Warning! The material contains sensitive information and the photographs contain scenes of violence that may shock you.
Ukrainian troops entered the town of Bucha in the Kyiv region on 2 April 2022. Journalists and photographers entered the town with the army. The images from Bucha shocked the world.
Today, the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers is publishing photos taken by Oleh Petrasyuk in the first days of Bucha's liberation. Oleg's family house is in Bucha, so this story is very personal to him.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the actions of the Russian army as genocide against the Ukrainian people. According to preliminary estimates, more than 420 people died in Bucha during the month of occupation, and a new cemetery has appeared.
Bucha has been under threat of occupation since the first days of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war. On 24 February, the Russian army landed a helicopter battalion in Gostomel, near Bucha, and briefly took control of the Antonov airfield. The next day, Bucha was shelled by Russian helicopters. Residents trying to leave the town by car were killed. However, on 25 February the town had still not been taken.
At the end of February, the Russian military made another unsuccessful attempt to occupy Bucha and move on to Irpin. At the crossroads of Yablunska and Vokzalna streets, the Ukrainian military defeated a convoy of Russian vehicles. Locals hoped that after this battle the occupiers would withdraw. Instead, on 5 March, Russian troops entered the city from the direction of the Vorzel. They set up a base in Yablunska and occupied nearby houses, forcing residents into neighbouring houses or into basements. In March, Yablunska became a street of death. Bodies were found there after the Russians withdrew. During the occupation of Bucha by the Russian army, dozens of civilians were killed or injured by the Russian military.
A mass grave was discovered on the territory of a church in the centre of Bucha. Since 10 March 2022, Russians have been burying civilians there. The bodies of 67 people were found in the grave, some of whom have not been identified yet.
As a child, photographer Oleh Petrasyuk often visited his grandmother's house in Bucha. Twenty years later, from 2016 to 2019, he lived a quiet life with his wife.
On the day Bucha was liberated, Oleh heard from his colleagues about a convoy of damaged equipment in Dmytrivka and decided to go and see what was happening. "I left for work quite late that day, in the afternoon. It was 2 April 2022. I arrived in Dmytrivka, saw the well-known destroyed Russian column, took pictures, and met some colleagues," the photographer recalls.
Oleh says that when he finished shooting in Dmytrivka, he decided to try to get to Bucha. He was curious about what had happened to the town during the occupation and wanted finally to see his home. Back then, it was still forbidden for civilians to enter the city.
"I decided to come to Bucha just on a chance, I was curious to try it. I drove on a dug-out track: due to the wet weather, it was clearly visible on the ground that people were driving there, so I wasn't worried about safety. At the checkpoint, I showed my press card and they let me through," Petrasyuk recalls. "As I entered the city, I saw the bodies of people killed by the Russians. They were lying on the sidewalks or the roads.
I arrived in Bucha quite late, around 3 pm. It was very grim. There was still no electricity in the de-occupied towns of the Kyiv region. I just took a few pictures of bodies on the streets. Most of them were removed so quickly that I didn't see them on my way back an hour later," Oleh Petrasyuk continues, "then I decided to go to my house on Vokzalna Street".
The photographer's family house, where he lived for several years, is on Vokzalna Street. It is on the same street where the Ukrainian Armed Forces smashed a long column of military equipment. Oleh's house was almost undamaged, but next to it were burnt Russian "tins".
"I went into the house, the door was wide open, the place was a mess, and things had been taken outside. I had very unpleasant feelings, it was a bit frightening because I did not know what 'gifts' my enemies had left for me. I went into the yard very carefully and looked inside the house. I didn't go in, just took one thing I saw at the entrance and left. At that moment, an employee of the State Emergency Service came up to me with my journalist's pass and said: "You've lost it". And it was one of my old editorial passes, which I had left in the house, where the Russians had thrown it into the street. I grabbed the rescuer's arm and said: "Could you please check the house for mine?” He replied that he was not a deminer and would not help, but gave me some advice," Petrasyuk said.
Then the photographer took a few photos of the burnt column near his house, walked around the neighbourhood, talked to locals and had to go back to Kyiv because it was getting dark. It was still quite dangerous to move around in the dark.
Oleh Petrasyuk is a Ukrainian photographer with almost 15 years of experience in photojournalism, working for many Ukrainian media, including the Kyiv Post in English. For many years, he has been working with the EPA (European Pressphoto Agency), where he is still a part of the team.
Photographer's social networks:
Facebook
Instagram
We would like to remind you that the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers has launched a series of materials dedicated to the key events of the Russian war against Ukraine, where we will publish memoirs and photographs of Ukrainian documentary photographers.
The project is being implemented with the support of the ЗМІN.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Katya Moskalyuk
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
Warning! The material contains sensitive information and the photographs contain scenes of violence that may shock you.
Ukrainian troops entered the town of Bucha in the Kyiv region on 2 April 2022. Journalists and photographers entered the town with the army. The images from Bucha shocked the world.
Today, the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers is publishing photos taken by Oleh Petrasyuk in the first days of Bucha's liberation. Oleg's family house is in Bucha, so this story is very personal to him.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the actions of the Russian army as genocide against the Ukrainian people. According to preliminary estimates, more than 420 people died in Bucha during the month of occupation, and a new cemetery has appeared.
Bucha has been under threat of occupation since the first days of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war. On 24 February, the Russian army landed a helicopter battalion in Gostomel, near Bucha, and briefly took control of the Antonov airfield. The next day, Bucha was shelled by Russian helicopters. Residents trying to leave the town by car were killed. However, on 25 February the town had still not been taken.
At the end of February, the Russian military made another unsuccessful attempt to occupy Bucha and move on to Irpin. At the crossroads of Yablunska and Vokzalna streets, the Ukrainian military defeated a convoy of Russian vehicles. Locals hoped that after this battle the occupiers would withdraw. Instead, on 5 March, Russian troops entered the city from the direction of the Vorzel. They set up a base in Yablunska and occupied nearby houses, forcing residents into neighbouring houses or into basements. In March, Yablunska became a street of death. Bodies were found there after the Russians withdrew. During the occupation of Bucha by the Russian army, dozens of civilians were killed or injured by the Russian military.
A mass grave was discovered on the territory of a church in the centre of Bucha. Since 10 March 2022, Russians have been burying civilians there. The bodies of 67 people were found in the grave, some of whom have not been identified yet.
As a child, photographer Oleh Petrasyuk often visited his grandmother's house in Bucha. Twenty years later, from 2016 to 2019, he lived a quiet life with his wife.
On the day Bucha was liberated, Oleh heard from his colleagues about a convoy of damaged equipment in Dmytrivka and decided to go and see what was happening. "I left for work quite late that day, in the afternoon. It was 2 April 2022. I arrived in Dmytrivka, saw the well-known destroyed Russian column, took pictures, and met some colleagues," the photographer recalls.
Oleh says that when he finished shooting in Dmytrivka, he decided to try to get to Bucha. He was curious about what had happened to the town during the occupation and wanted finally to see his home. Back then, it was still forbidden for civilians to enter the city.
"I decided to come to Bucha just on a chance, I was curious to try it. I drove on a dug-out track: due to the wet weather, it was clearly visible on the ground that people were driving there, so I wasn't worried about safety. At the checkpoint, I showed my press card and they let me through," Petrasyuk recalls. "As I entered the city, I saw the bodies of people killed by the Russians. They were lying on the sidewalks or the roads.
I arrived in Bucha quite late, around 3 pm. It was very grim. There was still no electricity in the de-occupied towns of the Kyiv region. I just took a few pictures of bodies on the streets. Most of them were removed so quickly that I didn't see them on my way back an hour later," Oleh Petrasyuk continues, "then I decided to go to my house on Vokzalna Street".
The photographer's family house, where he lived for several years, is on Vokzalna Street. It is on the same street where the Ukrainian Armed Forces smashed a long column of military equipment. Oleh's house was almost undamaged, but next to it were burnt Russian "tins".
"I went into the house, the door was wide open, the place was a mess, and things had been taken outside. I had very unpleasant feelings, it was a bit frightening because I did not know what 'gifts' my enemies had left for me. I went into the yard very carefully and looked inside the house. I didn't go in, just took one thing I saw at the entrance and left. At that moment, an employee of the State Emergency Service came up to me with my journalist's pass and said: "You've lost it". And it was one of my old editorial passes, which I had left in the house, where the Russians had thrown it into the street. I grabbed the rescuer's arm and said: "Could you please check the house for mine?” He replied that he was not a deminer and would not help, but gave me some advice," Petrasyuk said.
Then the photographer took a few photos of the burnt column near his house, walked around the neighbourhood, talked to locals and had to go back to Kyiv because it was getting dark. It was still quite dangerous to move around in the dark.
Oleh Petrasyuk is a Ukrainian photographer with almost 15 years of experience in photojournalism, working for many Ukrainian media, including the Kyiv Post in English. For many years, he has been working with the EPA (European Pressphoto Agency), where he is still a part of the team.
Photographer's social networks:
Facebook
Instagram
We would like to remind you that the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers has launched a series of materials dedicated to the key events of the Russian war against Ukraine, where we will publish memoirs and photographs of Ukrainian documentary photographers.
The project is being implemented with the support of the ЗМІN.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Katya Moskalyuk
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
UAPP is an independent association of professional Ukrainian photographers, designed to protect their interests, support, develop and promote Ukrainian photography as an important element of national culture.
UAPP's activities span educational, social, research and cultural initiatives, as well as book publishing.
UAPP represents Ukrainian professional photography in the international photographic community and is an official member of the Federation of European Photographers (FEP) — an international organization representing more than 50,000 professional photographers in Europe and other countries around the world.
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