Ukrainian photographer describes taking ‘horror’ picture of woman in rubble

A Ukrainian photographer – whose photo of a woman in distress as she sits in the rubble of her own flat has gone viral – has vowed to continue documenting the war, saying “the world should know”.

The image, taken by 31-year-old Arsen Dzodzaiev, is one in a series that has given a chilling glimpse of the aftermath following a Russian air strike on Dnipro, south-eastern Ukraine, where a block of flats was hit by artillery on Saturday and led to a death toll at least 40.

Mr Dzodzaiev, an engineer from Dnipro using his camera to show the harrowing reality of the war, spoke to the PA news agency after the photo swept across social media and international news – even being used by President Volodymyr Zelensky in an Instagram post.

“I don’t really remember (what I was thinking) because I was stressed,” he said.

“There was literally nine floors in this building and it fell down to rubble, it is a total disaster.

“Maybe I’ve started to filter in the feelings that come to me because it’s really hard to live through this – three days in total shock.

“But every time I see this photo on the internet, I remember what a nightmare it is… I’m really back to (the) horror.”

Other photos captured on his Canon EOS 5D Mark IV show the entire building decimated in the middle, a scorched car being moved by tens of people, and emergency service workers, among civilians, rushing to make their way through debris and find survivors.

Mr Dzodzaiev said he has reached out to the subject of his viral photos on Instagram, but had not yet received a response.

“It’s a terrible story,” he said.

“I saw this girl and another man in the window on the ninth floor, so I take a photo (of both of them).

“When I moved back, I saw that (she) was on the stairs with the firemen… she was already rescued.”

Mr Dzodzaiev and his wife were “one kilometre” from the building when the strike happened and were driving home, but the engineer soon decided that while his wife would race to safety, he would return with his camera.

He described watching civilian people try and help as the events unfolded and said the building looked like it had been “put in the blender”.

“I didn’t hear any screams, but I saw civilian people who (stood) shoulder to shoulder and try to remove the destroyed building,” he explained.

“I saw a lot of people take a destroyed car and move it with their hands.

“(It was like) a building put in the blender.

“I saw a child’s stroller, a toy for dolls, and this is totally destroyed… I can’t imagine that this could happen, in this moment I was in shock.”

It is the first photo of his to go viral in western media since he began documenting the war, Mr Dzodzaiev said.

“On Sunday, I wake up and saw a lot of notifications from Instagram, from Facebook, journalists write to me on WhatsApp,” he said.

“It’s really weird for me because I don’t like the word ‘famous’ in this context, it’s a little bit stressful.”

He will continue to take pictures, adding: “The world should know, what Russia is doing here.

“There should not be any mercy to Russia and Russians… It’s not (just) Putin’s war.

“It’s not Putin launching the rocket, it’s not Putin flying the plane who carried this missile.

“It’s not Putin filling up the gas for this plane… Russia attacks Ukraine, it’s not Ukraine’s war – it’s Russian war against Ukraine.”