The Corpse of a Russian Soldier, and the Cold but Human Urge to Look

The dead man's body was charred black, almost like he had been welded inside the Russian military vehicle as it exploded.

How long had this soldier been on display? Long enough to become a monument in the tiny eastern Ukraine village of Husarivka, where some people walked by in the cold spring rain, knowing they were passing by a tomb.

The Russians, by that point in April, had been gone from the area for around two weeks, the evidence of their retreat scattered across the roads and fields.

For those actually living through all this destruction and the killing, the detritus of battle carries its own allure. Inevitably, the scorched remains of destroyed tanks and other vehicles are surrounded by voyeurs wondering about the fate of those doomed crews; trying to piece together those final moments or staring in awe at what people are capable of doing to one another. Read more

@nytimes