In Ukraine, a Community of ‘Simple Believers’ Shuns the Modern World
The Christians known as viruiuchi prostaky see electricity, cars, higher education and much else as distractions from what really matters. In Ukraine, a Community of ‘Simple Believers’ Shuns the Modern World Laying a foundation for a house in the village of Kosmyryn, in western Ukraine, in November. Laying a foundation for a house in the village of Kosmyryn, in western Ukraine, in November. Photographs by Mauricio Lima Written by Yurii Shyvala Mauricio Lima and Yurii Shyvala spent more than a week with the simple believers, as they call themselves, in Kosmyryn and other villages in Ukraine’s west. March 1, 2026 On the outskirts of Kosmyryn, a village in western Ukraine, several men poured the foundation for a house. They used hand tools — shovels, wheelbarrows, a manual cement mixer. No engines, no electric cables. They let themselves be photographed, which is rare. Most members of their Christian community shun images of any kind. Thei...