x
In the first four months of the Ukraine war, American photographer Ron Haviv was able to follow people in the city of Irpin leaving their homes in horror and dead civilians lying on Bucha's streets. He is certain that the previously unknown names of the Kiev suburbs will be included in textbooks - as a symbol of the sacrifices that Ukrainians have made not only for their country but for the whole world.
The bodies of four civilians killed in Bucha are taken off the road.© AP
Ron Haviv is one of the founders of the VII Photo Agency and has been capturing conflicts on camera for more than 30 years. His work has taken him to the former Yugoslavia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan and Mexico, among other places. In total, he highlighted 26 conflicts. He cooperated with "Doctors Without Borders", the Red Cross and UNICEF.
Repeated stay in Ukraine
Last year Haviv traveled to Ukraine several times on behalf of the international weekly newspaper "Economist" - and described to the magazine what he had observed in Bucha, Irpin, Kiev and Izyum. The independent news portal "Mediazona" published the translated interview so that it could also reach the Russian population.
Related video: Ukrainians commemorate victims of year-long war (Keystone-SDA-ATS)
Ethnic cleansing?At the start of the Ukraine war, Haviv spent a week photographing people fleeing Bucha and Irpin to the relatively safe capital, Kiev. What he saw could be described as ethnic cleansing.
Because the inhabitants of these cities would have had to turn their backs on their homeland simply because of their descent. Simply because they were Ukrainians. People fled with white flags - hoping not to be shot - and ran past the dead. No idea where to - just away from hell.
War crimes in BuchaThe word Bucha, the photographer described, now stands for war crimes. Once he even accompanied forensic scientists there in their search for evidence of the terrible crimes.
In a building where Russian soldiers were stationed, corpses were lying with their hands tied behind their backs. Haviv said he last saw something like this many years ago in what was then Yugoslavia.
Completely surreal mixture of horror and bureaucracy They discovered a mass grave near a church in Bucha - one body after the other was then dug up and an attempt was made to identify them with the help of relatives. According to the photographer, one picture in particular stuck in his memory.
Ukrainians prepared for a long conflict During his last trip to Ukraine, he heard very different opinions about the war. While some appealed that Ukraine should be supported with more arms supplies, others tried to find out when the madness would finally end.
In general, Haviv could tell how tired people were. But they would have learned to survive in such conditions - with the knowledge that the war would go on for a long time. Nevertheless, the national spirit of the Ukrainians is strong. Many could have left the country, but stayed. Because this is her home. "They are Ukrainians and want to live on Ukrainian soil," Haviv concluded.
