Irish photographer caught in Russian ambush in Ukraine

A Belfast conflict photographer has spoken of his experience being ambushed by a Russian while covering the war in Ukraine.

Conall Kearney had been tasked by United24, funded by the Ukrainian government, to join a unit on what was to be a simple reconnaissance mission along the front line.

The attack in May this year lasted 14 hours and Mr Kearney suffered numerous injuries.

Speaking to BBC News NI, he said he was “lucky to be alive”.

“It’s like an addiction”

Mr Kearney said he had always been interested in how the history of war and conflict is documented.

His work has taken him around the world, but his first forays into conflict photography took place much closer to home, documenting “various riots and marches” in Belfast.

He then moved to Berlin and began covering various demonstrations and riots.

The photographer has also covered Hong Kong’s “umbrella revolution,” as well as Lebanon’s 2022 elections.

“It’s like an addiction. You’re chasing that buzz,” Kearney said.

“You still have a genuine interest in the subject, but there’s a thrill, especially when a situation is completely crazy and you come away unscathed with great photos.

“It’s definitely something that we pursue too much sometimes.”

Mr Kearney first visited Ukraine in 2018 and said he “instantly fell in love with the country”.

When war broke out five years later, he said it was “obvious” that he had to leave.

“It was a direct train from Berlin to the Ukrainian border; within a week I was at the Russian border.”

Mr Kearney was one of the last journalists in Bakhmut, a Ukrainian town captured by Russian forces in February 2023.

He saw both the climax of the battle and the entry of the Russian army into the city.

He also witnessed the Russian advance in the Avdiivka region, as well as the siege of Kharkiv.

In May, Mr Kearney and a colleague joined the Kayfariki unit, a Ukrainian military group made up of left-wing supporters of FC Arsenal kyiv.

For security reasons, he did not give specific details about the location of the incident, but confirmed that it occurred in the Donbass region.

Unbeknownst to Ukrainian forces, Russia had identified the unit’s location and planned an attack.

It was only in the early hours of the last day that this plan was put into action.

Mr Kearney said his unit was bombed for three hours.

“After this operation was completed, a convoy of tanks entered our city. All hell broke loose.”

This triggered 14 hours of back-and-forth gunfire, artillery and drones.

Mr Kearney estimated there were about 70 Russian troops, compared to eight Ukrainian fighters.

He remembers the Russians being so close he could hear them strategizing.

When he asked the commander what the plan should be, he got the answer: “Dying is not part of the plan. We will escape, but it probably won’t work.”

Outnumbered, wounded and rapidly running out of ammunition, their situation was untenable.

“I accepted that I was dead,” Mr Kearney said.

When he asked how one of the wounded soldiers was feeling, the only answer was: “I don’t feel anything, we are already dead.”

“Everyone was hurt,” the photographer said. “We could hear the Russians screaming for our blood.”

“There was a point where the commander said, ‘That’s probably it.’ When I hear something like that, I look back on my life and say, ‘I had a good time.'”

“Beyond a miracle”

“Once it got dark, we just sprinted back,” Mr Kearney said.

He described how the unit ran for three kilometers, facing Russian fire the entire time.

“The fact that they didn’t hit any of us is a miracle.”

Eventually, the group managed to escape out of range of Russian weapons and were rescued by Ukrainian troops.

They survived without any casualties.

“I’m definitely one of the lucky ones,” says the photographer.

The Belfast man has already returned to Ukraine to catch up with the unit, which is now back on the front line.

“I met them all. They were in a very good mood,” he said.

During the ambush, Mr. Kearney heard his comrades repeating a phrase over and over again that he did not understand.

“When I finally translated the song, I found out it was about boys saying ‘I love you’ to each other.”