Yulia Seniuk staged a charity calendar photoshoot with front-line soldiers.
Ukrainian adult film actress Yulia Seniuk, known professionally as Josephine Jackson, organised a charity calendar photoshoot featuring wounded soldiers who fought on the frontlines. The proceeds from the calendar sales will be used to help other injured soldiers with rehabilitation and prosthetic costs, according to the Ukrainian news outlet Obozrevatel.
The photoshoot, which took place in a luxurious Ukrainian theatre, featured Yulia Seniuk posing with the soldiers in elegant evening gowns. The 12 soldiers, chosen to represent each month of the year, wore suits, ties, or tuxedos. All of the participating veterans have lost limbs in service, and the shoot did not attempt to hide their prosthetics or wheelchairs, as per the news outlet.
Yulia Seniuk explained that the photoshoot's intention was to showcase the soldiers in a dignified manner, different from how they are typically portrayed - either in uniform or recovering in medical facilities.
The actress said that the opulent venue and refined attire were carefully selected to present the soldiers in a dignified manner, contrasting with the typical depictions of them either in uniform or as patients in rehabilitation centers.
"This transformation reveals them from a completely different side, showing what refined, elegant, and handsome gentlemen they are. It gives them more self-confidence and a sense of self-sufficiency," she told Obozrevatel.
"These are the emotions we should give them, not pity and tears."
Yulia's Instagram video provides a glimpse behind the scenes of the photoshoot, revealing the soldiers laughing and having fun during the experience.