Ukraine: man tries to comfort a dog who refuses to move after bombing

by MikeB · March 19, 2022

NEWS/COMMENT- IRPIN, UKRAINE: For me, this is a distressing picture of an animal caught up in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There are many animals who have been killed and injured. Many have been taken by their owner/refugees to Poland and other adjacent countries. This is just another distressing photograph. It is also an inspiring photograph in some ways because this man is trying to reassure a dog who appears to have lost the will to go on. Perhaps he/she is too traumatized. Certainly, this dog has lost the will to move. We don’t know more. I wish I did but perhaps it would be to distressing.

Irpin, Ukraine. Dog refuses to move while being comforted. Click on the image to see it larger. Photo credit as per image.

Irpin is a city located on the Irpin River. It is next to the capital of Ukraine: Kyiv. It’s a key location for the Russians in their invasion as it lies in their path to the capital. There has been a battle raging there with massive destruction. The pictures are horrendous. Irpin is being tenaciously defended.

A photojournalist, Marcus Yam, perhaps freelancing for the Los Angeles Times has produced some fantastic photographs in colour of that city. I hope that he does not mind me reproducing this single photograph because it caught my eye.

The latest Wikipedia report is dated March 14 in which they say a local member of Ukraine Parliament confirmed that half of Irpin was occupied by Russian forces. On March 13 Russian forces at a checkpoint shot a car carrying a foreign journalists including an American, Brent Renaud. They injured two others. Renaud was carrying a press pass issued by The New York Times.