International photographer travelled 10 thousand km in Ukraine’s war zone, what scene did he see on the ground?

Amidst the horror of the war between Russia and Ukraine, there are innumerable stories full of human emotions which on one hand tell the story of pain and suffering. On the other hand, they also highlight the feelings of love, compassion and affection.

At a time when Russia’s havoc continues on Ukraine, an international photographer named Byron Smith traveled 10 thousand kilometers in the war zone of Ukraine. He tried to depict the condition and mood of the people of Ukraine through his camera.

He visited Ukraine in the midst of the war and tried to preserve the scenes he witnessed. These are not just photographs but a documentation of the people suffering the tragedy of war. He saw how people were leaving the city of Irpin in small taxis amid Russia’s initial attacks on Ukraine in 2022. Meanwhile, the photographs taken by him can be seen as a symbol of human love for animals because there is no space to sit in the taxi loaded with luggage, people are sitting with their pet dogs in their laps so that they can keep them safe along with themselves.

One picture is of people standing at the railway station amid the noise and waiting for a train. This train is to go from Ukraine to Poland. The pictures of people bidding farewell to their loved ones in packed trains are shocking. The pictures of women walking on the roads with newborn babies and luggage in their hands will not leave you emotional.

The photographer says that when you see such a large number of people migrating, but you just show sympathy by seeing them, you don’t go to them and find out why they are migrating. It looks fake.

Let us tell you that the photographs taken during this ten thousand kilometer journey to Kiev after Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022 have been documented by photographer Byron Smith in a book called Testament 22. He describes it as a document of war in a way. This 192-page book tells the story of hope, fear and despair.

Byron Smith has named his book after Ukrainian writer and poet Taras Shevchenko’s 1845 poem My Testament. In this poem, the poet had said that after his death, his body would be buried in the fields of Ukraine.