be a need for armies, military developments... soldiers. Ordinary people who leave behind their homes to adopt a life of discipline and harshness. A process that transforms them completely, dismantles and reassembles them. Photographer Yuriy Chichkov had the opportunity to capture the before and after of a group of Russian soldiers who lived that experience.
What leads a person to become a soldier? Family tradition? Duty and desire to serve? The challenge of their training and extreme environments? The search for a specific benefit (say, citizenship)? Of course, there are also other factors. Many countries still implement a system of compulsory service, with several exceptions and conditions. The military destiny of a human being can become a simple matter of luck (good or bad, that depends on each one), but one thing is sure: the changes are profound, and the distance from loved ones hits hard, a fact that soldiers have tried to compensate with some sparks of creativity.
Russia has a "universal military obligation" that reaches all men between 18 and 27 years old, with a 12-month service (in 2007 it went from 24 to 18 months, and in 2018 it was reduced to 12). The famous phrase "transform boys into men" applies forcefully here, and one way to visualize it is through the work of Yuriy Chichkov. From Snoop Dogg to Forbes magazine, Chichkov's lens presents a wide variety, and today we are going to explore one of his series, "Before and After the Army". The images were recently published by the English Russia portal, but if the available information does not fail me, the series appeared in 2016. At first glance we can say that almost everyone lost weight and have a different posture, however, the big question is: How will their minds have changed?
