Ukrainian soldiers walk through the Azovstal steel plant during the Russian siege of Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, on April 26, 2022. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)
The defense of the Azovstal steel plant, Ukraine's last stronghold during the Russian siege of Mariupol in the spring of 2022, remains one of the most heroic operations carried out by the Ukrainian soldiers to date.
The plant was under constant Russian bombardment for nearly two months, and those stuck inside the bunkers – both military and civilians – were forced to survive on little food and medicine, barely seeing daylight.
Photos from Azovstal that emerged online during the siege shocked the world. They were taken by Dmytro Kozatskyi, call sign "Orest," who then was the head of the Azov regiment's press service.
Two years after Azovstal defenders were ordered to surrender to the encircling Russian forces, and as hundreds of them remain in captivity, The Kyiv Independent publishes never-before-seen photos from the plant, under the permission of the author, Kozatskyi.
An Azov regiment soldier in the bunker of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine on May 7, 2022. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)Two Ukrainian soldiers near the fire in the bunker of Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine on May 7, 2022. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)Ukrainian soldiers in the bunker of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine on May 7, 2022. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)Soldiers of the Azov regiment in the bunker of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine, on May 7, 2022. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)
A Ukrainian soldier in the bunker of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine on May 7, 2022. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)
Two Ukrainian soldiers stand near the fire in the bunker of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine on May 7, 2022. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)The underground life in the bunker of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine on May 7, 2022. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)
A Ukrainian soldier in the bunker of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine on May 7, 2022. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)
Ukrainian soldiers cook near the fire in the bunker of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine on May 7, 2022. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)The bunker of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine on May 7, 2022. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)Dmytro Kozatsyi's self-portrait at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine on May 7, 2022. (Personal archive / Dmytro Kozatskyi)
Irynka Hromotska is the Photo Editor at The Kyiv Independent and Creative Director of its print magazine. She holds an MA in photojournalism from the Missouri School of Journalism, earned as a Fulbright student.
She has curated photo exhibitions across the United States (Columbia, Missouri, and New York City), Ukraine (Lviv), and Germany (Leipzig), exploring themes of Ukrainian resilience, coming of age amid war, and frontline narratives through the eyes of the soldiers.
Her editorial practice includes serving as photo editor and assistant photo editor roles on multiple photobooks with FotoEvidence Ukraine. She previously interned at the Magnum Foundation and contributed to educational programming with Magnum Photos.
Her photography and editorial work have appeared in the Columbia Missourian, Radio Free Europe, Reuters and The Guardian.
At The Kyiv Independent, Irynka actively fosters relationships with photojournalists covering Ukraine, with a particular focus on long-form visual storytelling.
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