'30 hours at ground zero': Ukrainian photographer depicts real everyday life of military

Ukraine, Mon, January 29, 2024 - 07:00

Konstantin Liberov showed the realities of the military at ground zero (photo: instagram.com/libkos)

Ukrainian photographer Kostiantyn Liberov showed how 30 hours with the military at ground zero unfolded, according to Liberov's post on Instagram.

Kostiantyn Liberov depicted the reality of soldiers at ground zero.

"Thirty hours at ground zero with the infantry. Thirty hours in a cramped bunker, 1.5 by 1.5 meters," begins the photographer's narrative.

The military, along with Kostiantyn, drove to positions in the Kharkiv region at night through a dark forest. On approach, they saw artillery explosions. The road was the only way, and the explosions were getting closer to them.

"We dash into a dark, damp bunker where all five of us barely fit. The hail and shrapnel start hitting us immediately. The enemy is 50-70 meters away, seeing and hearing everything. They want blood. In the bunker, three guys are supposed to go to their positions. They wait for about 40 minutes until the shelling subsides a bit. When it calms down, the guys move to their positions," Kostiantyn describes in his post.

"300," almost immediately shouts the walkie-talkie. One of the guys steps on the petal (mine), and he never reaches the position. Two are wounded, one severely.

How thirty hours unfold for Ukrainian military personnel at ground zero (photo: instagram.com/libkos)

In complete darkness, with no flashlights, four soldiers are running, carrying a heavy individual on a stretcher towards the evacuation point. Just as they load him into the armored vehicle, shelling begins. At least 15 heavy artillery explosions occur. Constant ringing in the ears, and Kostiantyn experiences a mild concussion.

"We reach the shelter and sit there until morning: five people in a small dugout. Sleeping while sitting. Everything tenses up, even muscles whose existence I was unaware of until now," says the photographer.

According to his account, shelling continued throughout the night. By morning, after a sleepless night, he realizes that it's time to go out because he can't endure sitting like this throughout the daylight hours.

"No matter how scary it is, I came here to show how the guys survive. There are no journalists here. I have to go outside," he declares.

Kostiantyn admitted in his post that those were incredibly stressful 15 minutes that felt like an eternity. Everything is done in haste, constantly bending down at the sound of short whistles. However, the greatest fear became the drones.

"I lift my head and listen carefully not to miss the deadly bird in the dense fog. And I look down: petals (mines) everywhere," describes the photographer.

"We rush back into the 'burrow' just before the start of another shelling. Shelling here isn't a mine exploding every 20 minutes. Shelling is salvoes from artillery with explosions every second that can last for an hour. I apologize for the details, but I could only go outside to empty my bladder at night. I prepared myself for the thought that most likely I would have to do it in the bunker. It happens here, and no one condemns it," the man continues.

Since there's no communication, Kostiantyn passed the time by looking at old photos from their pre-war journeys with his wife, Vlada.

"How happy we were. How carefree life was. I understand that I want to feel that again," concludes the man.