Published: TUESDAY December 9, 2025: 'Spray-Painting The Resistance' by ZUMA Press photographer Gaby Schuetze: Before the full-scale invasion, Kyiv's graffiti scene revolved around rooftops, metro tunnels and the city's sprawling train yards. Crews like ETC spent nights painting commuter trains and walls across the city. It was a loud, competitive and illegal subculture with its own rules and rhythms. When Russia attacked in February 2022, that world shut down overnight. Curfew emptied the streets, trains stopped running normally, and the danger of simply being outside changed completely. Many graffiti artists dropped everything. Some left the country. Some joined the military. And a small group redirected their skills into something entirely different. Welcome to 'Spray-Painting The Resistance'
© zReportage.com Issue #1017 Story of the Week: Published: TUESDAY December 9, 2025: 'Spray-Painting The Resistance' by ZUMA Press photographer Gaby Schuetze: Before the full-scale invasion, Kyiv's graffiti scene revolved around rooftops, metro tunnels and the city's sprawling train yards. Crews like ETC spent nights painting commuter trains and walls across the city. It was a loud, competitive and illegal subculture with its own rules and rhythms. When Russia attacked in February 2022, that world shut down overnight. Curfew emptied the streets, trains stopped running normally, and the danger of simply being outside changed completely. Many graffiti artists dropped everything. Some left the country. Some joined the military. And a small group redirected their skills into something entirely different. Welcome to 'Spray-Painting The Resistance'

Crew member of ETC sprays a wall in a backyard in Kyiv. After three and a half years of war, the graffiti universe is thinner, smaller, more exhausted. Many of the original painters in the ETC crew are now soldiers.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

Ukrainian Graffiti artist named RUBAE paints his name on a train and uses a ladder to reach the higher sections unmoved as an air raid alarm sounds in Kyiv.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

Masked crew member of the graffiti crew ETC rests in a backyard in Kyiv. After three and a half years of war, the graffiti universe is thinner, smaller, more exhausted. Many of the original painters in the ETC crew are now soldiers.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

Ukrainian Graffiti artist named RUBAE paints his name on a train unmoved even as an air raid siren sounds in Kyiv.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

Crew member of ETC stands with painting gear during a wall painting session in a backyard in Kyiv.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

Ukrainian Graffiti artist named RUBAE paints his name on a train and uses a ladder to reach the higher sections during an air raid alarm in Kyiv.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

Ukrainian Graffiti artist named RUBAE paints his name on a train and stands on a ladder to reach the higher sections. ''In the beginning, we didn't think about graffiti at all,'' says one member of ETC. ''We just tried to help our friends. Some joined the army, so we started painting their cars with camouflage.''
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

Ukrainian Graffiti artist named RUBAE paints his name on a train and uses a ladder to reach the higher sections.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

Crew member of graffiti art crew ETC mixes a color in the garage for a car they will paint in camouflage for Ukranian troops fighting on the frontlines with Russia.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

Ukrainian Graffiti artist named RUBAE paints his name on a train exterior during an air raid attack alarm in Kyiv. Seen from inside the train he covers the window with spray paint.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

A member of the ETC graffiti crew member takes a break from paining next to a Mitsubishi pick up, which he is currently being prepared for the frontline.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

Crew member of ETC sprays a Mitsubishi pickup truck in flat grey in the garage preparing it for the frontlines in the war with Russia.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

Outside their garage an ETC graffiti crew member sprays a Mitsubishi L200 pickup track in flat grey for the frontline in the war with Russia. A drone detector is covered on the roof of the car.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

Outside the garage an ETC graffiti crew member sprays a Mitsubishi L200 pickup truck in camouflage colors for the frontline in the war with Russia. A drone detector is covered to avoid being painted on the roof of the car.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

ETC graffiti crew member sprays a pick up in flat grey camouflage for the frontline in front of their garage. Before the full-scale invasion, Kyiv's graffiti scene revolved around rooftops, metro tunnels and the city's sprawling train yards. When Russia attacked in February 2022, that world shut down overnight.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

ETC graffiti crew member stands on he vehicles bumper as he sprays a pickup truck in flat gray for the frontline during the war with Russia. Infront of their garage are other cars that will need to be spray painted in camouflage.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

Masked members of the graffiti crew ETC in front of their spray painted wall in Ukrainian colors. Even for the ETC crew, long known for their anti-police, anti-establishment stance, the war created a strange new moral landscape.
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire

Crew member of the graffiti crew ETC sprays a Mitsubishi pickup truck for the frontlines. Outside the garage on the left side a military car with an anti drone cage, which you can regularly seen close to the frontlines
© Gaby Schuetze/ZUMA Press Wire