A soldier of Azov regiment stands on the ruins of the Azovstal steel plant during its siege. May 2022 - Copyright Dmytro Kozatsky/Azov regiment

Azov photographer publishes his work just before being taken prisoner

By Natalia Liubchenkova

Published on 20/05/2022 - 15:57

Photographs taken by Mariupol defender besieged for months in the steel plant.

“That’s it. I am thankful to Azovstal for shelter - the place of my death and my life,” Dmytro ‘Orest’ Kozatsky said in his Instagram post, published on Friday.

The Azov regiment fighter made his photography from the sieged Azovstal steel plant available for free, asking for it to be shared as much as possible. Some of these photographs have already gone viral revealing the situation of Azov regiment fighters, notably the injured personnel.

“By the way, while I will be in captivity, I leave you my photos, apply to all the journalist awards and photography competitions for me. If I get something, I will be really pleased to learn about it after I am released. Thank you all for your support. See you”, he wrote.

There is not much known about the fate of the Mariupol defenders since their evacuation from the Azovstal steel plant to territories not controlled by the Ukrainian authorities which started on Monday.

Kyiv says the plan is to free them later in an exchanging with Russian captives. It was the only way to save their lives, officials insist.

Azov regiment commander Denys Prokopenko said on Friday in a released video address that he received an order from the higher military command to stop defending Mariupol. He said injured soldiers were already evacuated from the plant and the bodies of Azov fighters that lost their lives were being taken away from the plant.