Historian and author Hilary Roberts joined writer and historian Olesya Khromeychuk for a conversation exploring how war is documented, interpreted and experienced.

The talk on Thursday, March 12 brought together Ms Roberts, a curator and author, and Dr Khromeychuk, director of the Ukrainian Institute London, to examine the stories societies tell about conflict through images, history and lived experience.

Ms Roberts, who has lived in Farnham for many years, is widely regarded as one of the leading authorities on war photography and visual history. Over a career spanning more than 45 years she has played a key role in shaping how conflict photography has been collected, researched and presented to the public.

At the Oxfam shop in The Borough she introduced her latest book, Camera at War: 170 Years of Weaponizing Photography, which explores how images of conflict influence what people understand as truth.

Roberts explained how photographs have been used to persuade, mislead, document and deny events across nearly two centuries of conflict, arguing that recognising these layers of intention is essential in an age of digital uncertainty.

Dr Khromeychuk reflected on the personal and political impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine through her memoir, The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister.

Together, Roberts and Dr Khromeychuk explored how stories about war are shaped through images, historical interpretation and personal testimony, and how those narratives influence public understanding of conflict.

The conversation offered audiences an opportunity to reflect on war from two distinct but complementary perspectives.