“The West must suffer to wake up”: Ukraine war snapper on the horror he saw first hand

In this bonus episode of The Brink, recorded in Kyiv, Andrew and Jake speak with American photojournalist Christopher Occhicone, who has spent years documenting the war in Ukraine from the front line.

Chris explains what it is like to report from the battlefield with nothing but a camera, capturing the brutal realities of trench warfare, drone attacks, and the human cost of the conflict. Having worked closely with Ukrainian soldiers, medics, and civilians since 2014, he reflects on the desperation faced by those fighting and living through the war, and the difficulty of communicating that reality to audiences in the West.

The conversation explores what many Europeans and Americans still fail to grasp about the conflict, from the psychological toll on Ukrainian society to the stark difference between watching war on a screen and experiencing it firsthand. Chris also shares how his work has evolved beyond journalism, helping wounded soldiers access treatment and prosthetics while continuing to document the stories of those caught in the conflict.

Finally, he reflects on the personal motivations that brought him to Ukraine in the first place, including a desire to understand the wartime experiences of his grandfather and the powerful bonds formed among people facing danger together.

This is a raw and deeply personal conversation from the heart of a country still fighting for its survival.

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