A Belfast-based combat photojournalist shared his account of being caught in a Russian ambush while covering the fighting in Ukraine. Conall Kearney joined a battalion on what was supposed to be a straightforward surveillance trip along the frontline after being commissioned by United24, a group supported by the Ukrainian government.
A Deadly Ambush
During the 14-hour attack in May of this year, Mr. Kearney suffered many injuries. “Lucky to be alive” is how he put it when speaking to BBC News NI. According to Mr. Kearney, he has always been curious about the methods used to record war and combat stories.
Although his work has taken him all over the world, his initial experiments with conflict photography were much closer to home, as he shot “various riots and parades” in Belfast. After that, he relocated to Berlin and started covering riots and protests. The photographer also covered the 2022 Lebanon Election and the “Umbrella Revolution” in Hong Kong. Like an addiction, it is. You follow this hype,” Mr. Kearney remarked.
Deep Connection with Ukraine
“You’ve still got this genuine interest in the topic, but there is a thrill, especially when a situation is completely crazy and you come out unscathed with great photos.”It’s undoubtedly something you sometimes chase after too much.” After traveling to Ukraine for the first time in 2018, Mr. Kearney claimed to have “fallen in love with the country.” Five years later when war broke out, he said it was “no brainer” that he had to go.
“It was a direct train from Berlin to the Ukrainian border; within a week I was on the Russian border.” One of the final journalists in Bakhmut, a Ukrainian city taken over by Russian soldiers in February 2023, was Mr. Kearney. He witnessed the Russian soldiers storming into the city as well as the height of the fighting. He also saw the siege of Kharkiv and the Russian assault into the Avdiivka district.
🇷🇺✈️ The Tu-160 “white swan” of the Russian Airforce, currently the world’s fastest bomber.
If that ever takes off with a payload, Ukraine is off the world map. But be grateful Putin is calm. pic.twitter.com/PiRDjCnhrj
— Spetsnaℤ 007 🇷🇺 (@Alex_Oloyede2) July 13, 2024
Mr. Kearney and a companion became members of the Kayfariki unit in May, which is a military organization comprised of supporters of FC Arsenal Kyiv on the left. He said it happened in the Donbas region, but he did not provide the precise location for security concerns. The Ukrainian military was unaware that Russia had located the unit and was preparing an attack.
The Intense Battle
This strategy was not implemented until the wee hours of the last day. Mr. Kearney claimed that for three hours, his squad was under attack. “After this was over, a tank convoy entered our town. Everything went crazy.” This started a 14-hour period of intermittent gunfire, artillery, and drone activity.
Compared to the eight Ukrainian combatants, Mr. Kearney assessed that there were about 70 Russian forces. The Russians were so close, he remembered, that he could hear them planning. “Dying is not part of the plan,” was the commander’s reaction when he asked what the strategy should be. Though it’s probably not going to work, we’re going to flee.”
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Their position was untenable; they were outnumbered, wounded, and rapidly running out of ammo. “I realized I was gone,” Mr. Kearney remarked. The only response he received when he inquired about the injured troops’ feelings was, “I don’t feel anything; we’re already dead.””Everyone was hurt,” the photographer reported. “The Russians’ cries for our blood could be heard.” “The commander thought, at one point, that this was probably it. Something like that makes me reflect on my life and say, “I had a nice run,”.”
Much More Than a Miracle
“We just ran out the back once night fell,” Mr. Kearney remarked. He explained how the unit ran three kilometers while constantly coming under fire from the Russians. “How they didn’t hit any of us is beyond a miracle.” The party eventually managed to get away from the Russian guns and was saved by Ukrainian forces. They made it out alive with no injuries. “I am undoubtedly among the fortunate ones,” the photographer clarified.
The Belfast native has already returned to Ukraine to rejoin the unit, which is currently fighting on the front lines. “I got to know them all. They seemed quite content,” he remarked. Mr. Kearney could not understand the words his comrades were repeating all the time during the ambush. “When it finally got translated, I found out it was that the guys saying ‘I love you’ to each other.”