Renowned author and curator Hilary Roberts joins historian and writer Dr Olesya Khromeychuk in conversation.

Hilary Roberts draws on more than four decades at the Imperial War Museum to explore how photography has shaped and distorted our understanding of conflict. Her new book Camera at War: 170 Years of Weaponizing Photography uncovers the long history of manipulation behind the lens. Roberts reveals how photographs have been used to persuade, mislead, document, and deny, and why recognising these layers of intention is essential in an age of digital uncertainty.

She is joined in conversation by Dr Olesya Khromeychuk, Director of the Ukrainian Institute London, whose acclaimed book The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister blends personal loss with historical clarity. Through her journey from London to Lviv, Khromeychuk examines how Russia’s war against Ukraine reverberates far beyond the front lines, reshaping identities, relationships, and the meaning of home. Her work challenges audiences to confront the human cost of conflict and the narratives that emerge in its wake.

Together, Roberts and Khromeychuk will explore the stories we tell about war, through images, history, and lived experience and how these stories shape public understanding. Their conversation promises to be both intellectually rigorous and deeply moving, offering audiences a rare opportunity to reflect on conflict from two distinct but complementary perspectives.