At his 26, this young guy already knows all the pain and nightmare of war. Circumstances made Dmytro Kozatsky famous in a short period of time. Together with other guys he defended Azovstal. However, it was his photographic artworks that attracted the attention of the public even more. Let’s find out about a talented photographer together with you.
Dmytro Kozatsky
Dmitry Kozatsky was born in Malyn, Zhytomyr region. His family and friends know him as a true Ukrainian patriot and boundless romantic. In 2014, when Dmytro was 18, he dropped out of his studies in Poland and returned home to Ukraine. That was the time when Euromaidan in Kyiv was taking place.
After the historic events in Kyiv, Dmitry Kozatsky firmly believed that his mission was to defend Ukraine. Then the young man contracted the National Guard. Finally, our hero joined the Azov regiment, which defended Azovstal in Mariupol for several weeks. The guys risk their lives every second, but continue to believe in victory and a better future.
This is evidenced by the photographs taken by Kozatsky, who makes posts for his subscribers as far as possible.
“When I took these photos, I wanted to see pain and vulnerability. But I saw courage and resilience, the strength to smile despite the wounds. It brings me hope”, — said Dmytro.
Of course, you will never get rid of your fear if your shelter daily holds back bombardment, artillery salvo from the sea and automatic rifles. And, as Dmitry Kozatsky himself says: “The worst thing is to lose a comrade. At this point, you lose your hope. They are your friends; just an hour ago you spoke to them, and now they are gone.”
Every day Dmytro writes to his mother, living under the fire of the occupying forces. As our hero says about her, she is a military mother: «Mom never cries on the phone, she supports us and believed and will always believe that we will get out alive.»
By the way, it is not so easy for Dmytro’s mother Iryna Yurchenko to write messages for her son. In order not to distract his attention, she carefully checks every written word.
“When I write, I can notice words that may have double meaning or sound sad. Then I erase everything and start again. It is important to support my child,” says Dmytro’s mother.
Besides, Iryna Yurchenko is not sitting at home, she is contributing to the victory of Ukraine. She works as a conductor at Ukrzaliznytsia. Since her country was attacked by Russia, she has been working hard to transport refugees to Western Ukraine.
“On February 25, my shift was on schedule. My daughter asked me to stay at home. But I decided to work, because each of us has his own ащкуfronts. If my Dmytro is now defending the country in Mariupol, I will help where I can be useful”,” says Iryna Yurchenko.
