This photo was taken by Ron Haviv of the VII Photo Agency. It shows residents walking past a body lying in the middle of a road as they evacuate the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, on March 10, 2022.
That day, Russian armoured vehicles engaged the Ukrainians at the northeastern edge of Kyiv in the ongoing attempt to encircle the capital. Up to that point, the northwest suburbs had endured the most Russian bombardments.
In the video below, illustrated with Haviv’s photographs, we observe the defensive barriers, the visible carnage, and the surprisingly orderly movement of the citizens. We also discuss the nature of the resistance and the spirit of the Ukrainians in the face of the devastating circumstance.
Chatting the Pictures is a video series featuring Reading the Pictures‘ publisher Michael Shaw and visual academic Cara Finnegan analyzing key news photographs. VII Insider is pleased to partner with Reading the Pictures to bring episodes of Chatting the Pictures to the VII Insider community, beginning with this close reading of some of Ron Haviv’s work in and around Kyiv.
You can listen to Ron Haviv’s two audio dispatches (mentioned in the video) here and here.
